Dad Strength for Justin Brazeau

After signing a two-year deal with the Penguins when free agency opened, Justin Brazeau knew that joining a new team with a baby due in October would be a lot.

“Obviously, it's going to be a bit of a crazy start to the year for me,” Brazeau said with a smile back in the summer.

It has been crazy in the best way possible. After scoring twice in the season opener on Tuesday in New York, Brazeau scored again on Thursday against the Islanders – just hours after he and his fiancé Madison welcomed their son Jackson Robert.

“It was a long day, for sure. Obviously, super exciting late night,” Brazeau grinned. “But it's one of those things where you're kind of riding on adrenaline and you just show up to the rink and just get to play a game. So obviously, a really special day for me and my family. Super excited, and kind of capped it off in a good way.”

Brazeau became the second player in Penguins history to score the game-winner in each of his first two games with the team, joining Chuck Kobasew in 2013-14. He is also just the 13^th player in NHL history to accomplish the feat, and first since James Neal with Vegas in 2017-18.

Brazeau’s locker stallmate, Bryan Rust, said it was no surprise that the ‘Dad Strength’ manifested.

“I was fully expecting it. Those things just kind of happen. The hockey gods work in funny ways,” Rust said. The guys were thrilled for their teammate, with linemate Evgeni Malkin making sure to pick up the puck from Brazeau’s game-winner.

“That was awesome. It’s already in the nursery,” Brazeau said. “So, obviously, it means a lot when teammates are looking out for you and happy for you, stuff like that. So, it’s a pretty good feeling.”

Justin and Madison moved to Pittsburgh early enough to get everything set up and squared away, “make sure we're not panicking last minute when it happens during the year and I have to go on a road trip,” he said in September.

Jackson made sure to arrive before Dad had to head out for the California road trip, which begins with a game against Anaheim on Tuesday. Brazeau is hoping to continue his strong play out West.

He had gained a lot of confidence after a strong 2024-25 campaign that began with Boston, where Brazeau got the opportunity to play up in the lineup alongside the likes of Brad Marchand.

“I think once you kind of get put into a couple games with them, and you see yourself on those types of lines more than just a one-night type of thing, your confidence, I mean, how can it not grow?” Brazeau said. “I think having that trust from the coaches and stuff to be put in those situations, I think definitely adds to that.”

Brazeau then got traded at the deadline to Minnesota, and even though he wasn’t producing offense at quite the same rate with the Wild, Dan Muse liked what he saw on the whole.

“We see a guy who’s got really good hands, really good around the net,” Muse said of Brazeau, who is listed at 6-6, 232 pounds. “He can also score off the rush. He’s got good instincts that way. A player that size, when they can get to the inside... whether it's him at the net front, the first game you saw it off a faceoff... to be that size with those types of hands, when you can get into those areas, that's tough to handle.”

But as Muse has said repeatedly, while the coaching staff studied players’ pasts, this was a clean slate for everybody. And Brazeau went on to have a strong camp, with Muse saying his practices were good, and he put himself in good areas.

So, Brazeau began the year on a line with Malkin (6-5, 213 pounds) and Anthony Mantha (6-5, 240 pounds), and they’ve had some early success.

“Geno's got so much skill down there. When he has the puck on his stick, he demands so much attention,” Brazeau said. “So, me and Mants are able to feed off that and find little soft spots in the ice. And I think we both have the ability to make plays when he gets the puck there. So, I think we've just got to kind of keep doing that, imposing our size and our will down there."

But Brazeau has been careful to keep things in perspective, as there’s still a lot of hockey left to play.

"Any time you're able to start a year and you're able to get off on the right side of things, it definitely helps with the confidence and getting in the flow of the season, stuff like that,” he said. “Obviously, it's been a good start, but it’s a long season. So, I've got to find a way to keep doing that day in and day out."