Talk about bringing everyone onto the same ice.
Hurricanes goaltender Brandon Bussi managed a rare New York hockey feat Wednesday, drawing both Islanders and Rangers fans together on Long Island to honor the first Suffolk County native to capture the Stanley Cup.
The 28-year-old returned to the packed Rinx in Hauppauge with Lord Stanley’s Cup in tow, calling the rink “the first place I ever put my goalie gear on” as he took part in a celebratory hockey clinic.
The homecoming came with official recognition, too: Suffolk County Executive Ed Romaine proclaimed it Brandon Bussi Day, while Suffolk Sports Hall of Fame president Chris Vaccaro honored Bussi as the organization’s first-ever person of the year.
“Going to bed as a kid, you definitely dream about that moment – and you never know if it’s going to happen,” Bussi told The Post ahead of the celebration, which appeared to draw well over a thousand fans.
“Fortunately, we’re here.”
Among the earliest arrivals was Greg Packer of Huntington, who said he got in line at 5:30 a.m. for the 10:15 a.m. event.
“Because the Rangers, Islanders, Flyers, Devils — they’re not going to see a Stanley Cup for quite some time,” he joked.
The crowd was so large that hundreds couldn’t even get into the ice complex before the hometown hero had to leave.
But the gracious goalie walked the cup outside down an entire block so every fan in line had a chance to see him with it.
Bussi said the overwhelming show of support was humbling, but he is focused on how “it’ll be cool for me to see the next generation of hockey players.”
Flames draft pick and Roslyn native Ethan Wyttenbach – one of the best college players in the nation – is now doubly excited at the idea of bringing the cup home.
“It hasn’t been on the island that much, so it definitely would be cool to get my hands on it,” Quinnipiac’s star, who was also the NCAA’s rookie of the year, told The Post.
“It’d be really cool to bring it back and continue to spark the island with some hockey.”
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Bussi has had a meteoric rise in the sport, having only reached the NHL this past season at age 27.
“I think once Carolina claimed me and I knew I was on the opening night roster, I definitely had the vision that [winning the cup] could happen,” said the quick stick.
He made NHL history by becoming the fastest goalie to reach 20 wins, needing only 24 appearances in net for the milestone.
The skater then stunned the hockey world by taking over for starter Frederik Andersen in the Stanley Cup Finals, notching a 22-save, 3-0 shutout in Game 6 to clinch the title in June over the Golden Knights.
“You kind of black out in a sense; I remember everything, but it all happened so quickly,” said Bussi, who graduated from Miller Place High School in 2016.
“When I got handed the cup, I looked into the crowd, and I saw where my family and friends were all standing. I was able to take a lap and face them when I was holding it – and it made it even more special.”
Bussi got to share that heartfelt moment with his younger brother Dylan, who is autistic and nonverbal.
“He had to be through the roof,” said the goalie, whose mask is painted with autism awareness illustrations.
“He means everything to me.”
Bussi will bring the cup to Bracco’s Clam and Oyster Bar in Freeport Wednesday night as a nod to Rob Scuderi, the only other Long Island native to hoist it.
Nassau County’s Scuderi took it to the Nautical Mile hotspot after winning with the Penguins in 2009 and the Kings in 2014.
“The fact that he’s going back there is pretty fun,” Scuderi, from Syosett, told The Post.
“I think one of the things I really enjoy about Brandon’s journey, and I don’t take it away from anyone else, is that he did it mostly from here on Long Island,” the St. Anthony’s High School star of the mid-1990s added.
Bussi said he looked up to Scuderi and another pair of previous Long Island NHLers – Rangers Matt Gilroy of North Bellmore and the Devils Keith Kinkaid of Farmingville.
Kinkaid came out for the day.
“All those guys set good examples for us and showed us that we can do it.”
