As his family watched excitedly, Andre Lee lives his “unreal” NHL Debut in Buffalo

A full hour before the puck dropped on the first game of the 2024-25 season for the Los Angeles Kings, Maggie Vaccarezza, her husband, Corey Hessler, and family friend Benjamin McEvoy, were in their seats at KeyBank Center.

They were mildly conspicuous because all three were sporting distinctive Los Angeles Kings jerseys.

They were nervously awaiting what is a favored National Hockey League ritual, the solo lap, invariably helmetless, of a player making his NHL debut.

As soon as Vaccarezza began to try to put into words what it was going to be like to watch her son, Andre Lee, emerge from the hallway leading to the Kings dressing room and onto the ice, the words failed her.

The moment was almost too big for words. Maybe that’s how these moments are supposed to be.

Lee, 24, was born in Karlstad, Sweden.

He spent some time as a youngster in the United States because that’s where his father, Tommy, lived.

In fact there is a picture somewhere of a young Lee, he guesses he is 10 or 11 or so, sporting an Anze Kopitar jersey.

That’s more than a little perfect given that Kopitar has been one of the veterans on the Kings team that has helped facilitate Lee’s unlikely transition from prospect to pro, someone who Lee describes as a father figure and an inspiration.

When Vaccarezza and Lee’s father, who was also at his son’s first game having flown in from New York, parted ways they remained good friends and good parents. But Vaccarezza believed it would be best for Lee to grow up in Sweden.

It was not an easy life.

“I was basically by myself,” Vaccarezza said.

Maybe that’s why these past few days have been so meaningful.

Lee called her after the team’s second preseason game in Quebec City. There were still some roster issues to deal with – like defenseman Drew Doughty being placed on long-term injured reserve which happened a day before the season opener.

But Lee told her one of the coaches told him he was going to Buffalo.

Vaccarezza, always the mom, pressed her son to make sure he was getting good information.

“I said, ‘Andre, are you on the right bus?’” Vaccarezza said with a laugh. “And he said, ‘I think so mom, Kopitar is here.’”

And then he said the words that in some ways crystalize all of these kinds of stories.

“He said, ‘Mom, I think we made it,’” Vaccarezza said.

Not ‘me’, not ‘I’, but we. The family.

Vaccarezza once again tries to find the words.

“He said ‘we made it,’” she said shaking her head.

What did she think it was going to be like in a few minutes to watch her son become an NHL player?

“There are going to be many tears,” she predicted.

Growing up there were lots of visits back and forth between Sweden and the U.S. over the years and Lee, who’d started skating when he was three, ended up playing for the Sioux Falls Stampede of the USHL where he and his teammates won a championship in 2018-19.

The decision was an easy one. Vaccarezza was going to go with her son or he could stay in Sweden and graduate from high school. So, off to Sioux Falls they went.

It was a fortuitous move on lots of fronts.

Lee, filling into his 6-foot-5 frame and blessed with excellent speed and feel for the game, was getting college attention and ended up at UMass-Lowell. His mother met Hessler, who had played a lot of minor pro hockey, and the two married.

One of the first people Lee met at school was McEvoy who lived on the floor below Lee. The two became fast friends. In fact Vaccarezza recalled being despondent at not being with her son and he kept telling her everything was alright, that he had a good friend, Benji, who was helping him out.

“I was, who is this Benji,’” Vaccarezza said with a laugh.

The two friends joked after Lee was drafted that perhaps McEvoy would end up in California, too, and they could continue to hang out.

McEvoy did just that and made the flight from Los Angeles to Buffalo in time to see his good pal make his NHL entrance. He recalled how the two would talk about the possibilities, what the future might hold for Lee.

“Almost talking it into existence,” McEvoy said. “At heart he’s a kid still. He’s the nicest guy you’ll ever hang with.”

But when it came to getting ready to play hockey and to work on his game, McEvoy said he’s never seen anyone work harder and be more committed.

“He understands and appreciates every minute,” McEvoy added.

There is a quick look at the time and then the group takes their leave. They don’t want to miss warm-ups and the moment that has brought them all here.

A few hours later Lee has one NHL game under his belt.

He and linemates Alex Turcotte and veteran Trevor Lewis played well.

In fact Kings Head Coach Jim Hiller said after the team’s come-from-behind 3-1 win that the unit was their most consistent forward group and that he’s kicking himself for not giving them more ice time.

Luckily there are more opportunities for that to happen right around the corner.

To that end, the Kings were in road, post-game mode quickly packing gear for a trip to Boston, grabbing a quick bite and saying a quick hello and goodbye to friends and family.

Lee was no different in that routine. He is an NHL player, after all.

“It was unreal,” he said in the Kings dressing room. “It was a great feeling. I don’t really know how to describe. As I said, an unreal feeling, but you know it’s just a start, just a start of a long journey. I’m happy to be here.”

Having his parents and good friends on hand – his girlfriend Olivia was unable to make the trip from Sweden to Buffalo on such short notice but is making plans for a North American visit given these recent life changes – made the signature moment one he’ll never forget.

“They’ve done so much for me during my whole entire life and to have them here I couldn’t ask for anything more,” Lee said. “Just to be able to play in front of them it’s always been a dream for me. I’ve got them to thank for everything up to this point and forward too, so I’m really happy to have them.”

And yes, he did take a moment and look up in the stands as he was taking that first solo lap around the ice and immediately spotted them. They were, after all, hard to miss decked out in their Kings jerseys.

“They were standing up waving in the warmups,” Lee said with a smile. “I took a look and I saw them. It was great.”