This Year's Dads Trip Off to a Winning Start

John Ludvig’s father Jan, always in coaching mode, had his own special answer for what he was most looking forward to on this year’s Highmark Dads Trip - which began with the group coming in for Tuesday’s home game against Arizona.

“This team winning some games,” Jan said said. “The pressure is on. Rumor has it that on the Dads Trips, they didn’t lose too many games. We’ve got to carry on the tradition.”

So far, so good.

Watching from a suite at PPG Paints Arena, the Penguins pops - all wearing jerseys with their names on the back - got the trip off to a good start, as the Penguins beat the Coyotes 4-2.

Following the game, the entire contingent flew to Montreal, where the dads will get to experience life on the road with their NHL player sons at the famous Bell Centre before finishing the trip off on Saturday in Toronto. It’s going to be a rewarding experience for everyone involved.

“He’s worked his (butt) off since I was born to help me get here,” John said. “So, it’s going to be rewarding for him and we’re going to have a good time.”

Jan is a junior hockey coach for the Kamloops Storm of the International Junior Hockey League in British Columbia, a job that had kept him from watching his son play in person to this point. But it just so happens that the timing of this trip coincided with a week off in the Storm’s schedule, so it worked out perfectly for Jan to come.

“I was looking forward to it big-time,” the NHL vet said. “For any dad who has a son and is passionate about hockey to actually get to this point, and especially an organization like this, where I played against them and I admired some of their players, Mario (Lemieux) or (Jaromir) Jágr, Rick Tocchet or Ron Francis, it’s a thrill.”

Jonathan Gruden’s father John, head coach of the American Hockey League’s Toronto Marlies, should be at both road games but wasn’t able to make it to Tuesday’s game. So Pat McKendry, Jonathan’s billet dad during his time in the U.S. National Team Development Program, traveled in from Michigan.

“Jon called me on Saturday… I thought it was a butt dial,” McKendry laughed. “He asked me if I could go. Short notice, but I was like ‘Hell yeah!’ … It’s incredible he asked me. It’s just a cool thing.”

Some dads may not be new to the NHL, but are brand new to the Penguins.

“It’s the first time with this team and I’m so excited for that,” said Erik Karlsson’s father Jonas. “I’ve come all the way over from Sweden, so it’s fun to see him with my eyes.”

“Me and my dad don’t get to spend that much time together anymore, just the two of us,” Erik added. “That’s why it’s nice to have these trips where it’s just me and him. Rare opportunities.”

Since Jeff Carter has played more seasons of NHL hockey than all but two players in the league, his father Jim can be considered somewhat of a veteran too. He acknowledged that there might not be many more opportunities to see 38-year-old Jeff play, since, as Jim said. “We’re getting down to the long strokes now.”

“I’ve gotten to watch a lot of hockey over the last 20 years, he said. “[Jeff] started playing when he was 3. When it’s over I don’t know what I’ll do.”

He paused for a second.

“Grandkids, I guess. I’ve got a couple potentials coming up.”

Luckily for him, the father-of-two Jeff had another special performance ready for Dad. It started in the first period, when he scored a short-handed goal on a breakaway. That was his second goal of the season, and the 433^rd of his career, but he wasn’t done. With the game tied in the third period, he redirected a shot past the goaltender for what turned out to be the game-winning goal.

Jim smiled and said that he enjoys the opportunity to see who his son passes in the record books, especially when it's people that he saw play generations ago. Tuesday’s goals moved number 77 into sole possession of 77th place on the all-time scoring list.

When Jeff scored that second goal, Jim was asked if he’d be willing to toss the gold Penguins hat he was wearing in the event of a hat trick.

Jim burst out laughing. “Not a chance.”

Even if he hadn’t gotten the chance to watch a career night, Jim was still excited for the trip. It’s his 14^th or 15th time going on one, and he described what makes him keep on coming.

“You meet the dads, cause they’ve all followed their kids and now they’re not kids anymore,” he said. “[The players] all get excited we're all here. They always do the team dinner and whatnot. I think these guys look forward to it.”

Locker-room chemistry isn’t just reserved for the players either. Every dad mentioned that meeting fellow parents was one of the trip’s highlights. Marcus Pettersson says that he and Rickard Rakell’s dads have bonded over several trips together.

And of course, the guys bonded over the one thing they all have running through their blood: dad jokes.

When Sidney Crosby narrowly missed an empty-netter, Jim chuckled. “That would have been a bad pool shot,” he said to Troy Crosby.

As successful as night one was, the trip only gets better, and everyone’s looking forward to it.

“It’s been awesome,” McKendry said. “It’s just getting started, but the whole trip is going to be phenomenal.”