Alex Pietrangelo knows what its like to be on the roller coaster of life in more ways than one can imagine. Pietrangelo is the captain of the St. Louis Blues hockey team. On January 3rd, the Blues sat in last place, behind the the other 30 NHL teams. A short 5 months later, the St. Louis Blues defeated the Boston Bruins to win their first-ever Stanley Cup. It broke a 51-year drought for the Blues that tied an NHL record. This season’s turnaround was one of the greatest rebounds in the history of professional sports.
The Mountains And Valleys Of Life
The first player to ever hoist the cup for the Blues was their beloved captain. Pietrangelo is considered one of the very best defensemen in the NHL. He combines grit, size, skating ability and the knack to score key goals that few players possess. He ended up scoring the winning goal in Game 7 against the Boston Bruins. He is one of the core players that form the heart and soul of a champion team.
Pietrangelo has not only experienced the ups and downs of a hockey team, but he and his wife, Jayne, have also experienced a roller coaster ride in their personal life. On June 15, 2017, they lost their first child Gabriel because of pregnancy complications. Pietrangelo, who is a faithful follower of Jesus, wrote the following in the Players’ Tribune, March 2018, as he struggled with how God could allow such a tragedy: The single greatest thing we’ve ever been given was taken away from us, just like that. I don’t care how strong of a person you are………..you can’t help but ask yourself, ‘If God has done all of this for me in my life, and given me so much, and if there’s a plan for everyone, then why did this happen?’
In an Instagram post, six months after Gabriel was stillborn, Pietrangelo wrote,
There hasn’t been a day I haven’t shed a tear for you but today my heart aches a little more knowing we should be holding you in our arms and not just in our hearts. Many don’t understand why we chose to honor you the way that we did but we loved you even before you were formed in the womb. I’m just sorry they never got to know and love you too. So for now, I’m hanging on to the promise of Heaven to hold you and baby #2.
What prompted this heartfelt post was that Alex and his wife had just found out that they were pregnant again. Little did they know at the time that they were going to have triplets. On July 21, 2018, Alex and Jayne welcomed Evelyn, Oliver and Theodore into the world.
Alex and his wife, Jayne, along with the St. Louis Blues, certainly have experienced the mountains and valleys that make up life on this earth. It is no accident that the Blues showed so much character in their titanic struggle with the Boston Bruins in this year’s Stanley Cup Finals. Strength of character is molded in the furnace of affliction. And certainly the leader and captain of the Blues’ hockey team has set an example that inspires and strengthens many.
QOTD: Do you personally know the pioneer and author of salvation, Jesus Christ, the crucified and risen Savior?