Dzingel realizing NHL dream

When Ottawa Senators rookie winger Ryan Dzingel scored his first NHL goal against the Buffalo Sabres on Tuesday night, his father was jumping for joy while watching the game on TV at home in Chicago.

“Well, at least as high as I could jump,” said Rick Dzingel, who had knee surgery Friday, following a car accident in November. “And then the phone started to ring off the hook.”

Of course it did. Dzingel, a late bloomer — selected in the seventh round, 204th overall in the 2011 NHL entry draft — had defeated the ridiculously long odds to make his mark in the big leagues.

When he was asked where the first- goal puck will end up, he didn’t miss a beat.

“That goes to my dad,” said Dzingel, who turns 24 in three weeks. “He always had my back. There were a lot of sacrifices made so I could play hockey.”

Rick Dzingel fully admits it wasn’t easy for him and his wife, Linda, to keep Ryan in AAA minor hockey on a salesman’s salary. Ryan has a 26- year- old brother, Rick, and an 18- year- old sister, Dana, and there were family trade- offs, as well.

“How we did it, I really don’t know, but I would do it again in a heartbeat,” the elder Rick said. “It was probably close to $ 15,000 every year. There were a lot of sacrifices in terms of ( giving up) vacations and family time. The family is often separated on weekends, there was travel every other weekend. Usually, I would go with Rick and Ryan and my wife would stay home with my daughter.

“With the financing and the travel, my wife would look at me sometimes and we would have those discussions about ‘ is this really worth it?’”

Dzingel has a goal and two assists in eight games since being recalled from Binghamton of the American Hockey League and his speed has given the Senators an additional scoring threat in their lineup.

Senators coach Dave Cameron even showed enough trust in Dzingel to use him during the threeon-three overtime against Buffalo, when he hit the post and set up Erik Karlsson for another excellent scoring chance.