When winter came in New England, you would find a mini rink in the backyard of the Fusco household in Westwood, Massachusetts. You would also find a young John Fusco and his brother Matt playing hockey for hours on end.
“We basically lived out there,” Stingrays defenseman John Fusco said. “We had it pretty much every year growing up. That was always what we did, skating, having a fire pit, eating some pizza and drinking some hot chocolate.”
John would also watch his father, Mark, play hockey as well.
“My dad would play games on Sunday mornings,” Fusco said. “I'd go hang out and watch, but in those days I was more worried about the breakfast after.”
From a young age, the game of hockey was a part of John’s life, which is understandable considering his family has played on the world's biggest stage.
John’s father and uncle, Scott, both had a passion for the game of hockey, a passion John has today. Both Mark and Scott played collegiate hockey at Harvard University in the 1980’s, spending two seasons together with the Crimson.
In the 1982-83 season, Mark became the first defenseman to ever win the Hobey Baker Award, given to the top player in collegiate hockey. Three years later, Scott also won the Hobey Baker, making them the only set of brothers to each win the award.
While they excelled at the collegiate level, both were also chosen to represent the United States on the global stage. The two brothers represented the United States in the 1984 Winter Olympics in Sarajevo, Yugoslavia where the United States placed seventh.
Following the 1984 Olympics, Mark would go on to play for the Hartford Whalers over the next two seasons, while Scott once again represented the United States in the 1988 Winter Olympics in Calgary. Both were inducted into the United States Hockey Hall of Fame in 2002.
With a father and uncle who both have played at the highest level, it factored into John pursuing hockey. There was not as much pressure from his family to play hockey, but making sure John enjoyed playing the game, including having his father as his coach growing up.
“My dad and my family are very instrumental in me becoming a hockey player,” John said. “I was coached by my dad until I was 12 or 13. I probably wouldn't have gotten into hockey without him just helping me and making it a friendly and fun place for me to play.”
While his father’s side of the family was hockey players, his mother Kristin had a pretty impressive athletic career of her own, playing tennis at Harvard and professionally. As John got older, she wanted him to follow in her footsteps after he had played hockey since he was very young.
“She really wanted me to be a tennis player,” John said. “In the summers I'd be playing tennis, and I did play some tournaments, but kids were farther ahead of me. I played until I was 14 but hockey resonated with me more.”
As John entered high school, he attended Dexter Southfield School in Brookline, Massachusetts, where he played both hockey and lacrosse. In 2017, his younger brother Matt joined him at Dexter. The two brothers played together for three years until John graduated and went to the Sioux City Musketeers of the United States Hockey League.
After a season in the USHL, John followed in his family’s Crimson footsteps and went to Harvard in 2021. With the Crimson, Fusco played in 26 games, adding a goal and an assist, winning the ECAC, but then looked for another opportunity, landing at Dartmouth College.
The Big Green were in the midst of a rebuild under third-year Head Coach Reid Cashman, and Fusco saw the chance to make an impact.
“Just talking with him, I fell in love with Dartmouth. It was a great opportunity in the sense that they weren't a very good program, and my class he’d probably say, was the class to turn that program around and build a culture there,” Fusco said.
Cashman came to Dartmouth after he was an Assistant Coach for Quinnipiac University as well as an Assistant Coach for the Stingrays AHL and NHL affiliates, the Hershey Bears and Washington Capitals.
In his first year at Dartmouth, Fusco had 11 points in 22 games, scoring three times and tallying eight assists. Then in 2023-24, Matt came to Dartmouth as well. After their father and uncle both played together at Harvard, now the two of them got to share the ice at the collegiate level.
That season, John had 17 points before his senior season where he had a career year with 21 points, including six game-winning goals. The habits he picked up from Cashman produced results on the ice.
“He's been a tremendous mentor for me and helped me a ton,” Fusco said. “I got to learn and see what it's like losing and the difference between a good culture and a bad culture. Culture matters probably more than anything. He was instrumental in developing good habits on the ice and off the ice. I can't thank him enough for taking a chance on me.”
Those habits Fusco learned from Cashman have now stuck out to the Stingrays coaching staff, including Assistant Coach Scott Davidson, who played under Cashman for a year while Cashman was with the Bobcats.
“John’s an ultra competitor,” Davidson said. “He wants to get better, he’s a rink rat. He’s doing stuff on his own time to always get better which I know he learned playing at Dartmouth. Cashman recruited me and he’s one of my favorite coaches even though it was only one season. He is a great mentor.”
Now over halfway into his rookie season of professional hockey, Fusco is focusing on the details and what it takes to be successful.
“Every day I try to get a little better,” Fusco said. “If you're not getting better, someone's passing you. You have to keep improving and take it day by day and enjoy the process of it. Some days you have it, some days you don't. Learning how to be successful no matter how you're feeling or what's going on, I think that's like the biggest thing I'm trying to learn.”
“He's always looking to get better,” Davidson said. “We do video sessions and we talk about different situations. He has an unbelievable mind for the game. He's constantly thinking about different plays and situations. So I'd just like him to continue to grow as a pro and keep building.”
As Fusco continues in his first season, he knows he always has first mentor there to help him along the way.
“Some things you have to go through yourself, but my Dad still helps me now," Fusco said. "He has experiences from his career that help me and I try to learn as much as I can from him.”
Fusco and the Stingrays head to Greenville on Friday night before returning home on Saturday to host the Swamp Rabbits at 6:05 p.m. for I CHS Night, presented by MUSC Health. The Stingrays then host the Jacksonville Icemen on Sunday at 3:05 p.m. for Kids Takeover Day, presented by Sonic Drive-In. Tickets are available on Ticketmaster.com and at the North Charleston Coliseum Box Office.