"It was a great ceremony obviously, just to have my family there, who has been a big part of you know, most of my career. To be honest, seeing the girls out there, yeah, I was looking around like where's Zenon, is he emotional in the back right now? I wasn't sure."
Of course, it was Zenon, Travis's lone son, and oldest child who presented his dad with the Silver Stick. A wonderful moment for father and son.
"Him walking out with the stick… just seeing how, you know, proud he was and it was a great moment to spend with them. All the sacrifices they have made for me to you know, reach this milestone, it was a lot of fun, them being there with me."
It's Travis's family that keeps him in check. They're a hockey family through and through, with the kids now playing, the youngest, Anya just learning how to skate now, and his wife Nikki who played NCAA hockey. So, after a game,
"She loves watching the game," Travis shared, "She doesn't miss a beat. You know, she knows if I'm in a good mood and when I'm in a bad mood, and you know when to say something and critique something. But to be honest, I love it. I love having that in our relationship, to be able to talk about hockey, we both enjoy and love."
Such a hockey family that another year of a back-yard rink was in order this year. Something the Zajac's installed this past winter and gets ample use from the Zajac children. But sometimes they're a little distracted, more interested in snow-blowing the rink, which Travis joked they were more interested in doing, instead of snow-blowing the driveway.
From putting down roots in New Jersey, his life away from the rink, and balancing a shortened season with games every other day, with being a family man and dad, Travis gets into it all on this weeks episode of the Speak of the Devils Podcast, presented by RWJ Barnabas Health.
