Adam Fantilli's 30th goal this season was for his grandfather.
The Columbus Blue Jackets forward scored the notable goal during the team’s game against the Philadelphia Flyers on Tuesday at Wells Fargo Center, a day after he attended his grandfather’s funeral in Toronto.
With a 2-0 lead in the third period, Fantilli notched his 30th of the year with a tip-in shot from a feed by forward Kirill Marchenko to extend the Blue Jackets lead.
After the game, the young forward credited his late grandpa for the goal.
"Yesterday I flew back to Toronto and buried my grandfather," Fantilli said. "His favorite team was Philly. It's going to sound like I'm joking when I say that, but I swear his favorite team was Philly. And coming back, I'm pretty sure that one was him just giving me a lucky bounce there."
It is Fantilli’s first 30-goal season of his career. He is the first player of the 2023 NHL Draft’s top three picks to reach the mark.
-NHL.com Deputy Managing Editor Adam Kimelman contributed to this report.
