Carlo caps off ‘24 hours that I won’t forget’ for Bruins in Game 1 win

SUNRISE, Fla. -- His eyes were ringed with dark circles. His face looked weary, robbed of sleep. Brandon Carlo appeared, in all facets, the picture of a new father, less than 24 hours removed from the birth of his second child.

While the whirlwind was real for the entire Boston Bruins team -- Game 7 win on Saturday night, flight to Fort Lauderdale, Florida, on Sunday afternoon, Game 1 set for Monday night -- for Carlo, it was another matter entirely. Because as soon as the Bruins emerged victorious on Saturday, the highest of highs after an overtime win in Game 7 against the Toronto Maple Leafs to move on to the Eastern Conference Second Round, Carlo got the news.

His wife, Mayson, was in the hospital. They were having a baby.

There was little time to breathe, none to sleep, as they waited -- and worked -- to get their son out in time to get Carlo down to South Florida, to get him to Amerant Bank Arena by the time the puck dropped. They did, he made it, and, with 21 seconds remaining in the second period, Carlo scored a backbreaker of a goal to put the Bruins up by two, as they took Game 1 by a 5-1 score against the Florida Panthers.

Crew Corbett Carlo had been born around 3 a.m. that morning.

“To see his face and just have a healthy wife and a healthy baby, I couldn’t be more happy,” Carlo said.

But there had been no assurances that Crew would come on time. No assurances that Carlo would make it to Florida by gametime. No assurances on anything.

Carlo had gone to the hospital after Game 7, meeting Mayson there. Labor was not progressing swiftly.

“We sped it up as fast as we could,” Carlo said. “We were flipping her around, putting her upside down, whatever we could do to get that baby out of there.”

Eventually, they fell asleep for an hour before a doctor came in and started the process in earnest. Crew was born 30 minutes after that.

“So thankful,” Carlo said. “So proud of my wife as well.”

But it didn’t end there, of course. The defenseman hopped on a private plane around 2 p.m. on Monday, leaving Crew with Mayson and his big sister, Wren, and got the best snippet of sleep he’d gotten since before Game 7. It would be enough. It would have to be.

Because coach Jim Montgomery wanted Carlo in the lineup.

“When you have incredible experiences in life, like the birth of a child, it’s amazing the energy it gives you,” Montgomery said. “That’s why I knew when he got here, we were going to put him in the lineup. The birth of my kids? It’s like winning a championship. You have adrenaline like you can’t believe for three days.”

And it paid off.

Trent Frederic won a footrace with Gustav Forsling to a puck in the offensive zone and knocked it to Charlie Coyle in the final minute of the second period. The center, who Carlo pointed out is nicknamed “CC,” like his new son, saw Carlo coming up ice and found him at the top of the right circle. Carlo took the shot, banging it off the crossbar and in.

He looked up as he saw the puck go in. He saw those teammates who had greeted him as he walked in the dressing room with hugs and smiles and congratulations.

“I don’t celebrate often, but I raised my hands with that one,” goalie Jeremy Swayman said. “It’s so incredible what he did today. Just the attitude that he brought, he was so excited. I can only imagine what it’s like leaving your little one and your wife at home right after.

“And Mayson’s a big part of this team too, because of that, allowing him to come and be here and supporting him. And it’s just one of probably the most memorable moments I’ll have with this playoff run, no doubt about it.”

For Carlo, goal-scoring is not exactly an everyday occurrence. The defenseman has 28 career goals in 554 regular-season games, including four this year, and four more in 67 career playoff games, including two this postseason.

“I don’t know why, but I always just turn back to the bench and look at all the faces of the boys and that always gets me just so fired up because, like I said, I’m not a guy who scores very often,” Carlo said. “Just the faces of happiness when the guys are supporting me like that, it means so much and I feel so blessed to be a part of this group.”

It’s a drama he will remember always, the Game 7 win, the birth of his son, the goal. Someday, he will tell Crew all about it, all the details and the emotions and the part that he played for his team, the exhaustion and the exhilaration, the joy.

“I haven’t even thought about that yet,” Carlo said, of what he might tell his son about the day. “But definitely a 24 hours that I won’t forget.”