Rino Hischier Proud Beyond Words of Son Nico | FEATURE

At the far corner of the Devils practice rink, Rino Hischier stood for a stoic moment by himself watching as his son and his team took to the ice for practice. The elder Hischier has been to New Jersey many times before with Nico already in his sixth NHL season, but this time it is a little different, as he is joined by the fathers, mentors, and guests of the players his son leads.
"I am just so very, very thankful that the reason is Nico that I can be here," Rino beamed. "Also the organization, to see what happens every day, yesterday, today, we get a little more background. I can feel better what it is, the life of a hockey player. It's really, really, hard. I understand when Nico is at home, just wanting to relax."
Living in Switzerland, most Devils games are played around 1 a.m. local time. Waking up for work at 6 a.m., Rino admits he's often asleep by 10 p.m., probably just as Nico is waking up from a pregame nap.
"In the morning, I wake up around 6 a.m. and I look at the scores online, some video for four or five minutes," Rino shared. And with that, Rino moves on with his day. When the two do catch up, it rarely is about hockey. Of course, it comes up, it's a big part of both their lives in different ways, but it's not part of the norm.
"My wife and I, we don't talk too much hockey with Nico," Rino said, "That was also when he was younger too, after the game, two or three words and then we discuss other things, not only hockey, hockey, hockey. He doesn't like it, Luca (Nico's older brother) is the same."
So much of the way Rino carries himself is familiar. You immediately understand where Nico's balance comes from. Talking with Rino Hischier affirms so much about what we've grown to know about Nico, they speak with sincerity, theyspeak with passion and authenticity, and they are above anything else good human beings with strong values.

That demeanor, that strength of character, and the work ethic are all foundations of why Nico was selected as the 12th captain in franchise history. At the time of Nico being named captain, general manager Tom Fitzgerald called it ripping the Band-Aid off, "dropping him in the deep end and letting him go". Rino beams with pride at his son's captaincy but admits he and his family were a little bit surprised it happened so early.
A wide smile stretched across Rino's face, and he took a beat before collecting his words: "What was that moment? Me, my wife, we were a little surprised, already now, in his young age. But otherwise, I think it was a great trust from the organization, an honor, a trust in Nico. It means a lot to me because Nico is not only I think a good hockey player, but you must be more than a player, it is the personality, the human being, the communication with other guys."
Like the game itself, the captaincy isn't something the two have spent a lot of time discussing. Their lives together don't focus solely on hockey, as was alluded to earlier in the conversation. But thinking of his son's captaincy reminds Rino of the first time he saw his son wear a letter on his jersey in the NHL. Nico wore an A as an alternate captain for the first time in 2019 at just 20 years old. By pure coincidence, Rino was there, taking in with his friends, an Eastern Canada road trip, following the Devils with a stop in Montreal.
"I said, oh, already now?" Rino remembers thinking. "After we talked, not a lot about it, a little. But Nico is, he knows what to do in this position."
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Nico, Rino reminded, will turn just 24 on January 4. And in some ways, that is what makes Nico so remarkable. Young in age, not in experience, integrity, and wisdom. There was little doubt he was ready for this role at 21 years old, coming from a rock-solid family foundation of genuinely good people. Through every 'next step' in Nico's career, it's easy to see why he has followed in the captaincy footsteps of the biggest names in franchise history.
He belongs there. He has become the foundation for the next generation, not just as a marquee player, but as a bedrock in setting the example of the culture. It feels natural.
It's something that the Hischiers are appreciative of.
"I think one, we are so proud of Nico, that he can play in this organization, that the organization trusts him, gave him a chance to play in the NHL," he beamed, "We are also proud that he has this job as a captain to do, but the other side is, there is more for him to do, to give, to learn. The responsibility, the responsibility to grow up. We hope that he is not only a good player or a very good player, but as a person, a teammate that they can go to Nico to help, So we hope he can move up in this position."
Rino remarks that the last two, or three, years have not always been that easy. It never is when a team isn't winning. But he hopes that this current season begins the next part of Nico's journey in the NHL, one where the past struggles begin to pay off. Without them, Rino says, you may not be able to learn what it is to be a winner.
"When I talk with Nico, I tell him in this situation you can learn so much, and when you are losing, you can go to being a winner. But you must go step-by-step, do your business. All the negative things, when you think about that, you can turn into positive things. You can learn about situations, and we hope that that's what this time now is, it's becoming a better and better team."
On Friday night, Rino sat in a suite among other fathers, mentors, and guests at PPG Paints Arena in Pittsburg. It was his son's second period goal, a shorthanded marker with less than two minutes to play in the period, that went down as the game-winner. It was a much-needed win for a group that has seen its fair share of struggles recently, and it was only fitting that the captain played a big role in delivering. With over 23 minutes of ice time, and a shorthanded goal, it was one of those games where you need no reminder of how and what Nico Hischier means to this organization. He puts his heart into it.
"He's very thankful and proud of the organization," Rino Hischier smiled, "from Ray Shero seven years ago, who selected him for the organization, the scouts who selected him, he's very happy with this team. With his teammates, he says he's really happy.
"Of course, he wants to make a next step up, we hope so, and I think Nico is a person, who doesn't forget which organization, which people have made it possible for him to be here."
Rino took a pause and adds:
"Never forgets."