Unable To Make It Back Home For The Birth Of His Third Daughter, Dylan Strome Plays His Heart Out For Capitals In Montreal
Washington Capitals center Dylan Strome couldn’t hold back tears as he discussed the roller coaster of a night he had in Montreal.
Just before warmups on Thursday, Strome got word that his wife, Tayler, was headed to the hospital and in labor, ready to give birth to their third daughter. Even if he hadn’t played, he wouldn’t have made it home in time.
“It’s tough. You obviously want to be there for the birth of your children, and I didn’t know it was coming this soon,” Strome said postgame, adding, “There was nothing I could do to get there.”
Jakob Chychrun and Strome said a prayer for his wife before the game, and filled with emotion, Strome took the ice and put his heart into the game.
“There was just so many emotions going through my mind. First of all, you want to make sure everyone’s okay, it’s a pretty scary thing,” Strome said. “I thought I was gonna make it home in time, maybe. Obviously that didn’t happen, but just tried to focus on hockey and the guys were right there with me and they knew what was going on.”
Strome set up Ovechkin for a power-play goal just a minute into the game, and later in the first period, his daughter, Sutton Kimberley Strome, was born.
From then on, he gave everything he had aand dedicated the rest of the game to the newest member of his family, finishing the night with three assists en route to an 8-4 victory over the Canadiens.
Strome was crowded by his teammates following the win, with them chanting his nickname, “Zini,” and congratulating him after hearing the good news.
“It’s a brotherhood we have in here. Everyone was making sure I was okay and good to go,” Strome said. “We’re a really close team and you know it’s something that I don’t think I’ll ever experience again. Hopefully no one does, just feeling helpless. Luckily, I have the guys.”
Tayler and Sutton are doing well, and now, Strome is looking forward to going back home and being with them.
“Just really proud of her,” Strome said. “It’s not easy, we go on the road a lot and women go through a lot and their bodies change so much. For her to do that herself, it’s unbelievable… just incredible.”
