Heartwarming moment Minnesota Wild forward Vinni Lettieri scores with his grandfather, ex-NHL defenseman Lou Nanne, calling the move in the booth: “Perfect timing!”

Minnesota Wild Color commentator Lou Nanne could be forgiven if he didn’t sound exactly impartial after Vinni Lettieri’s second-period goal Tuesday night in New York.

Nanne, the former Minnesota North Stars defenseman and general manager, is the grandfather of Lettieri, who has yet to score with the 82-year-old in the booth.

‘Lettieri fires… scores!’ Wild announcer Anthony LaPanta exclaimed during Minnesota’s 4-2 win over the Islanders. “And a fist pump upstairs as Vinni Lettieri scores his first goal in a Wild jersey.”

That first pump probably belonged to Nanne, who quickly returned to his role as color commentator.

“Shoot the puck,” Nanne said. ‘Never a mistake… Right in the corner. Goalkeeper didn’t see that.’

Nanne was a defenseman and GM of the Minnesota North Stars before becoming a Wild announcer

Nanne seemed to take particular pleasure in watching the usually defensive-minded Lettieri dart through traffic from the point – an area about six yards from the net.

“That’s what you want to see,” Nanne said. “If you want to score goals, you have to shoot the puck. It’s funny how people press and forget to shoot the puck.

Lettieri has only scored a career-high eight goals in six NHL seasons, but said he was thrilled to get one for his grandfather since joining the Wild this offseason.

“Perfect timing,” Lettieri told reporters. ‘I wouldn’t take that back for anything. That’s quite special.’

‘I am very happy to have this opportunity,’ Nanne agreed. “I’ve been broadcasting for a long time, but I’ve never broadcast a Vinni match.”

Nanne does not cover every match for Bally Sports North, but rather works sporadically. He also mentions the Minnesota State High School Boys Hockey Tournament.