P.O Joseph said that he didn't want to miss a single second of his older brother Mathieu's performance in the Stanley Cup Final.
Mathieu, 24, has played for the Lightning the past three seasons. Though he played enough regular-season games to earn having his name engraved on the Stanley Cup in 2020, he didn't appear in any of the postseason games that year.
Mathieu played in three games in the Lightning's first-round matchup with the Panthers this postseason, then was bumped out of the lineup for the next two rounds. When Alex Killorn broke his leg blocking a shot in Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Final, it created an opportunity for Mathieu to get back into the lineup for the first time in over a month. He slotted in on the Lightning's fourth line alongside Pat Maroon and Ross Colton, and Mathieu and the line proved to be an effective trio for the rest of the series.
"I think it's something everybody should learn from," P.O said. "Even though you're not in the lineup all of the time, he was there bringing some good attitude around the team. He wasn't bringing anybody down. It's not fun to be on the side, right? But you always have to be positive, especially when you have a great team like that and you're going far every year. He kept his mind ready and he kept his body ready as well. When he had the chance to show that he deserved to be there and help the team, he jumped in and did a pretty good job. I think it shows people that even when you're not in the lineup, you have to stay ready for anything."
When the series went back to Montreal -- just outside of the Joseph family's hometown of Laval -- for Games 3 and 4, P.O was able to see his brother play in the Final. Mathieu's setup of Maroon's third-period goal in Game 4 sent the game to overtime with the opportunity to end the series:
Montreal ultimately won that game to force a Game 5, but P.O came away from the game proud of Mathieu for stepping up in such a big way.
"I think that was really him," P.O said of Mathieu's play. "I've known his style for awhile now, and I was able to see how good he was mentally and physically. He seemed a little more like himself. That was the Mathieu that I know from growing up playing against and watching. I was really, really happy that he made a play like that. Just to see that he was able to help the team, I was really happy for him."
With the series heading back to Tampa with the Lightning holding a 3-1 lead, P.O got on a plane and flew to Tampa to watch his brother, and was in the building when Mathieu and the Lightning hoisted the Stanley Cup for the second time in as many seasons.
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Mathieu Joseph lifts the Stanley Cup.
"There's no words for it," P.O told me this week. "I couldn't say anything, I was just speechless. I was so happy that I was able to make the trip there. The emotion, the hard work that he put in after being in the bubble last year and not being able to play a game (in the 2020 playoffs), and now being able to help the team make some good plays and show that he deserves to be there, I was really, really happy to see the smile on his face."
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P.O, Mathieu Joseph
"In that moment I was my brother's support", P.O said. "I wasn't thinking of anything else, just being there for him. Even though I'm with another organization, I was there in that moment for my brother, just waiting to be able to see him and hug him and tell him how happy I was for him. In that moment I was more brother than a player on another team."
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Mathieu, P.O Joseph
And yes, P.O was extra careful to make sure he didn't touch the Stanley Cup in the ensuing celebrations out of superstition, even though he did take some pictures with Mathieu and the Cup.
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P.O, Mathieu Joseph
"Oh, no, no, I absolutely stayed away from it as much as I could," P.O laughed. "Even though it was right in front of me and you see everyone touching it, I told everyone around me that I wasn't even getting close to it. I took a couple of pictures, but I was going away a little bit when he was lifting it in case he could have dropped it or something. I really stayed away."
P.O is back home in Montreal now, training in the gym with Lightning strength coach Mark Lambert and skating with a local group of players in order to prepare for next season. One of his focuses is continuing to get stronger in order to improve his physical game on the ice, something he started to do in Wilkes-Barre in the second half of the season.
Wilkes-Barre head coach J.D. Forrest spoke about that growth from Joseph.
"Hey, he's had some tremendous hits where he's been able to line guys up and do it in a clean way, be a presence there if guys are coming through with their head down," Forrest told me during the year. "He's a stronger player than he was a year ago, so maybe some of those spots we're just noticing it more now because he's able to finish a little stronger than previously."
That focus from Joseph on growing his physical game comes from now having the first-hand knowledge of what it takes for him to get back to the NHL and become a regular at that level.
"I think from just having a little taste of the NHL, guys are a lot bigger, a lot stronger," he said. "That was one of my things that I didn't do enough, I think. Just a little more physical presence in front of the net, or in the corners finishing a check, I know I'm not going to hurt him, but just if I can push him out of the play. Just the little details I can add to my game, I was able to try to do so in the American League and I just have to move forward with that part of my game."
And after watching his brother Mathieu win the game's ultimate prize in person, he's all the more motivated to do so himself.
"You see (the Stanley Cup) in front of you and you just want to be on the ice," P.O said. "As a hockey player, as a fan, you wish you were there. After I had a little taste of the NHL this year, I want this. I want to battle for it, that's for sure."
