The Sunday Read: How Michael DiPietro Fell Back in Love with Hockey

BOSTON –– The wedding countdown was on for Michael DiPietro.

He and his then-fiancée, Grace, were finishing seating charts and keeping up with their weekly first-dance classes when the news came around on July 1.

The Bruins traded Joonas Korpisalo to the New York Rangers. Suddenly, the coveted backup position in Boston had its clearest vacancy in years.​

“I didn’t have much time to think about hockey,” DiPietro said. “Once the dust settled and I was getting back to work, I think nothing changed about my preparation heading into camp. Having the opportunity to fight for a job and earn a job was obviously my thought. Every year you come here to camp, but actually having a legitimate chance this year magnified it a lot.”

DiPietro, who was originally selected in the third round of the 2017 NHL Draft by Vancouver, has waited a long time for this moment. Things did not go as planned with the Canucks, and the netminder was eventually traded to Boston in October 2022. That is when he met Mike Dunham, the B’s goaltender development coach.

“I give Michael a lot of credit. When we acquired him, things hadn’t worked out in Vancouver, so it was a fresh start for him. And from the beginning, he was willing to put in all the work,” Dunham said. “He went down and played in Maine in the ECHL for a whole year and just kept his head down, worked hard, did what he’s supposed to do. He got his chance in Providence the following year, and he’s just continued to take the steps in the direction that I think he wanted to see his career go.”

After earning the starters’ net with the P-Bruins, DiPietro won the Aldege “Baz” Bastien Memorial Award as the AHL’s most outstanding goaltender for the last two consecutive seasons. He posted a 1.91 goals-against average and .930 SV% through 45 games last year.

​“I think he’s proven everything he can at that level,” Dunham said. “Every day I just tell him, ‘Listen, you don’t know when that door is going to open for an opportunity. And when it does open, you have to be able to put your foot through there and go through the door.’ He has listened to that.”

Despite the open spot in the B’s lineup, DiPietro refuses to believe it will simply go to him. He talks about the upcoming season in hypotheticals, never specifying whether he will be in Providence or Boston. He consistently refers to battling for his role, and he’s performing as though he is. DiPietro has logged 30 and 26 saves in his two exhibition-game showings.

“That’s just him. He’s a wonderful kid. Very polite and works hard,” head coach Marco Sturm said. “That’s what I like about him. If he plays like the way he did last game, I think he is pretty safe.”

DiPietro’s even-keeled approach is something he has had to develop. Much of the progress the 27-year-old has made in his game is on the mental side, and Dunham has been a big help with that.

“It was just about reminding him that it’s just a game of hockey. It is his career, but you’re playing, and it’s a game of fun. It’s supposed to be fun out there; you’re supposed to have a good time. That gets lost a lot of the time. But it was finding that joy for him to come to the rink every day, to work hard, to enjoy playing the hockey games. And he did that. I give him a lot of credit, because it’s not always easy to reset when you’re 22, 23, 24 years old. And he did that,” Dunham said. “I think if you ask him, he’s having a good time playing hockey again. And that’s what is important.”

When they’re not on the ice, Dunham and DiPietro are talking about anything other than hockey. Without fail, DiPietro will find Dunham before practice to ask what he had for dinner and exchange the details of what he cooked – which is one of his passions. The latest binge-worthy TV shows are also a favorite topic for the duo. Dunham is currently watching Severance and comes ready with reviews; “It’s other things that sometimes let your mind be free,” he said. The sentiment has proven true.

“I think mental health in general is super important and I’m super open about my mental health journey. Especially being a goaltender, you have things that are just completely out of your control that happen in front of you, and you just kind of read and react to it. Just being able to talk through those things – those weird thoughts, negative ones, that cross your mind during a game, because you’re by yourself,” DiPietro said. “I think the way you prepare each day for practice, you can really control your routine, the way you prepare and obviously your attitude. You want to be happy, upbeat and enjoy being at the rink because whenever you enjoy doing something that you love, it doesn’t really feel like work. And that’s when you play your best.”

Grace has been by DiPietro’s side through all the ups and downs. Getting married at their home church in Amherstburg, Ontario – where DiPietro’s parents were wed and where he got baptized – was a meaningful moment for the couple. It was a new start in both their personal lives and DiPietro’s career.

“We started our relationship probably at the lowest of lows. My career was going in the opposite direction,” DiPietro said. “For her, she knew nothing about hockey coming into the relationship. We were family friends back home. Didn’t know hockey; her family didn’t know hockey. Her dad was like googling, ‘What is icing?’ when we first started dating. But now it comes full circle. It’s nice to have her on this journey and be able to be more balanced instead of just hockey all of the time. It’s nice to have a mental break and have her to lean on or have mindless conversations. Obviously you want hockey to go well, to have a long career. But it’s good to have a teammate in life, too.”

Roots, DiPietro and Grace’s Bernadoodle, has been along for the ride, too, and had a special spot in the wedding. One of DiPietro’s groomsmen works for a local brewery and made a light lager “Roots Beer” for the occasion. A graphic of Roots was on the can, of course, and he joined his parents for pictures at the reception.

“He loved it,” DiPietro said. “He was soaking in all the pets and everything.”

DiPietro is a dedicated dog dad. He keeps Roots with him all the time – even while in the crease. When DiPietro gets new pads, he brings Roots along, places his paw in ink and presses it to a piece of paper. The paw shape is sewed onto the backside of his pads, where DiPietro can see them.

Roots’ paws will likely see a lot more of TD Garden this season. As an impressive training camp winds down for DiPietro, the reality of becoming an NHL goalie has gotten closer and closer.

“His skating around the crease has gotten a lot stronger. His puck play has always been strong, and he works at it every day. And sometimes, it’s just about believing in yourself,” Dunham said. “All these kids, they all want to play in the NHL. That’s their dream, and as development coaches, that’s what you want them all to experience. Is to experience what we got to experience – to experience their dreams.”

DiPietro has not allowed himself to get overwhelmed by the moment. He has prepared in all meanings of the word to make this transition. And he’s doing it with a smile on his face.

“I’m having a blast,” he said. “Going through this whole process and having the opportunity to hopefully make your dream come true. I was talking with my brother; he’s an architect down in Nashville, and he was just saying, ‘No matter what happens, you’re doing what you love to do.’ To be even in this opportunity and playing an exhibition game at TD – all that means a lot to me and my family back home. I’ve been a proponent of training back home, being around my family and friends. And I want to do this for them, as much as I want to do it to reach a goal.”