In trying times for his home state, Penguins forward Matt Nieto takes pride in being from California

Even if he is occasionally a healthy scratch, Matt Nieto stands out among his NHL peers.

Of the 916 souls who have appeared in an NHL contest this season, only 13 were born in California, including Nieto, a native of Long Beach.

This week, he returned to his home state as authorities continued to combat wildfires that have ravaged areas surrounding Los Angeles.

It’s a hazard that is a way of life up and down the Golden State.

“It happens more than you think,” Nieto said Jan. 8 in Cranberry. “There’s even mild (fires) that don’t really get the attention like the ones going on right now are getting. It’s crazy. California, we get the fires and the earthquakes. A few years ago, I had to evacuate my house because of fire. It’s just something that happens there. It (stinks.)”

Nieto indicated his family, which now lives in Orange County, is safe. But the threat is constant and requires vigilance. Nieto has had to evacuate a handful of occasions because of fires.

“Since I’ve lived in Orange County, probably twice,” Nieto said. “And I’ve been there for 10 years, and I’m just there in the summertime. It’s happened a few times. It’s scary. You go outside, and it looks like an apocalypse out there. Orange skies. You’ve got things flying in the air. Ash.

“It’s not ideal.”

Even with that harsh reality, Nieto takes pride in being one of the few NHLers from California.

The arrival of the iconic Wayne Gretzky to the Los Angeles Kings in 1989 produced a boom of players taking up the sport. Nieto wasn’t exactly part of the surge created by Gretzky’s influence considering he was born in 1992.

Another star playing in the market had a bigger impact on him: Mighty Ducks of Anaheim forward Paul Kariya.

In 2003, Kariya led the Mighty Ducks to that franchise’s first appearance in a Stanley Cup Final. A 10-year-old Nieto was captivated when Kariya returned from a devastating hit by New Jersey Devils defenseman Scott Stevens and scored a spectacular goal on a slap shot in Game 6 of that series.

Remember watching this as a kid - I thought Scott Stevens might’ve killed Paul Kariya on the ice.

Dude somehow came back and scored a goal.

Might be the coolest moment in NHL history.pic.twitter.com/bJ3u5vddH4

— bartleby (@ElderBartleby) July 22, 2023

“He was just my favorite player,” said Nieto, now 32. “I was able to meet him. I went to a training camp once, got a picture with him, got an autograph. He was super nice. Let me sit on his lap, took a picture, signed a few things for me. That was a really cool moment. The Scott Stevens hit, him coming back from that, that’s one of the greatest moments in hockey. Just an amazing player.

“He was someone that I really looked up to.”

Nieto hopes he can provide something similar as one of the scant NHLers of Mexican heritage.

“When I was growing up, I looked up to (former NHL All-Star forward) Scott Gomez,” Nieto said. “He kind of paved the way for me. If anyone could look up to me as an example that they can make it, that’s obviously a good feeling. I take a lot of pride in that. Now, you’re seeing more and more minority players, not just Mexican but all sorts of different backgrounds, more and more make it to the NHL. More and more playing hockey. It’s an awesome thing to see.”

That growth has manifested itself in the options that are now available for hockey players in California that weren’t necessarily available to Nieto as a youth.

Like … ice.

“I started playing roller hockey first,” Nieto said. “I think roller hockey was more popular than ice hockey in California growing up. So that’s how I got my start. Then once I started playing ice hockey, I was fortunate enough to have some good coaches and some good teams with some other players that ended up making it to the NHL. Kind of fortunate that I was able to be surrounded by some good hockey people.

“Even growing up in school, there’s not a lot of competition in California for ice hockey. So we had to travel a lot. I remember letting the school know I’m going to be gone for two weeks, one week. Nobody really understood what I meant when I said I was going to be playing ice hockey. They weren’t too happy about it. But that’s something that we had to do just for the competition.”

The lengths Nieto went to find that competition eventually led him to prep school in Connecticut, the United States National Team Development Program in Michigan, Boston University then becoming a second-round draft pick by the San Jose Sharks in 2011.

Even after a dozen seasons as a professional, he still finds reasons to boast of being one of the few NHLers from California.

“Now, you’re seeing more and more players coming out of California,” Nieto said. “It’s just a credit to the hockey programs. Minor hockey programs are getting better and better. I take a lot pride in it.”