Baun has hockey in his blood

LAVAL - Kyle Baun was never drafted, but that hasn't stopped him from making his way up to the pros. And that should surprise no one; the Laval Rocket forward has hockey running through his veins.

The 25-year-old was acquired by the Canadiens in exchange for Andreas Martinsen just before the start of the season, and coming back to Canadian soil was a welcome shift for the Baun clan.
"I'm from Toronto, so it's good to be closer to home and to play in Toronto and nearby cities, where my family can come see me play," said Baun.
As well, Baun hopes his parents' upcoming visit will give him a little boost on the ice, after he and his teammates took a little dip towards the end of November.
"I had a good start and it hasn't gone as well the last few weeks," explained the forward, who played five games for the Chicago Blackhawks between 2014-2016. "My parents are coming soon, so it's a good time to start turning the corner."
Baun's debut at the pro level didn't go quite as planned. After choosing to sign a two-way contract with the Hawks while several teams were courting him - including the Habs - his NHL dream hit a serious snag as a result of a serious injury suffered in one of his first games.
"A skate cut two tendons in my right wrist," recounted Baun. "It was a pretty tough way to start, but it went well the next year, so I started to regain my strength and dexterity."
He wasn't able to secure a spot with the Blackhawks, but is very happy with the new chance he's been given in Laval. And even though his two-way contract would allow for him to be called up by the big club, he's not focusing all his attention on the matter.
"There are lots of opportunities that could come up, but my main goal right now is to do well with the Rocket. At the end of the day, that often translates into a call-up, if you're doing well," outlined Baun. "But even if it's not this year, if I play well and the team does well, management will notice."
If you can say that hockey is in Baun's blood, it's likely a result of him wanting to follow in the footsteps of his grandfather Bobby, who patrolled the blue line for the Toronto Maple Leafs, Oakland Seals and Detroit Red Wings from 1956-1973. The elder Baun enjoyed a 17-season career in which he played in 964 games, collecting 224 points - including 37 goals. He also won the Stanley Cup four times. Needless to say, Baun doesn't need to look very far for inspiration.
"My grandfather has told me lots of stories, for sure. When I was growing up, I would always hear those 'back in my day' kind of stories," Baun recalled. "In the summer, we would always try to plan a fishing trip or some other activity. But today, when I come back, we have less time, so it's more a lunch to make up for lost time."
The patriarch was also among the group that helped establish the NHL Players' Association. And since he's been involved in the field for a long time, he's made sure his grandson has been treated well along the way.
"He gives me a lot of advice on the business side of things. He has an opinion on the kind of treatment the players get and he wants to ensure I master all that. He wants to be sure we're treated adequately, something which was not the case in his day - especially with salaries, which were hidden," Baun said. "He's one of the people that helped raise the issue and he ended up being a big part of the solution."
Baun hasn't been involved in the players' union himself, since the teams he's been a part of already had a representative when he came in, but it's a role he'd be interested in. That said, he did not study anything of the sort when he was a student at Colgate University, where he currently has a semester left in order to complete his degree in geology. Of note, Baun was in some of the same classes as his former roommate Ryan Johnston, who played a few games for the Canadiens last season.
"I wanted to study economics, but I took a few electives in geology in my first semester and I liked it, and also got good grades," noted Baun, who said he plans to return to the books to complete his degree after hockey. "At the beginning, it was just for fun and because it was interesting, but next thing I knew, half of my major was done.
"Maybe I would go back as a coach for a year to do my thesis. That would give me a year to reflect on my post-hockey career," concluded the right winger. "And who knows, maybe it'll end up being in coaching!"