A Happy Lappy Family

Nineteen-year-old Hendrix Lapierre's family had been waiting with bated breath for a particular call for a few days before the opening night roster was announced.

So, when he finally was able to deliver the good news -- that he had made the team and would play on opening night, they immediately went into action.
"We'd been waiting for that call for a while because we had tickets to book and things to figure out," his dad, Bruno Lapierre, said.
The entire family made the trip to Washington D.C. to watch Hendrix finally achieve his lifelong dream of playing in the NHL.
That group included his sister and brother, both his parents, his grandparents as well as his girlfriend. The only Lapierre unfortunately not able to make the trip was his other sister.
The night started out a little poorly, as they missed his solo lap at warmups because of a communication mix-up.

Even though they missed the lap, they saw his introduction onto the ice and that's when it really struck them.
"At the beginning of the game it really sunk in, like 'Ok we're here now,'" Bruno said. "Even though we missed the warmups, when it finally happened it was just an explosion of joy."
Little did they know just how well the night would turn out.
Lapierre went on to score his first NHL career goal after a slick pass from linemate T.J. Oshie, who promptly picked him up off the floor to celebrate the milestone properly.

The best part of it all was seeing the genuine joy from his teammates and the crowd.
"The energy was really nice," said his younger sister Ariane. "Everyone was so happy, the people in front of us, the guys on the team."
After his goal, the broadcast panned to his family in the stands who looked like they were in a state of disbelief. When it finally sunk in, his girlfriend Clara could be seen crying tears of joy as his family clapped on.

"It was pretty special and I'm sure they were pretty happy," said Lapierre after the game.
"It's just a good reward for everyone. For the past few years, it hasn't always been easy, but everyone got to see the goal and it was just a tremendous family celebration and time."
Although his mom and grandparents left town, the rest of his family decided to extend their trip to see the city a little more and catch Saturday night's game. They also attended Friday's practice and watched on from the stands.

Whether Lapierre plays Saturday is to be determined, but his family is just glad they could be here Wednesday.
"We're hoping he plays, but we don't take anything for granted."