Self-proclaimed journeyman Zac Dalpe calls playing in Stanley Cup Final 'a dream come true'

Dalpe has played in 723 games, including playoffs, in the NHL and the AHL

Zac Dalpe had been waiting a long time for Saturday night.

The 33-year-old professional hockey veteran has traded time between the NHL and the AHL for the past 13 years.

While he’s lived the dream of so many, Dalpe still has a few dreams of his own he hopes to accomplish.

On the top of that list is winning the Stanley Cup.

Sure, that’s basically every hockey player’s dream, but now Dalpe finds himself on a team four wins away from claiming the legendary trophy for themselves.

It’s something he admits he didn’t see coming.

“It's probably something I didn't have on my bingo card to start the year,” he said Sunday, the day after skating in Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Final.

Since making his NHL debut as a 21-year-old for the Carolina Hurricanes in 2010, Dalpe has played in 168 games for six different teams at the highest level.

During that time, he’s also played 498 games in the AHL, or 542 if you count the Calder Cup Playoffs.

When you’ve played that long in so many different cities, traveled so many miles and been on countless bus and plane rides, there is a different kind of appreciation for moments like the ones Dalpe experienced on Saturday night in Las Vegas.

“I’ve been a journeyman, kind of carved out a long career of injuries and ups and downs, but to find out right before warm up that I was going in, obviously, for lack of a better term, it was just a dream come true,” he said. “It's something you’ve worked your whole life for, and I think what makes it special for me now, at this age, is my kids are old enough to understand what what's going on, so it's not just a payoff for me but a payoff for them.”

Dalpe’s family is back in Paris, Ontario, which is about two hours southwest of Toronto.

During hockey season, it’s not easy for Dalpe to get home for visits.

He’s spoke about sharing in the experience of a Stanley Cup run with his family, like after Game 6 of the Boston series when his first career playoff goal happened to be a huge one in keeping Florida’s season alive, tying the score of an elimination game during the third period.

“That's something you dream about as a kid scoring, in the Stanley Cup Playoffs, so my kids will probably enjoy that one for sure,” he said afterwards.

Six weeks later, Dalpe and the Panthers are still going strong.

Still chasing the very attainable dream of a lifting the Stanley Cup.

That would obviously be the ultimate for Dalpe and the rest of his teammates, but he’s still able to take solace in knowing all those years of hard work have gotten him to a place few are able to reach.

The Stanley Cup Final.

For he and his family, it’s quite the milestone to celebrate.

“It's been a long year for me not seeing them, going a month or two without seeing them, so to see them at home watching the game and being excited for me, it was a good payoff for sure,” he said.