Father-son moments in sports don't get much more heartwarming than the one between Boston Bruins forward Jake DeBrusk and his dad on Wednesday night. Jake's father, Louie, cashed in an IOU from years ago, and Jake delivered in a big win.
Louie DeBrusk spent 11 years as a defenseman in the NHL, and he now works as an analyst for Sportsnet. Louie was between the benches for the Bruins' game against the Edmonton Oilers on Wednesday, and that prompted a special moment with his son.
In pregame warmups, Louie was interviewing Jake when he pulled a slip of paper out of his jacket. It was a "golden ticket" that Jake gifted him years ago, and it promised a goal or an assist in the upcoming game, or Jake would have to do 30 push-ups.
Despite a lack of confidence in his ability to knock out 30 push-ups, Jake accepted the ticket and his father's challenge.
Sure enough, Jake came through and delivered for his father. Late in the second period, DeBrusk tipped a point shot from teammate David Pastrnak and punched home his own rebound to give the Bruins a 4-1 lead. That tally also ended a nine-game goal drought for DeBrusk.
Jake avoided the push-ups with that goal, but he decided to go the extra mile with his dad on the broadcast. In overtime, DeBrusk also earned an assist on Charlie McAvoy's game-winning goal.
The pressure of delivering on a promise to his father seemed to work for DeBrusk on Wednesday. However, he may want to consider an expiration date if he ever makes more coupons for his parents.