World's Okayest Blog- Family Matters

Having my family see me play last week in Calgary was a pretty awesome moment. I grew up watching a lot of games at the Flames arena, so it was a definitely one of those 'dream-come-true' moments playing on that ice. I was a little nervous to start off but, once you get in there and the game starts you're like 'wow, this is actually happening' and then it kind of fades off and you go into your game mode. After the game, it all starts to sink in again and you can feel it for a second…."I can't believe that just happened!".
I brought 14 of my closest family and friends. After the game I got all sorts of texts from buddies that said they were there to see me too. I'm pretty sure my mom made fun of me for losing that game- she tends to be like that, in a fun way!
The team was great about it though!

Most people know to let me have my space after a game but, a few guys came up to me and said "Don't worry about it, good game!". I didn't really notice it at first but, they were all really supportive.
Everyone is very supportive and has each other's back at the Sharks. Some teams I've been on everyone has their own clique. These guys hang with these guys sort of thing. But with the Sharks, it's not like that. Everyone on this team is good friends and everyone gets a long better than I've seen. The only word to describe it would be 'family'.
Speaking of family, my dad is here for the annual Sharks father's trip. It's awesome to have him here since he hasn't seen me play since Junior. He hasn't been able to make it out here so it's pretty special for me. I know he's loving it too- meeting the guys and their dads. They all had a lot of fun together! My dad was taking pictures of everything on the trip to LA! He's going to show my mom, so he wants to document it all. My dad, Pavelski's dad, Marleau's dad, Pauly Martin's dad all seem to be pretty good buds now!

My dad is always so positive with me. He doesn't bring any negative energy around me and I love that about him. He does get really nervous though when I play, so he was probably pacing a hole in the ground watching me start today.
It's back to my regular routine now that my dad is leaving and my wife is headed back to school. When my wife's here she always becomes part of my routine and helps me. She makes it a little easier on me for gamedays, makes my lunch and what not. She's pretty good at being there for me but also staying out of my way when I need it.
When my family isn't here visiting, I'd say my closest teammate is Melker Karlsson. Although we're all really close as a team, Melker and I sit next to each other on the plane so we're always sharing stories.
That's all for this blog! Looking forward to checking in with Sharks Territory soon!