Leafs’ dads come along for the ride
Team thanks its proud papas by inviting them on road trip to Philadelphia
PAUL HUNTER SPORTS REPORTER
For two nights, the Maple Leafs are turning Philadelphia into the city of fatherly love.
There's only one logistical problem.
"I don't think any restaurant is going to want 40 men in there together on Valentine's Day," winger Chad Kilger said.
When the Leafs fly to Philadelphia today, 20 fathers of players and staff will be along for the ride. They'll join the players for a team meal tonight — the club opted to do it at the hotel — they'll go to the morning skate and then they'll attend the game at the Wachovia Center and fly home together after the game. The players will not be rooming with their fathers, though — this affection stuff only goes so far.
It's something other teams have done as an acknowledgement of how important paternal influence — not to mention rides to 6 a.m. practices — has been to the careers of the men who now play in the NHL.
"It’s a little thanks to the fathers who got us here, a little treat," said Wade Belak whose father Barry, a livestock inspector, arrived from Saskatchewan yesterday with some other members of the family. "I know if I was a father, I'd think it was pretty cool." The players say it should mostly be fun to give their dads a taste of NHL life on the road. "My dad is 100 times more ex-cited (than me). I'm excited to see him that way," said centre John Pohl, whose father Jim is a retired school principal in Red Wing, Minn. "When I told him about it, you could hear his ex-citement through the phone. I tell him what it’s like but, now, for him to actually experience it and see what it’s like, it’s just a great idea from management. I know for my dad it will be the highlight of his year."
The trip will also afford the opportunity for an interesting reunion. John Ferguson, the former Canadiens great, is one of the fathers on the trip, as is Alex Steen's father Thomas. The elder Ferguson, who is battling cancer, was the Winnipeg Jets GM in the 1980s when Thomas was a star on the team.
"It’s just a joyous time," the younger Steen said. "Even though my dad played, I don't think they had their own jet. He knows Mats Sundin, but he's looking forward to meeting the other players. It’ll be fun to meet everyone's parents."
One parent who won't be making the trip is Denis Maurice who, showing how life goes full circle, is staying at his son Paul's house to help look after his grandchildren and drive them to their hockey games.
"I appreciate what my parents did so much more now," Paul Maurice said. "Before the Pitts-burgh game (on Saturday), my son was on the ice at 6 o'clock (in the morning) and you're at the rink and you realize your mom and dad did all that and they didn't get to work in the NHL." Maurice said he got a chance to take his father to the 1997 All-Star Game when he was re-presenting the Eastern Conference. "You get to see your dad as a kid a little bit," he said. "For most of them, its a little glimpse of the lifestyle... .I don't know if recognition is the right word, but you want your dad at some point to turn to you and say, ‘You did well.' This (trip) is a little bit of a chance for that."
--Toronto Star, February 14, 2007
Team thanks its proud papas by inviting them on road trip to Philadelphia
PAUL HUNTER SPORTS REPORTER
For two nights, the Maple Leafs are turning Philadelphia into the city of fatherly love.
There's only one logistical problem.
"I don't think any restaurant is going to want 40 men in there together on Valentine's Day," winger Chad Kilger said.
When the Leafs fly to Philadelphia today, 20 fathers of players and staff will be along for the ride. They'll join the players for a team meal tonight — the club opted to do it at the hotel — they'll go to the morning skate and then they'll attend the game at the Wachovia Center and fly home together after the game. The players will not be rooming with their fathers, though — this affection stuff only goes so far.
It's something other teams have done as an acknowledgement of how important paternal influence — not to mention rides to 6 a.m. practices — has been to the careers of the men who now play in the NHL.
"It’s a little thanks to the fathers who got us here, a little treat," said Wade Belak whose father Barry, a livestock inspector, arrived from Saskatchewan yesterday with some other members of the family. "I know if I was a father, I'd think it was pretty cool." The players say it should mostly be fun to give their dads a taste of NHL life on the road. "My dad is 100 times more ex-cited (than me). I'm excited to see him that way," said centre John Pohl, whose father Jim is a retired school principal in Red Wing, Minn. "When I told him about it, you could hear his ex-citement through the phone. I tell him what it’s like but, now, for him to actually experience it and see what it’s like, it’s just a great idea from management. I know for my dad it will be the highlight of his year."
The trip will also afford the opportunity for an interesting reunion. John Ferguson, the former Canadiens great, is one of the fathers on the trip, as is Alex Steen's father Thomas. The elder Ferguson, who is battling cancer, was the Winnipeg Jets GM in the 1980s when Thomas was a star on the team.
"It’s just a joyous time," the younger Steen said. "Even though my dad played, I don't think they had their own jet. He knows Mats Sundin, but he's looking forward to meeting the other players. It’ll be fun to meet everyone's parents."
One parent who won't be making the trip is Denis Maurice who, showing how life goes full circle, is staying at his son Paul's house to help look after his grandchildren and drive them to their hockey games.
"I appreciate what my parents did so much more now," Paul Maurice said. "Before the Pitts-burgh game (on Saturday), my son was on the ice at 6 o'clock (in the morning) and you're at the rink and you realize your mom and dad did all that and they didn't get to work in the NHL." Maurice said he got a chance to take his father to the 1997 All-Star Game when he was re-presenting the Eastern Conference. "You get to see your dad as a kid a little bit," he said. "For most of them, its a little glimpse of the lifestyle... .I don't know if recognition is the right word, but you want your dad at some point to turn to you and say, ‘You did well.' This (trip) is a little bit of a chance for that."
--Toronto Star, February 14, 2007