NHL: Columbus Blue Jackets at Dallas Stars — Michael Del Zotto reveals how he got his name engraved on the Stanley Cup [image via IMAGN]

Michael Del Zotto reveals how he got his name engraved on the Stanley Cup after St. Louis Blues' 2019 win despite not meeting requirements

Modified Jul 08, 2024 12:33 GMT

Former NHL defenseman Michael Del Zotto won the Stanley Cup in 2019, where he played only seven games for the St. Louis Blues over the regular season. Despite not being on the championship-winning roster, his name was engraved on the Stanley Cup.

Recently, during an appearance on Hockey Network's "Empty Netters" podcast, Del Zotto shared the story of why the exception was made for him that year. During the latter part of the postseason, even though he wasn't playing, Del Zotto was always the first to arrive at the rink for the Blues and worked intensely in the gym.

“You lift every single day, you're not saving it for on ice. You're an absolute animal,” he said. “I wanted to show my teammates, ‘hey, even though this guy's been out two months, two and a half months, God forbid there's an injury, he's going to come in and do the job for us.’

“So I wanted to make sure that they felt comfortable with me slotting in the lineup if I was given that opportunity.”

Michael Del Zotto mentioned how he was emotionally moved when his teammates, particularly captain Alex Pietrangelo, advocated for his name to be included on the Stanley Cup trophy.

"It never happened, and there were definitely some dark days. I've got to be honest with you, there were some tough days where they made it very hard to come to the rink," Del Zotto said. "And at the end, you know, it was very emotional to know that they stood up for me, Petro specifically, to get my name on the cup, even though I didn't meet the requirements."

He was eventually given the honor considering he played more than 41 games in the regular season, despite only seven of those appearances being with the Blues.

“And it was obviously something I'm going to live with the rest of my life and be able to show my grandkids someday,” Michael Del Zotto said.

Michael Del Zotto opens up on harrowing encounter with Islanders' Eric Cairns

On the same podcast, when asked about the worst question he faced from a general manager, Michael Del Zotto recounted an experience with Eric Cairns, who was part of the New York Islanders. Cairns questioned Del Zotto about his penalty minutes and why he didn't fight, implying that the defenseman was avoiding fights.

“Eric Cairns was part of the group of Islanders, and he was like, ‘Oh, you had X amount of penalty minutes, but you never fought. Why don't you fight?’ You're 18, you're not trying to be cocky, but you also want to stand up for yourself,” Del Zotto said.

Michael Del Zotto explained that his role wasn't to fight but to put up points, be a powerplay specialist, outlet the puck and score goals. He admitted that he had a physical aspect to his game, which sometimes led to penalties out of frustration—a part of maturing in the game.

“You're an 18-year-old kid, you're still learning the game on that aspect. And he kept challenging me, like, ‘Why don't you fight? Are you scared to fight?’ I was like, ‘No.’ My team partner at the time was 6-foot-5, and if anything happened, you would take care of that. That's just how it worked, especially in junior,” Del Zotto said.

“He kept coming at me, and I still never, never really stood up for myself. I was trying to be respectful about it,” he added.

Michael Del Zotto mentioned that back then he had not defended himself in the face of the questions, but if he had the chance, he would have liked to react to that differently.

Del Zotto announced his retirement in September 2023, after playing 13 seasons in the NHL and amassing 736 regular-season games with 63 goals and 199 assists.