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<\/p>\nWhat would you do to meet your hero? For 10-year-old Massimo, the answer unfolded over the summer, as his family found a way to bring him closer to the Montreal Canadiens and, eventually, to Jakub Dobe\u0161, the goaltender he had come to love watching on television.<\/p>\n
When asked who his favourite hockey player is, Massimo doesn\u2019t hesitate.<\/p>\n
\u201cDobe\u0161.\u201d<\/p>\n
For Massimo, hockey is a relatively new passion, but one that has quickly become part of his life. He watches games with his family, follows Dobe\u0161 on television and has developed his own way of cheering for the Canadiens.<\/p>\n
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Montrealer Massimo poses in front of the television while watching a Canadiens game. (Submitted by: Nadia Bucci)<\/p>\n
A new passion for hockey<\/p>\n
His mother, Nadia Bucci, says the family wanted to nurture that interest and find ways for Massimo, who is neurodivergent, to experience the game at his own pace.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen you have a child with autism, and they start enjoying something that\u2019s new to him, you try to take that and go all the way with it,\u201d Bucci said.<\/p>\n
His family quickly found a way to bring the game closer to him through a family connection to Dobe\u0161\u2019s coach.<\/p>\n
\u201cI told him that I always wanted to bring him to the Bell Centre to watch a game, but because of his autism, I wasn\u2019t sure how he\u2019s going to react,\u201d she said. \u201cSo he had told me to bring him to a practice, see how he reacts and take it from there.\u201d<\/p>\n
In late July, the family took Massimo to watch a Canadiens practice in Brossard. He got to see Dobe\u0161 doing what he does best \u2014 stopping pucks \u2014 while the family had arranged for a shirt to be signed.<\/p>\n
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Massimo watches a Montreal Canadiens practice in Brossard with goaltender Jakub Dobe\u0161 in the background. (Submitted by: Nadia Bucci)<\/p>\n
But there was another surprise waiting for him.<\/p>\n
Dobe\u0161 also made sure Massimo received a hockey stick, signed by him.<\/p>\n
When asked how receiving it made him feel, Massimo had a one-word answer.<\/p>\n
\u201cHappy.\u201d<\/p>\n
The family later learned that the stick had come directly from Dobe\u0161, who had been told about Massimo and his growing interest in the Canadiens goaltender.<\/p>\n
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<\/p>\n
Massimo holds a hockey stick signed by Montreal Canadiens goaltender Jakub Dobe\u0161. (Submitted by: Nadia Bucci)<\/p>\n
From a signed stick to a face-to-face meeting<\/p>\n
But the experience didn\u2019t stop there. The family returned in early September, this time to meet Dobe\u0161 face to face.<\/p>\n
The meeting happened to fall on what would have been Massimo\u2019s first day of school.<\/p>\n
His father, Vincenzo Crispo, said the anticipation was at an all-time high.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe were all excited. Me, my wife, the family, especially Massimo, [he] didn\u2019t sleep all night,\u201d Crispo said. \u201cWoke up the next morning very excited and was super happy to meet him.\u201d<\/p>\n
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From left, Massimo\u2019s father, Vincenzo Crispo, Montreal Canadiens goaltender Jakub Dobe\u0161, 10-year-old Massimo and his mother, Nadia Bucci. (Submitted by: Nadia Bucci)<\/p>\n
For Bucci, the meeting meant more than simply giving a young fan a chance to meet a professional hockey player. She said Dobe\u0161 took the time to make the encounter comfortable for Massimo.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe\u2019s such a cool, collective guy. Yeah, very sweet, very down to earth, super simple,\u201d she said. \u201cSo that was really nice of him that he took the time out of his really busy schedule to do that for us.\u201d<\/p>\n
Bucci said the experience was particularly meaningful because Massimo can find unfamiliar situations overwhelming.<\/p>\n
\u201cI was very thankful that he took a very intimate moment knowing that Massimo\u2019s on the spectrum, so it could be very overwhelming to meet him any other way,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
Dobe\u0161 remembers being a young fan<\/p>\n
For Dobe\u0161, the meeting was also a reminder of what it was like to be a young hockey fan himself.<\/p>\n
\u201cI mean, I\u2019m really blessed, you know, with what I have in life, and I feel like helping out kids and giving people, preferably kids, smiles,\u201d Dobe\u0161 said. \u201cIt\u2019s something that when I was growing up, I always loved hockey players, loved all the players, had so much respect for them.\u201d<\/p>\n
Now, he finds himself on the other side of that relationship, with young fans watching him and cheering him on.<\/p>\n
\u201cSo it\u2019s just good when you grow up to kind of look back and you know how you felt, so you know how they feel,\u201d Dobe\u0161 said. \u201cSo it\u2019s just a good moment.\u201d<\/p>\n
Dobe\u0161 said he also appreciates the support he receives from Canadiens fans.<\/p>\n
\u201cI love the fans. I love the fan base. Always try my best to wear this logo really proud and make people happy,\u201d he said. \u201cWhen I go on the ice, I try to do my best and hopefully they enjoy. And we\u2019ve been pretty successful in the last couple of years, so I\u2019m really happy for them to live to have such a passion and live for the hockey. So it just fuels us to have the best results possible on the ice.\u201d<\/p>\n
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Montreal Canadiens goaltender Jakub Dobes (75) warms up prior to the first period of Game 4 of NHL Eastern Conference final Stanley Cup playoff series action against the Carolina Hurricanes in Montreal on Wednesday, May 27, 2026. THE CANADIAN PRESS\/Christinne Muschi<\/p>\n
Another first is waiting<\/p>\n
For Massimo, that connection to the team has become something the whole family can share. Crispo said they watch hockey together, with Massimo particularly excited to follow the goalies.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe loves watching hockey with us. He does the famous \u2018Go Habs Go\u2019 cheer. And he loves watching the goalie,\u201d Crispo said.<\/p>\n
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Montrealer Massimo poses with memorabilia from Montreal Canadiens goaltender Jakub Dobe\u0161, including a signed hockey stick and jersey. (CityNews)<\/p>\n
There is now another milestone ahead: Massimo\u2019s first Canadiens game at the Bell Centre.<\/p>\n
His parents plan to take him to a game this season, giving him the chance to experience the team he has been watching at home from inside the arena.<\/p>\n
\u201cFor sure, we\u2019re going to be bringing him to his first game,\u201d Crispo said.<\/p>\n
For Massimo\u2019s parents, the joy is in seeing their son find something that brings him excitement and gives the family another way to connect.<\/p>\n
\u201cAnything that makes your child happy makes you happy, especially to see the excitement from him,\u201d Crispo said. \u201cSo it makes us really happy.\u201d<\/p>\n
And Massimo has already made clear what he will be doing when his favourite goalie takes the ice: chanting, \u201cGo Habs Go.\u201d<\/p>\n
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\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n
\t\t\t\t10-year-old Massimo poses with his favourite player, Montreal Canadiens goaltender Jakub Dobe\u0161. (Submitted by: Nadia Bucci) <\/p>\n
\t\tKeep it Factual<\/p>\n
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