"Both my brother and I were sitting at the end of the dinner table ... and we were just envisioning our dad, sitting down at the other end of the table holding court and telling stories and everybody laughing," Jordan said. "This would have been his element. We both sat there and talked about it, then sat back and thought that it kind of stinks he didn't get to do something like this."
J.P. did not accompany Zach on the Wild's last fathers trip a few years back, but was able to go with him and the team on a road trip out west in the months before he died.
Zach said he remembered a conversation he had with his dad on that trip, a story that he and Jordan had shared last week.
While chartered flights, technology to help kill that time on planes and five-star hotels have helped ease the travel burden, J.P. was amazed at what hadn't changed.
"He said, 'Nothing has changed,'" Zach recalled. "The dynamics between the players, the laughs. He said nothing had changed in the 50 years since he had played. That was neat to hear. It was almost like he was back in his element with the team and with the players again. He loved it."
It was the first thing Jordan picked up on, as well.
A former star at the University of North Dakota like his younger brother, Jordan played 50 games in the American Hockey League before carving out a career in Europe, then retiring from the game in 2013.
"I just noticed it when we were sitting down at dinner," Jordan said. "I just saw everybody; it's one of those things where you have a group of guys and everybody going for a common goal and everybody has each other's backs and you have all these jokes together. When you get away from the game, it's gone.
"There are definitely organizations and businesses that try and have that team dynamic. But there's nothing like that that compares to what's going on in the locker room. It's been awesome to see, but it also pulls on your heartstrings a little bit. You wonder, "Gosh I wish I wouldn't have left the game so early.'"
Being unable to play at all this season because of microdiscectomy surgery back in October has been difficult for Zach to swallow. But he's worked he way closer to a return in recent weeks; first resuming skating, then progressing to shooting pucks and now to practicing with the team.
He's had no bigger confidant than his big brother, who was able to spend a few days providing extra moral support while being back in the locker room environment he misses most about his own playing days.
"The hardest thing to watch as a brother is to see him not be able to perform at a level you know he can perform at," Jordan said. "It's awesome to see him get back in the swing of things, watching him skate and shoot and watching him elevate his game to where I've seen him play before. That's been fun."
As Zach has gotten closer to full health, Jordan said he sees a motivated player ready to get back to his old self.
"That has never wavered from him since he was five years old," Jordan said. "He's ready."
It was appropriate for the Parises that Zach had Jordan as his guest. The impact J.P. had on both of their lives was immeasurable and special, they said.
And the chance to share a couple J.P. stories along the way certainly didn't hurt.
"It's been awesome," Zach said. "He understands how special it is to be on the trip and to see this side of hockey and this side of what we do. To be able to spend some good time together, it's been fun."
Related:
- Parise returns to ice for first time since surgery
- J.P. Parise stick finds way home to family
