"We have worked hard to put Ty in a position where he was able to succeed," said Rick Nelson. "It's all about family. My wife and I would be working, so our daughter Peyton
"That's what the Battalion set out to do," said Bitonti, who has worked with the OHL franchise since it moved from Brampton to North Bay for the 2013-14 season. "The coaching staff here is phenomenal ... they felt the hockey world knew about Ty's offensive upside but they wanted to showcase Ty's defensive abilities because that's what was going to make him more attractive on draft day, that he's a smaller defenseman that can hit like a truck. He's got that reputation now - you know not only to watch him for when he's got the puck but you better watch out when you have the puck."
Billet families in the hockey universe are what in many ways holds together the rise of young players to become bonafide professionals who can begin to realistically aspire to play in the NHL, earn a college scholarship, play in Europe if not in North America, become coaches and scouts and professional-level referees, all of the above.
For Nelson, his billet family assured Rick and Stacy their son from the close-knit family was living with another tight, loving group of humans. The meatballs are a bonus. Steve Bitonti wanted to do something special for Nelson's draft day, no matter what round or which NHL team made the selection. He wanted this always-working, chip-on-the-shoulder, big-hearted defenseman to somehow stand out among the 200-plus kids picked in Montreal earlier this month.
The solution came from Bitonti's two grandfathers' classic fedoras and his own admission of near-bald head ("no brush involved, my biggest hair decision is which hat do I wear"). Bitonti follows the Chayo brothers, Levi and Yossi, and their New York-based Bellissimo line on Instagram. The Hasidic Jewish brother founded the business in 2017 with the idea of making quality hats at affordable prices, though they continue to make custom hats for the likes of Snoop Dog, Jamie Fox, Cedric the Entertainer and more than half of the Montreal Canadiens roster (the Chayos both married Montreal women).
Bitonti's brainstorm was late-breaking but Levi Chayo was intrigued by the challenge of making the custom hat in a week's and even delivered the hat himself to Nelson at the draft in Montreal. Bitonti's first idea was black hat with a light blue band to match the suit fabric sent by Tracy Nelson. Chayo said, "Do you trust me?" and Bitonti said, "Absolutely."
The result was a glorious light blue chapeau that matched perfectly with Ty Nelson's chosen tie and, more fittingly, the Kraken jersey Nelson slipped on after handshakes from Robert Kron and Kraken GM Ron Francis.
Let's just agree it was a social-media sensation. Plus, while most every draft choice donned NHL team ball caps that day of Rounds 2 to 7, Nelson kept the Bellissimo/Bitonti creation. Even the official NHL photographer taking head shots told Nelson, don't you dare switch to the ball cap.
"Levi and I had a long talk after I messaged him on Instagram," said Bitonti. "We wanted Ty to look like a million bucks. It's his draft day. I said to Levi, 'do what you gotta do.' When he sent me the final picture, it almost took my breath away ... And it happened to work perfectly with a Seattle Kraken uniform. It was awesome."
