Inside Scoop: Dads' Trip 2018

As the Pens' Monday night showdown in Long Island progressed into a shootout, there was a very nervous man sitting in a suite high above the ice.
Gary DeSmith, the father of Penguins goaltender Casey DeSmith, sat among the other team's fathers. He watched his son put on a spectacular performance, stopping 25 of 26 shots against. But as the game entered the shootout, it was far from over.
That's when another dad, Brian Dumoulin's father Pete, playfully added to Gary's stress.

"Pete was saying going into the shootout, 'DeSmith, it's on you now. No pressure,'" Gary said.
Young Casey would stop four of the five shootout opponents he faced. When Jake Guentzel slipped a puck through Robin Lehner's five-hole to end the shootout and give the Pens a 2-1 shootout victory, it was a mix of relief and excitement up above.
"So happy about that. It was a thrill," Gary said. "It was a tight game and a shootout, so it was fun."
And the younger DeSmith was happy to come through for his father.
"This morning I saw a clip of him in the suite when I made the glove save in the shootout," Casey said. "He was looking pretty nervous, pretty serious. So thankfully he could smile at the end of it."
The Pens are in the midst of their 10th annual Dads' Trip - presented by Highmark - with a 2-game jaunt through Long Island and Chicago. The team improved to 11-5-3 all-time on the trip.
"It's always fun. The dads really appreciate it," center Matt Cullen said. "It's fun for us to be able to share what we do with them and have them around. A lot of them have hockey backgrounds and grew up with the game. So they appreciate seeing a behind-the-scenes look, and being able to meet the other guys."
Gary is a rookie dad. Luckily he had a longtime friend in Pete - as Casey and Brian grew up playing together - to show him the ropes.
"It's unbelievable to have Gary here," Pete said. "We came to Pittsburgh back in 2004 together to play at Neville Island in Pittsburgh.
"Every year it's special. It's fun. It's a really good time. This year has been great. Great dads, lots of dads on this trip. We're all the same and we're happy to be here. It's really fun."

The dads joined the team in Long Island where they were treated to a team meal. During the trip they've experienced morning skates, games, practices, video sessions and the team's travel.
"The food is great. The travel is top notch," Pete said. "You see what they go through, the day-to-day operations from morning to night. It's pretty impressive the regimen they put into themselves through to eat right and all that kind of stuff."
The team traveled to Chicago after the Monday game against the Islanders, arriving at the hotel after midnight.
"It's eye-opening," Gary said of the travel. "I said to Brian Dumoulin, how do you get used to this? It was so late at night and such a grind."
The dads are hoping to finish the trip strong with a win tonight in Chicago and a sweep. Until they do it again next year.
"It's cool. It's special we can do this in the middle of the season, have a trip with our dads," Brian said. "(Pete) watches all the games, but it's cool for him to come here and see what we do on a daily basis and how we go about our day."