(Melissa Majchrzak | AP) Utah Hockey Club defensemen Robert Bortuzzo (41) in action on during the third period against the Ottawa Senators at an NHL hockey game, Tuesday Oct 22, 2024, in Salt Lake City.
St. Louis • Susan and Oscar Bortuzzo piled into their car in Thunder Bay, Ontario, for another 14-hour road trip to Missouri.
It is a route the couple is familiar with. They barely need directions anymore, Susan said. After all, their son, Robert Bortuzzo, played 10 seasons with the Blues.
“We’ve been fortunate to go along this ride,” Oscar said.
Bortuzzo, the now Utah Hockey Club defenseman, was in the lineup for the first time in three months Tuesday at Enterprise Center against his former team. At 36 years old and on an expiring contract, it could be the final NHL game Bortuzzo plays.
While he did not confirm his retirement, it seems to be something he is thinking about.
“Just thankful. It’s been a hell of a ride,” Bortuzzo said Tuesday morning. “Not making any pronouncements or anything, but just want to take it in stride and have some fun.”
Bortuzzo got choked up when talking about his parents’ trek to see him skate in this potentially momentous matchup.


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"I've played on some close-knit teams and this team is no different. Truly a strong brotherhood. Good mix of young and old… It's a huge contributor of what we've been able to do this year." @utahhockeyclub Robert Bortuzzo on the team's support pic.twitter.com/egLhRpTi3o
“They wouldn’t miss this one,” he said. “They obviously molded me into who I am today and they sacrificed so much for me to get here. For them to be here is pretty cool.”
For Susan and Oscar, St. Louis became somewhat of a second home. They spent six consecutive weeks in the city during the Blues’ 2019 playoff run, which ended in their son hoisting the Stanley Cup over his head. The parents made a lot of friends during that stretch, too.
Blues’ forward Brayden Schenn’s dad called the couple on Tuesday and they talked about the “great times” their families have had together. The Bortuzzos also got a text from the father of St. Louis goaltender Jordan Binnington. The parent group chats had been going all day.
“They’re all texting us right now saying, ‘It’s going to be emotional tonight,’” Susan said.
Doug Armstrong — the general manager of the St. Louis Blues — reached out as well. He invited Susan and Oscar to sit in the team’s box. Bortuzzo may wear a different jersey now, but the ties run deep in Utah’s final destination for game No. 82 of the season.
(Charles Krupa | AP) Then with the St. Louis Blues, Robert Bortuzzo carries the Stanley Cup after the Blues defeated the Boston Bruins in Game 7 of the NHL Stanley Cup Fina on June 12, 2019, in Boston. Bortuzzo is brining his veteran leadership and championship experience to the new Utah Hockey Club this season.
“St. Louis is a spot that gave me everything professionally. Created some of the best friendships, relationships I have in my life. I owe a lot to that organization and ownership,” Bortuzzo said. “To come back here and get the chance to actually play in this building where we accomplished a few fun things is truly special.”
Bortuzzo’s return to the lineup was a celebration for those on Utah Hockey Club, too.
A pop of claps and hollers erupted from the closed-door meeting room down the hall at the team’s hotel Tuesday morning.
The Utah players had just been informed that Bortuzzo was in. He soon addressed the media as his teammates filed by. Utah forward Matias Maccelli waved a fist in the air and yelled, “TUZZ!” It cracked a smile on the veteran defenseman’s face.
“I’ve played on some close-knit teams and this team is no different,” Bortuzzo said in response. “Truly a strong brotherhood.”
(Bethany Baker | The Salt Lake Tribune) Utah Hockey Club defenseman Robert Bortuzzo (41) passes the puck during the second period of the game at the Delta Center in Salt Lake City on Monday, Dec. 2, 2024.
While Bortuzzo has not posted the most minutes with Utah — due both to a lower-body injury and roster management on the blueline — he has been a guiding figure in a locker room filled with young guys figuring out the league.
“I don’t think you can measure his impact only by what he did on the ice,” head coach André Tourigny said. “The veteran presence, the championship pedigree, the composure and the kind of teammate he is, the brother he is for our group – it meant a ton.”
This season marked Bortuzzo’s 14th in the NHL and he has learned a few things through that tenure, specifically in St. Louis where he got his name forever etched into the Cup.
It made Tuesday’s game a sentimental homecoming and, perhaps, a final goodbye.
Bortuzzo earned his keep in the league as a grinding, physical defenseman who will drop the gloves, block a shot (or 10), throw a hit and add the gritty edge that every winning team needs.
(Rick Egan | The Salt Lake Tribune) Utah NHL team general manager Bill Armstrong, left, and head coach André Tourigny answer questions during a news conference at the Delta Center on Wednesday, April 24, 2024.
“He loves the game,” Oscar said. “You can tell.”
Utah has seen that this season when Bortuzzo was active. It is part of the reason why general manager Bill Armstrong brought him in the summer. Armstrong was with the Blues for 16 years, first as an amateur scout and then director of amateur scouting before becoming assistant general manager. The two grew within the St. Louis organization tangentially.
Armstrong — who had plenty of rising stars already — knew the leadership Bortuzzo could bring because he had already seen it firsthand.
“You just try to provide the young guys with a little bit of a template for how to carry yourself around the rink, try to come to the rink with enthusiasm, attack every day,” Bortuzzo said. “Approach it trying to get better — you’re never too old to get better. Hopefully, they can pick up on some of that.”
Signing with Utah offered Bortuzzo a unique opportunity to experience something completely new towards the end of his career.
(Bethany Baker | The Salt Lake Tribune) Utah Hockey Club defenseman Robert Bortuzzo (41) and Dallas Stars right wing Evgenii Dadonov (63) vie for the puck during the second period of the game at the Delta Center in Salt Lake City on Monday, Dec. 2, 2024.
“We were just happy he got another year out of it. We knew that was what he wanted,” Susan said. “He loves the gang he is with. He says the group of guys he’s with is incredible.”
Oscar added, “Robert just raves about the organization.”
Bortuzzo’s lessons have started to rub off on defensemen like Michael Kesselring who has grown into himself and his game in his second full season in the league. The 25-year-old said Bortuzzo has helped him maturely handle the ups and downs of the year.
“He’s been unreal. He’s a great pro. Had a long career,” Kesselring said. “He’s been really good to me and everyone in the room so we’re really excited for him to get in the game tonight.”
The way Utah’s end-of-season schedule panned out provided a storybook ending for Bortuzzo if he wants it. Those decisions will come later, though. On Tuesday, Bortuzzo and his teammates simply embraced putting on the Utah jersey together at a rink that has meant so much to him.
Susan and Oscar may be the loudest ones in the crowd.
“I just told him just play your game,” Oscar said. “Enjoy the moment.”
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