Dennis Hildeby Reveals the Surprising Step He Took to Stay Calm During His NHL Debut

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Chris Gerics
October 11, 2024 (11:36)

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Dennis Hildeby won his first career NHL game Thursday against the New Jersey Devils and looked incredibly poised for a rookie, but he had to keep quiet about it.

It was quite a success for Dennis Hildeby, who was starting his first career NHL game on the second leg of a back-to-back. Looking ever the veteran out there, HIldeby allowed only two goals on 24 shots and helped backstop the Toronto Maple Leafs to their first win of the season, against their former head coach.

The talent Hildeby has is undeniable, and he's had professional experience in Sweden so it's not hard to see him adapt, but the secret Hildeby says, is that he just needed to keep quiet or his emotions would run too high:

While he was able to text his family to let him know he was starting, he neglected to make a phone call, trying to avoid hearing the possible joyful tears and screams of happiness from the family, which would put a lot of pressure on Hildeby hearing that elation as opposed to just laying it out. It's understandable, as Hildeby has worked his entire life to get up to this moment, and it shows incredible maturity for a rookie to stay calm and not let the heat of the moment play any sort of mind games with him.

Hildeby's debut could not have gone better, being the fifth Maple Leafs goalie to win their first career start in the last two decades:

Hildeby was humble afterward, knowing that while he played well, it was the team in front of him that allowed him to stay so calm:

«Great feeling, obviously,» Hildeby said in his post-game interview with TSN's Mark Masters. «It feels amazing, especially knowing how much it matters to my family. It means a lot. I appreciate the game the boys played today too, it helped a lot.»

Whether or not Hildeby gets a good look this year is still up for debate, as the question surrounding Joseph Woll's injury timeline is still unknown. It's presumed that Hildeby will backup Anthony Stolarz when Toronto plays their next game on Saturday against the Pittsburgh Penguins; however, he may have earned the trust of his head coach to get another crack.

Congratulations Dennis on win #1, in what is sure to be many, many more to come.