“Pretty crazy,” he said. “I found out (Sunday) morning in Charlotte, and then flew to Wilkes and drove here (Sunday) night.”
Gruden made his NHL debut on Monday night against the Anaheim Ducks at PPG Paints Arena. He logged 7:02 of ice time in the Penguins’ 4-3 overtime victory, even having an attempt ring off the post in the first period.
“I thought Grudes played well. I thought he was making good decisions, I thought he played with confidence,” head coach Mike Sullivan said. “I would have liked to have gotten him a little bit more ice time, but the way the game evolved with some of the power plays and special teams, it just didn’t give me the opportunity to use the bench the way I had intended going in and the way I wanted to. But I thought for his first game, I thought he played a real solid game.”
Gruden said that a mixture of feelings were at play leading up to start of the game.
“You can’t really prepare for anything like it. You just kind of have to go with the flow,” he said. “Nervous, excited, all the emotions, all in one. Once puck drops, it’s just another game, and [I] try to play my best game.”
He got to skate a few solo laps on his own to start pregame warmups before his teammates joined him on the ice. Gruden said that the moment was “really cool.”
“I blacked out there for a minute,” he said. “No bucket was pretty cool. It was fun.”
With roots in Rochester Hills, Mich., family members came from various places to make sure they saw his first game in person.
Jonathan’s mother, Polly, was at her home in Boston on Sunday when she got the call.
“It was early morning, and I was watching TV,” she said. “My husband was in the bedroom. I was in the TV room, and Jonathan FaceTimed us. He’s like, ‘You might want to get Dad on the FaceTime.’ So, when you get Dad on the FaceTime, apparently that’s big news. He FaceTimed us, and we were just absolutely elated.”
Polly added that her flight out of Boston had a slight delay, but that she would’ve made the 9 1/2 hour drive if necessary.
His older sister, Katlin, is a student at DePaul University in Chicago, but she wasn’t going to miss the special moment.
“Obviously, as a big sister, this is a proud big-sister moment,” she said. “I didn’t want to miss it, so I would do everything I could to be here and support him like I always have. No matter where he is in his career, we’ll always be here and supporting him, so we’re just so excited to be here.”
Jonathan’s younger sister, Elizabeth, is also in school. With a day off of classes on Monday, the Michigan State University student also got to make it into town for her brother’s debut.
“A moment you can’t miss. We dropped everything,” she said. “It’s perfect with no school. I’m so excited to be here. It’s always been a dream. He’s always talked about it. It’s crazy it’s real.”
Gruden’s father, John, is an assistant coach for the Boston Bruins. He was the only member of Jonathan’s immediate family who was unable to be in attendance because the Bruins were playing on Monday afternoon.
Jonathan credited his father – who played 92 NHL games across six seasons with the Bruins, Senators and Washington Capitals – for playing a large role in his upbringing as a player.
“He was my first coach and a role model my whole life, and still is,” he said. “He’s taught me everything about the game.”
Jonathan also added that, when talking before the game, his father told him to “let it rip.” Polly said that her husband was “pretty emotional” when he received the news from his son.
“He really wanted to be here, but work comes first, his job,” she said. “He was emotional, extremely proud. Very, very proud. He just told him to work hard, have fun and hopefully they get a win.”
Having watched her son grow up under the guidance of his father, Polly said that John always made sure Jonathan knew to be a good teammate above everything else.
“Definitely just be a good kid, and everything else kind of takes care of itself,” she said. “You want to be the type of player that guys want to be around you. You want to be someone that can work hard and also just be a good teammate.”
Polly said that there’s no words to describe seeing Jonathan’s hard work finally pay off.
“We’re here. It’s pretty emotional,” she said. “He’s worked so hard for it, and we’re just here for the support. To see it now, it’s unbelievable.”
Polly also added that Jonathan making it to the NHL is special because “even though you’re drafted, there’s no guarantees.”
The Penguins acquired Gruden from the Ottawa Senators, along with a second-round draft pick in the 2020 NHL Draft, in exchange for goaltender Matt Murray on Oct. 7, 2020.
He was selected by the Senators in the fourth round (95th overall) of the 2018 NHL Draft, and spent his 2018-19 season playing collegiately at Miami of Ohio, where he posted 15 points (3G-12A) in 38 games. During the 2019-20 campaign, he registered 66 points (30G-36A) in 59 games with the Ontario Hockey League’s London Knights.
In parts of three seasons with WBS, Jonathan recorded 57 points (27G-30A) across 139 games. He had 16 points (5G-11A) in 32 games with the Penguins’ American Hockey League affiliate prior to being recalled. Gruden feels that he’s gotten better every year at WBS since being acquired from the Senators.
“First year was a bit of a short year, so I just wanted to figure out the ins and outs of the league,” he said. “Last year, my first full year pro, I kind of figured out what it was. This year, I took it all in, worked my butt off.”
Gruden’s approach to finding the same level of success here in Pittsburgh that he had at WBS is simple.
“I’m just trying to take one game at a time. See what happens,” he said. “Just try not to think about it too much. It was just nice to get the call.”
Elizabeth will wake up at 3 AM Tuesday to head back to school, but sleep has been of minimal importance lately.
“It’s been a quick little trip, but I was so excited yesterday I couldn’t sleep,” she said. “I’m so happy for him, so proud. Can’t wait to see what happens.”
While Jonathan acclimates himself to life in the NHL, Polly knows that this could be the start of something special in his career.
“Just keep working hard, and he’ll get the opportunity,” she said. “That’s all I can say. I’m just very, very proud of him.”
