Preseason hockey can often feel like a necessary but forgettable ritual. But every so often, a game transcends its exhibition status. It delivers a moment, a narrative so compelling that it becomes part of team lore before the season has even begun.
On Tuesday, September 23rd, the Montreal Canadiens and the Philadelphia Flyers played one of those games. The 4-2 final score in favour of the Habs was a footnote. The real story, the one that had the Bell Centre buzzing and a mother weeping tears of joy in the stands, was the unforgettable performance of brothers Arber and Florian Xhekaj. For the first time, they shared the ice as teammates in Canadiens colours, and they made sure it was a night no one would soon forget.
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The Kid Is All Grown Up
When your older brother is Arber Xhekaj, you don’t exactly enter the league under the radar. The expectations of toughness, grit, and a certain on-ice swagger are baked into the family name. The question for Florian Xhekaj entering his first main camp wasn’t just whether he had the skill, but whether he could carry the weight of that reputation. On Tuesday night, he answered with an emphatic exclamation point.
Florian didn’t just play; he announced his arrival. His coming-out party began with the Canadiens’ second goal of the night. Displaying a veteran’s poise, he found open ice as teammate Tyler Thorpe did the dirty work, and when the puck found his stick, he wasted no time, snapping a quick-release shot past the Flyers netminder for his first preseason tally. But it was what came later that truly defined his night.
In the second period, Florian found himself tangled up with Nicolas Deslauriers. For the uninitiated, Deslauriers is not a dance partner you pick lightly. He is a tenured, feared NHL heavyweight who has made a career of punishing opponents. To see a prospect willingly drop the gloves with him is a statement. Florian not only engaged, but he held his own.
Watching from the bench, his older brother Arber felt a familiar pang of sibling concern. “I was scared for a moment,” the elder Xhekaj admitted post-game, acknowledging the formidable reputation of his brother’s opponent. Yet, that fear quickly turned to pride. It was, as Arber noted, a perfect way for Florian to build confidence and prove to himself and everyone else that he could “hang in there.” The fight was more than just a fight; it was a rite of passage. “He’s all grown up now,” Arber said. “He’s no longer a little boy.”
With a goal on the scoresheet and a spirited bout under his belt, Florian had done more than enough to impress. As Arber aptly summarized, his younger brother “stole the show.”
Guidance, Grit, and the Game-Sealer
While Florian was busy carving out his own identity, Arber was playing the consummate veteran and proud older brother. Before camp even started, Arber had expressed his excitement about the potential of sharing a preseason game with his sibling. Living together during camp, he served as a built-in mentor, a guide through the labyrinthine pressures of an NHL training camp.
On the ice, that mentorship took on a more physical form. Arber made it clear he would be there to ensure nobody “tested” Florian simply because of the name on the back of his jersey. He was a lurking, formidable presence, allowing his younger brother the space to play his own game. He didn’t need to step in—Florian handled his own business—but the silent support was palpable.
And then, with the game winding down and the Flyers’ net empty, the night found its perfect storybook ending. The puck found its way to Arber’s stick, and he calmly deposited it into the vacant cage to seal the 4-2 victory. The younger brother had provided the spark, and the older brother had slammed the door shut. It was a poetic conclusion to their shared debut, a moment of perfect symmetry that capped off a dominant family performance.
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Every Single Dollar
As special as the on-ice moments were, the most powerful scene of the night unfolded in the stands. Their mother, Simona, was in attendance, living every parent’s dream. When Florian scored, the cameras found her, her face awash with emotion, tears streaming down her cheeks. When Arber scored the empty-netter, the waterworks started again.
Her tears were for more than just goals. They were tears of validation for a journey of immense sacrifice. Both brothers have been quick to credit their parents for their careers, painting a vivid picture of dedication. They spoke of a mother who would sleep in the car during late-night practices and parents who “spent every single dollar” they had to fuel their sons’ hockey aspirations. Tuesday night was the dividend on that investment—not a financial one, but an emotional one, a public display of everything they had worked and sacrificed for.
Their father, Jack, was unable to get off work to witness the historic night in person. His absence was felt, but Arber, with a touch of classic brotherly humour, knew exactly how his dad would feel about it. He joked that his father would be “pissed all week” for having missed out. It was a lighthearted comment that underscored a deep family bond forged through years of shared commitment to the game.
Ultimately, one preseason game won’t determine Florian Xhekaj’s career trajectory. But his strong, disciplined, and physically assertive showing has certainly forced management to take a longer look. What is certain, however, is that for the Xhekaj family, this was more than just hockey. It was the culmination of a dream, a testament to sacrifice, and a memory that will last a lifetime, long after the details of a September exhibition game have faded for everyone else.
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