How Boston Fleet Player Made Unlikely Fan (And Friend) At 35,000 Feet

LOWELL, Mass. — The Boston Fleet were 35,000 feet above the air amid a six-game, cross-country road trip. The Walter Cup runners-up were destined for St. Paul where a clash with the Minnesota Frost club was on tap.

The three-plus-hour flight was an unlikely setting for a friendship to blossom between a professional athlete and an 82-year-old woman. Yet, that’s exactly what happened when Fleet defender Jessica Digirolamo and Louise Busse crossed paths in the friendly skies.

Busse planned to pass the time solving a crossword puzzle on her iPad, but a spotty WiFi connection changed those plans — and led to an unexpected friendship.

Digirolamo helped Busse create a SkyMiles account to get her started. Something about Digirolamo must have been trustworthy. Busse offered up her name and date of birth, the sort of information you don’t typically give a complete stranger on a plane. Something about Digirolamo was disarming for the Minnesota native.

“She just looked so inviting, and she was always smiling,” Busse told NESN.com in a recent phone interview.

The friendly gesture quickly turned into a conversation.

Yet, through a portion of the chat during the three-plus-hour flight, Digirolamo’s day job — professional hockey player — remained unsaid.

Busse enjoyed chatting with Digirolamo so much that she even asked if she’d help with the crossword. When Busse’s charging cable stopped working, Digirolamo was once again the hero. Moments later, her cord was draped across the aisle of the plane, connecting the two strangers.

“My teammates are going to the bathroom and they’re hitting me (because the cord was in their way),” Digirolamo explained. “They’re like, ‘move your wire,’ and just joking around with me. That’s when Louise asked, ‘How do you know all these people?'”

Busse explained she saw Digirolamo among a group of women board the plane. They were all wearing team T-shirts except for Digirolamo, so Busse asked her if they were a team or something. Digirolamo, who averages 17 minutes of ice time per night and has been a blueline stalwart over two seasons with Boston, explained who the Fleet are and that they are part of the PWHL traveling to their next game.

“I just gave her a thumbs up and said, ‘I love hockey,'” Busse, a lifelong Minnesota sports fan who fondly recalled the days of the North Stars, said. “That kind of started it off where we just started talking about hockey. Jessica was interested that I liked sports, and we just clicked.”

The friendship didn’t end when the flight landed in Minnesota, Busse asked if they could stay in touch, and the Mississauga, Ontario, native didn’t hesitate to oblige.

“She was so sweet,” Digirolamo said. “That night, she texted me. It was the cutest thing. She was like, ‘Thank you so much for helping me.’ We texted back and forth for a little bit, and then she got more personal, and I got to know her life story.

“I’ve never experienced anything like this. I love my grandparents, and I’m fortunate enough to have all four. She’s such a sweetheart, so it was nice.”

Busse also kept tabs on Digirolamo. When the Fleet and Frost played, Busse tuned in, trying her best to find her new friend on the ice.

A few weeks later, the Fleet returned to Minnesota, and Digirolamo wasn’t about to let the chance to get a new Fleet fan pass her by. She offered Busse tickets to the Frost game at the Xcel Energy Center. The trip, however, wouldn’t be easy for Busse since she lives 150 miles away in Duluth, and at her age, she no longer drives.

Thankfully, Busse’s son, Nick, was willing to make the trip from Toledo, Ohio, to bring his mom to the Fleet game.

“He was just here in December for my birthday, and it’s such a long trip, but he said, ‘I thought you’d really like to go to that hockey game,'” Busse said. “I said, ‘Oh my gosh, Nick, that would be wonderful.’ So he came, and we went to the city on Saturday and stayed overnight and just had a fun time together.

“Sunday, we went to the game. That was so awesome. Oh my gosh, I got there, and I walked over to the door where you could look down on the ice, I couldn’t believe it. We were down on the 12th row from the ice. We had really nice seats. There were some other people that were from Boston around us, so that was really nice.”

The Fleet lost 5-2 against the Frost, but Busse, wearing her Boston green, still had an amazing time taking it all in — especially since Digirolamo recorded an assist.

Oh my gosh, I got there, and I walked over to the door where you could look down on the ice, I couldn’t believe it.

The pair met up after the game to share some laughs and of course, Digirolamo gifted Busse some Fleet gear.

“I just can’t believe this,” Busse said in a postgame reunion on the concourse. “Do you do this for everybody?”

“She was amazing,” Digirolamo said. “She gave me a big hug, and she was wearing all green. She was really cute. The whole time, she couldn’t stop smiling.”

The Fleet host the Frost one last time in the regular season at the Tsongas Center on May 3. Busse, unfortunately, won’t be able to make the rematch — for good reason.

“That’s my granddaughter’s graduation in Ohio. So, I guess I will be in Ohio instead,” Busse laughed. “Shoot. Well, we’ll just work something out.”

If the Fleet and Frost meet in the playoffs, don’t be surprised if Busse is back in the building — cheering on her new friend.

“I can’t believe how those girls can skate. Holy cow, they’re amazing,” Busse gushed. “The Frost, I mean they’re good too, but I watch the Fleet whenever I can.”

Presented by Bauer Hockey: Proudly supporting greatness in women’s hockey.