Borrelli Loves Tonelli! My Dad Had The Time Of His Life At The Islanders Game Tonight

Tonight was John Tonelli night at the Nassau Coliseum. Tonelli was an integral part of the 1980’s dynasty squad that won 4 straight Stanley Cups. John was the grinder of the team, always going into the corners hard and setting the tone for the rest of the game. Tonight John, my Dad’s all time favorite player, got his number retired in the rafters of the Coliseum and boy did he enjoy it. All my life I’ve seen this picture of my dad and his friends on top of our restaurant during a Stanley Cup parade with my dad holding a “Borrelli Loves Tonelli” sign...and to see him holding one up tonight about 37 years later was pretty freakin special. 

Just like I predicted, about 3 seconds into the opening ceremony the tears started to flow 

The highlight of the night was when Tonelli walked off the ice and shared this moment with my Dad

I’d be lying if said I didn’t tear up a little bit watching my dad relive the glory days, acting like a kid again rooting for his favorite hockey player. Sports are fuckin awesome.