Detroit left winger David Perron got to play hero on Tuesday night against his former Pittsburgh Penguins club.
The Red Wings took a 3-0 lead in the first period, gave it all back in the second, watched coach Derek Lalonde get unceremoniously ejected after a ridiculous call and entered the third period on their heels.
Then Perron showed up.
He scored a natural hat trick 13 minutes with his final two goals coming just 45 seconds apart. That gave Detroit a 6-4 lead which a Dylan Larkin empty-netter stretched to 7-4 to seal the victory at Little Caesars Arena.
THREE GOALS IN 13 MINUTES! 🤯
David Perron (@DP_57) scores three times in the third period to collect the @Enterprise hat trick and a @DetroitRedWings victory! pic.twitter.com/FvnUDAu1n6
— NHL (@NHL) March 29, 2023
The eighth hat trick of Perron’s career might end up as one of the most special achievements for him. Not because of how he scored or who it was against, but because of how he got to celebrate when he got home.
Perron posted on Instagram showing he had all the pucks from his tremendous performance lined up on a counter with one for each of his three kids waiting when they wake up.
David Perron laying out his hat-trick pucks for his kids to have in the morning is the cutest thing i’ve ever seen. 😭 pic.twitter.com/pmzaCcRrJh
— alyssa (@alyssaturnz) March 29, 2023
Well, that’s just the absolute best. Being a parent who is also a professional athlete certainly has its drawbacks, but this isn’t one of them.
We only wish we could’ve seen the look on the faces of Perron’s children when they woke up on Wednesday.
