Leaf dads get first-hand look at men sons have become

Fathers join players for annual trip during swing through Florida

SUNRISE, FLA.— It was a low point in Nazem Kadri’s career.

Late for a practice last March, Kadri was suspended for four games by the Toronto Maple Leafs. The off-ice transgressions got the rumour mill going. The spotlight couldn’t have seared harder.

Who did he turn to for support? His family, of course

“As a parent, you’re concerned,” said Kadri’s father, Sam. “The market we’re in, there’s a huge spotlight. But what I told him: ‘Mistakes happen. It’s what you do after that matters.’ I think he’s bounced back pretty good.”

Kadri, who might be having the best year of his career, took the advice to heart and has made his father proud. “He has seen me mature and grow up and become a better player and a better man than I was,” Kadri said.

This two-game trip to Florida — with games Tuesday against the Panthers and Wednesday versus the Lightning — is the Leafs’ father-and-son trip. It is a chance for the dads to connect with the little boys who somehow and inevitably became men.

“I’ve seen quite a change in Dion,” said Paul Phaneuf, the father of the Leafs’ captain.

“He’s come a long ways from the first day he put his skates on.”

“They’re basically the same people,” said Morgan Rielly’s father, Andy. “They become a little bit more savvy with the ways of the world and how to be a profes- sional. They spend a lot of time thinking about how to be a pro.

“We tried to make it for Morgan that all he has to do is worry about playing hockey. That’s what the real pros do.”

Kadri, meanwhile, has grown up as a high-profile first-round pick in the Toronto spotlight through some of the most tumultuous years the franchise has known. His father has been just down the road in London.

“He’s seen some changes I’ve made on and off the ice, trying to become a better person and better player, and not cheat myself and try to maximize my potential,” the younger Kadri said. “I have an opportunity here, and it’s something I want to take advantage of. He’s seeing first-hand how hard I’ve been working.”

The fathers were outfitted with jerseys with their last names on the backs. For Brian Matthias, Shawn’s father, it was a true treat since he grew up a Leafs fan. Shawn, by the way, didn’t tell his dad about the Leafs interest in him over the summer, surprising him instead with the news after he signed here.

“It was huge,” Brian Matthias said. “It was very exciting. The way Shawn put it, there was one opportunity to play here. That’s why he chose to come. (To) put on the Leaf jersey, the team you’ve been cheering for all your life.”

The fathers also got a behind-thescenes look this year, with head coach Mike Babcock inviting them into the dressing room as he prepared his team for practice.

“I like the camaraderie you see between the guys,” Brian Matthias said. “You don’t see that when you just go to a game. To see the guys interact with each other is kind of cool.”

The players’ mothers may get a chance for a similar experience soon. Both Chicago and Detroit have had mom-and-son trips.

“My mom is getting on me about getting on to management,” Kadri said. “I mentioned it to Lou (Lamoriello), so we’ll see how that goes. She definitely wants to tag along.”

Dion Phaneuf agrees it’s a good idea.

“We’ll have a mom’s trip one day,” he said. “They sacrifice just as much as the dads. That’s one thing that doesn’t get talked about, is how much sacrifice your parents make for you, whether it’s financial, or whether it’s their time, early morning practices, weekend tournaments.”