David McCarron has been on a few fathers trips with his son before, but this one tops them all.
In fact, last autumn, David thought he may have already experienced his final journey.
Just days before Michael McCarron and the Preds were set to face the Lightning in Tampa last October, David had a health issue - a bypass surgery - that gave the entire McCarron family a scare.
With David now living in Naples, the Preds allowed Michael to head to Florida early to be with his father, just in case.
Three months later, on a Friday morning in Buffalo, David watched from the stands as his son and the rest of the Preds skated around the ice at KeyBank Center, a sight he’ll certainly never take for granted ever again.
“This one is special, especially because I might not have been here,” David said, holding back tears. “But the surgery was successful, and I feel great. Everything is going to be perfect, but life is special. Life is what you make it, so you definitely don't want to miss any opportunities like this weekend.”
Just about every player on the Nashville roster has their dad with them on this trip that will see the Preds play the Sabres on Friday before finishing a back-to-back set in Pittsburgh on Saturday. The excursion with the dads alongside was first put on by the Predators decades ago, and now they’ve become a staple across the NHL.
But there aren’t many who have been through what the McCarrons have to be able to enjoy the experience.
“I’m pretty proud of him,” Michael said of his father. “He’s been able to come out on the other side, doing well, taking care of himself, back walking and back moving like he hasn't really missed a beat. So, it's pretty special to see. And my mom is taking care of him down in Florida and making sure he eats well and sleeps well and does all the right things to make his body recover. So, it's pretty cool to have him here, and he wouldn't miss this for the world. I think if he was on one leg, he'd still find a way to come. But he loves this trip, and he’s been texting me, calling me for a little bit now, excited for this trip, and now it's finally here. He’s had a smile on his face ever since he woke up this morning.”
David is equally proud of his son who has not only become a regular in the Preds lineup while centering their fourth line, but also because of what his son has overcome.
Back in 2022, Michael entered the NHL’s Player Assistance Program, but it wasn’t long before he was back with the club, receiving constant support the whole way through. At the end of that season, Michael was named Nashville’s nominee for the Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy - awarded annually to the player who “best exemplifies the qualities of perseverance, sportsmanship and dedication to ice hockey.”
“It is special, and he’s worked hard to get these opportunities,” David said of his son. “Everybody's journey is different. Every player on the ice’s journey is different. The team has supported Michael, family supported Michael, his siblings, extended family supported Michael; it’s just been a pleasure to watch, and he's such a good kid. On the ice, I can only imagine what happens out there, but off the ice, he's just a big teddy bear.”
Just as everyone on the team has, the McCarrons have come a long way from the early morning practices in Detroit, or brothers Michael and John sparring as brothers do with “heads going through the drywall at times,” as David put it.
But now? The ‘pinch-me’ moments are plentiful.
“Watching him play hockey growing up, you never expected anything like this,” David said. “Some people are probably born with it, and you can figure it out right away. But for most everybody else, you never know what you're going to get, what to expect. We just wanted them to be good human beings. All of these kids out here are just great human beings, so it's wonderful.”
And for Michael to have his dad here on this particular occasion, there’s nothing that quite compares.
“No matter how long you've been in the League, it's always special to have your dad on a trip like this, and especially when he didn't know if he was going to be able to make it on this trip this year,” Michael said. “When he gave me the ‘OK’ that he was able to come, it was pretty exciting.”
A couple of days from now, the Preds will head back home, and the fathers will depart for their respective locales shortly thereafter. No doubt the McCarrons will already start anticipating the next trip in due time.
But for now, they’re enjoying the moments together - moments that are never guaranteed, but are appreciated beyond belief.
And a couple of wins would make things perfect.
“All of our dads here, they want to see us win scratching, clawing to get a win tonight and tomorrow night as well,” Michael said. “Happy dads are the best dads.”
