DiPietro says he nearly quit hockey before reaching the Bruins

Michael DiPietro came close to walking away from hockey after Vancouver traded him to Boston on Oct. 27, 2022, he told NHL.com in a feature published Sunday. He even asked his agent, Rob Smith, a retired police officer, about becoming a cop.

His first NHL shutout came Oct. 22, a 6-0 win over Nashville at TD Garden on Hockey Fights Cancer night. He realized what night it was only that morning, after seeing the purple signs and hats at the arena.

His mother, Rebecca, was diagnosed with breast cancer at 29 and died in 2004, at 39, when Michael was 5. His father, Vic, told NHL.com he did not want his son to use her death as an excuse.

"Just kind of think it was the perfect storm," DiPietro said. "I'm a big faith guy, believe in God, so I think everything happens for a reason. Very blessed to have that happen. At the end of the day, it's a win for the team, but I think to me and my family it's a whole lot more than that, it's a culmination of a long journey."

Vancouver drafted him 64th in 2017, and he debuted at 19 on Feb. 11, 2019, but he got into just one NHL game in each of 2019-20 and 2021-22. He played most of 2022-23 with the ECHL's Maine Mariners, where he says he fell in love with the game again. His first NHL win did not come until this Oct. 16, against Anaheim.

Three seasons in Providence followed. He won the AHL's top goalie award in 2025 and 2026 and was voted league MVP for 2025-26. He signed a two-year deal with Boston on June 30, 2025, and is in its final season. The Bruins traded Joonas Korpisalo to the Rangers on July 1, opening the job behind Jeremy Swayman, though DiPietro told NHL.com he never assumed it was his.

Asked what he wanted people to know about his mother, he said, "Just that she was loving."