Pictured above: Tristan Jarry, son Bennett, and wife Hannah

The Penguins held a family skate following practice last weekend, and as Tristan Jarry came off the ice, his wife Hannah was holding their son Bennett – who was absolutely thrilled to see his dad.

Watching the goaltender in all of his gear make funny faces as his 6-month-old son gurgled with sheer delight was heartwarming. Experiencing fatherhood for the first time has provided some wonderful perspective for Jarry coming into this season, where he has gotten off to a terrific start.

“It’s been awesome,” Bryan Rust said. “Guys are really happy for him.”

Jarry has posted a 5-1 record, a .923 save percentage and 2.35 goals-against average while alternating starts with Arturs Silovs, winning his fourth game in a row on Thursday in Minnesota. That was where Jarry got his first victory after being recalled from Wilkes-Barre/Scranton during a second stint in the minors, which was part of an extremely challenging 2024-25 campaign for the netminder.

But Jarry finished the year strong, making the most of the games he got down the stretch before starting the offseason on dad duty. Bennett Raymond – the same middle name as Tristan, in honor of his grandfather, whose likeness is on his goalie masks – arrived at the end of April.

“We didn’t really know what to expect. It’s obviously our first kid, so everything’s new,” Jarry said. “Going home by yourself with him, putting him in a car seat, changing him – like, that was all new to me.”

He added with a laugh, “And so, I think just leaving the hospital, you’re a bit scared, a bit nervous. But it obviously comes very quick, and I think it’s just a lot of fun. It’s a lot of new experiences. You get to see things that you never imagined. Him being able to lift his head, control his body, things like that. It’s cool to see every little milestone that he hits. I think just for the two of us, it’s been a blessing.”

During those few months, Jarry’s priorities shifted completely, and he learned how to better manage his time and operate on little sleep, as all new parents do.

He’s not a coffee drinker, but he had to resort to caffeine during a week when Penguins goalie coach Andy Chiodo came out to western Canada, where Tristan and Hannah live in the summers. Tristan skated at 4:30 in the morning on those days, so that he could be home with Hannah and Bennett when they needed him.

“You’re obviously not just thinking about yourself. You have two other people that you have to think of at all times,” Tristan said. “So, whether it’s bringing some food home for both Bennett and Hannah, or making sure that she’s getting the rest that she needs, too, I think that’s both huge.”

He has called Hannah his safe spot and happy place, saying that she always makes everything easier. “In the offseason, she was taking a lot of time with him while I was skating and working out,” he said. “She took the brunt of the work.”

When they returned to Pittsburgh for training camp, Jarry talked about how he had to learn from what happened last season. When Jarry looks back at the summer and what he worked on that has helped him get off to a strong start, the biggest thing is not sweating the small stuff.

“I think just not worrying so much. I think honestly, before having him with us, you would worry about like, what time you have to go for a nap, or what you’re eating,” Jarry said. “And now, it’s more so, okay, I get to eat and I get to have a nap. It’s things like that that you didn’t really think of before, but it’s just a part of your routine now.

“So, it might not be as structured and everything that you want in a day, but you’re still accomplishing the same thing. So, I think that was a huge thing for me, was just kind of letting go a little bit.”

Now, it’s about continuing to stack these games as the season goes on.

“We’ve been rotating the starts, and it’s worked really well. Arty and I have both played really well,” Jarry said. “So, I think it’s just about keeping it going, making sure your practices are sharp, making sure you’re doing everything you can off the ice to stay sharp. Just when you get those breaks and that extra time off maybe you might not get, you have to use it to your advantage. And I think both Arty and I have done a really good job of that.”