Ryan Shea’s hockey journey started in his hometown of Milton, Massachusetts, featuring stops in Youngstown, Ohio; Cedar Park, Texas; and currently, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
And now, St. Louis, Missouri will always hold a special significance, as the Penguins defenseman made his NHL debut against the Blues on Saturday night at Enterprise Center. Shea’s immediate family and 18 childhood friends flew in to see Ryan realize his dream.
“We have such a big group, so no matter where he goes, he’ll have a crew following him no matter what,” older brother Connor said.
When Ryan first learned that he would be slotting into the lineup, he called and texted Connor; younger sisters Christina and Kelly; and of course, dad Dan and mom Kathy. When the news got out, messages started flying amongst the extended family, which features about 60 people on Kathy’s side alone.
“Oh my gosh, we were just saying we must have 100 texts,” Kathy said. “I think I have 90 text messages that I haven’t answered yet. I can’t even imagine what his phone looks like,” Connor added.
They’re a tight-knit group, a typical Irish-Catholic clan who all live in the same town, with Kathy saying that everyone is so excited, and would have come if they could. Hopefully, there will be more opportunities in the future, but for now, Ryan is just grateful that his parents and siblings could be there. He joked that while Dan, who was in tech sales, mostly golfs these days, would be at the ready, the rest of the crew had to rearrange their schedules.
“It’s obviously exciting for me, special for me, but it’s just as special for them,” Ryan said. “They did all of the hard work to get me to this point. I’ll be definitely excited, and they’ll get to see it.”
When Ryan reflects on the impact his family had on his path to this point, he thinks of Dan driving him and Connor to their early practices and games. They played in the same youth organization growing up, with Connor on the 1995 team and Ryan on the 1997 team.
“He wasn’t very good,” Connor joked before sharing that Ryan actually played as a forward for a long time before eventually switching to defense. “He broke his leg a few times when he was younger and had major surgeries. So, he’s come a long way,” Kathy said. “He’s got a lot of passion for the game.”
Ryan called Connor his biggest supporter through it all, with his older brother choking up when discussing how proud he is.
“Since Day 1, I’d like to think that I was his No. 1 fan,” Connor said. “He’s done everything right, stayed the course. No one deserves it more. He’s the hardest-working kid I’ve ever met. It’s about time it’s come to fruition.”
While Ryan said that Dan and Connor like to text him every day, Kathy is the one he talks to the most about hockey, even though she doesn’t understand the sport all that much.
“My mom gives me space and lets me get out of my own head. She’s definitely the rock in the family. She’s the boss, as my dad says,” Ryan said with a smile.
It wasn’t easy for them to send Ryan off to live with a billet family in Youngstown when he played junior hockey for the Phantoms, though he did get some team dinners at former Penguin Troy Loney’s house when he was part owner of the franchise.
It wasn’t easy when he headed off to Texas to play in the Dallas Stars organization after being closer to home for a period of time while attending college at Northeastern.
But now, “Pittsburgh’s a little closer, which is nice,” Connor said. And it’s been a great opportunity for Shea, making his entrance into the show at 26 years old. Shea skated on the third pairing with Chad Ruhwedel, saying before the game that with a top-four who plays heavy minutes, it’s been an adjustment playing 10-15 – “but they gotta be good minutes.”
He ended up with just over 11, including 1:18 on the penalty kill, as the Penguins like his shorthanded ability. Shea hopes that it’s a performance to build on, as he said before the game, “I'm trying to stay in. That's the ultimate goal here. Step 1 was making the team, and then step 2 is cementing myself as an NHL player. You don't do that in one game, but hopefully, when I get in, I can play good enough to stay in the lineup.”
