FLAMES’ DAD’S TOUR
Mixed emotions for Hamonic
It’s a good thing they snapped the group photo after Sunday’s morning skate in Chicago.
Several hours later, Calgary Flames defenceman Travis Hamonic was bloodied by the elbow of Chicago Blackhawks forward Chris Kunitz, a cheap-shot that resulted in a major penalty.
The 28-year-old is certain his nose, now quite swollen, is broken.
The damage also includes a black eye.
These were going to be a difficult few days for Hamonic even before Kunitz busted his beak with that drive-by elbow.
This is the so-called Dad’s Trip for the Flames, with a pack of proud papas and other special guests rooting them on in Sunday’s 3-2 victory in Chicago and again for Tuesday’s clash with the Blue Jackets in Columbus (5 p.m., Sportsnet West/Sportsnet 960 The Fan).
Hamonic lost his father at a young age.
He has a plus-one, his older brother Jesse, but admits these family-themed getaways bring a broad range of emotions.
“It’s kind of a first-hand view of what we both miss out on in our lives, having everyone’s dads around,” said Travis, who also invited Jesse on several of these special sojourns during his days with the New York Islanders.
“So it’s always kind of hard, but we take it in stride and do it together. We’re extremely close, so I’m grateful for that. You always want that support. (Jesse) is one of the only few people in the world who really knows what I went through, and vice versa. So to have your brother and your best friend basically with you throughout this experience …
“In each and every one of them, it gets easier as it goes. But I think it’s kind of a constant reminder of what, I think at this stage of both of our lives, we’re both missing out on.”
Travis was only 10 when his father Gerald died of a heart attack. The rugged rearguard has never shied away from discussing that life-shaping tragedy, both with the media and with grieving youngsters through his D -Partner Program.
“I’m not going to let Travis be on a Dad’s Trip without his brother or someone there with him, and what the Flames do and the way they’ve been treating us, it has been absolutely first-class,” said Jesse, five years older than his puck-playing sibling, after watching Monday’s practice at Nationwide Arena.
“I’ve always spent so much time with my brother, and hockey has been a big part of things that we do together. So it’s kind of a celebration, I think, of that and his success. And it’s nice to represent our father and our family on these kind of trips. It’s a special opportunity.”
Hailing from St. Malo, Man., the Hamonic brothers now live nearly 2,500 km apart — Travis based in Calgary as a key piece on the Flames’ blue-line, and Jesse working in St. Louis for a pharmaceutical/ag company.
“I always joke and say, ‘I don’t work in business by accident,’” Jesse quipped, summing up his abilities with skates on his feet and a stick in his hands.
“Hockey is just something we’ve always really shared a bond over. (Travis) would play with me and my team all the time, so I take 50 per cent of the credit for his talent.”
Travis showed — once again — his toughness in Sunday’s victory at United Center. He was leaking badly after being bopped by Kunitz but missed just a few minutes of action for repairs.
In the final moments, with the Flames clinging to a one-goal lead, he dropped to the ice to block a point-blank shot from Chicago winger Alex DeBrincat.
Keep in mind, this is a guy who is still wearing a chin guard after suffering a fracture in his jaw in a fight in early October.
“I keep taking ’em in the face, so I figured I’d rather take it there than anywhere else at the end of the game,” Travis deadpanned. “You just do what you can to win, right? Everyone has a role to fill, and I know that ( blocking shots) is part of my job. So just try to do it as best you can and help the team win.”
It won’t reduce the swelling around his schnoz or un-blacken his eye, but the one positive to come from that dirty hit on Hamonic was the Flames cashed in twice on the power-play during Kunitz’s five-minute major.
That turned out to be the difference.
“The worst is when something like that happens and you don’t take advantage of it,” Jesse said. “So I thought the team really rallied behind it and said, ‘Hey, we’re going to doing something about this and kind of get some justice by getting some goals.’
“That helped us get the gamewinner.”
It’s kind of a first-hand view of what we both miss out on in our lives, having everyone’s dads around