Annual dads’ trip includes rare bonding time
Lloydminster’s Holtby experiences ‘a sense of pride’ to have dad Greg at his side
TAMPA Familiar faces sauntered through the hall near the Washington Capitals dressing room in Tampa, with the older versions of themselves causally in tow.
There were the stalwarts in Anders Backstrom, Dick Carlson and Greg Holtby — all used to the ins and outs of the Capitals’ annual dads’ trip, yet all wearing the same recognizable joyful face.
There was Vladimir Orlov, Aleksei Samsonov and Evgeny Kuznetsov, all going back and forth in Russian as their sons did the same. There was Karel Vrana, giving out quick nods of hello, as his son, Jakub, routinely does. There was John Hathaway, the epitome of a gleeful, proud father watching from afar. There was Alan Dowd, who wore his son’s college hockey hat on the plane ride over for the start of the two-game road trip.
All and more made up — as Hathaway’s dad would proudly say during the intermission report in the Capitals’ 5-2 win over the Tampa Bay Lightning — the Capitals’ family; a melting pot of influences coming together to celebrate their sons.
“I just want to say that I know it is everybody’s dream as a kid to be in the NHL, everybody here,” John Hathaway said on the team cruise as he addressed the entire Caps’ dads and player contingent.
“I congratulate all of you because we all know how difficult that dream is.”
Every player had at least one dad or mentor on the Capitals’ annual excursion, except for captain Alex Ovechkin. T.J. Oshie brought his father-in-law, Dave, and Lars Eller brought his brother-in-law, Christian. Team personnel were also allowed to bring their fathers on the trip, taking part in the fun that brought over 30 extra bodies on the team’s trip to Tampa and Columbus on Monday.
“Some guys are very similar to their dads and some guys are extremely opposite,” Braden Holtby, a native of Lloydminster, Sask., said. “Even just looks-wise you can see and immediately know whose dad it is and others you have a bit tougher time. It is interesting to see the background of where people grew up and that kind of thing you don’t always get to talk about.”
There are a couple newbies to the dads’ trip, including Radko Gudas’ father, Leo. Despite Gudas being in the league for eight years, his father had always been coaching professionally overseas so he could never make it when Gudas was in Tampa Bay and Philadelphia. This past year, Leo decided to coach a younger team, which would allow him to finally make his first dads’ trip. It was almost derailed when he was offered another professional coaching job, but he got them to delay the start date until after the holidays, all for Radko.
Ilya Samsonov’s father, Aleksei, is also experiencing his first dads’ trip with the rookie goaltender getting his first taste of the NHL this season. Saturday’s win over the Tampa Bay Lightning was the first time Samsonov’s father saw his son play in an NHL game in person. The 22-year-old didn’t disappoint, recording 26 saves in a stellar performance that kept the league-leading Capitals rolling.
“I win this game for him,” the young Russian goaltender said post-game.
“It’s pretty special, something pretty unique to our sport,” Holtby said of the trip. “Obviously for the most part, our dads have had a big part in our lives in hockey growing up, kind of the dog days in hockey so they can see where we’ve got to now. It is interesting to them and also a sense of pride when they come here.”
Greg Holtby has been on at least six or seven of these dads’ trips.
“It is kind of special because Braden and I, actually, in this stage of his life, don’t get a lot of time just him and I.”