‘IT WAS THE EASIEST DECISION EVER’
Whirlwind trip still worthwhile for father of Flames defenceman Rasmus Andersson
During Peter Andersson’s stint with the New York Rangers, his father Ake made one memorable trip to the Big Apple, the only time he would see his boy on NHL ice.
“He was crying the whole game,” Peter recalled. “And I know the feeling.”
Peter won’t likely be wetting tissues Tuesday at the United Center, but there is certainly no questioning how much it means to the 54-year-old to see his own son, Rasmus, skating at hockey’s highest level.
Just wait ’til you hear his itinerary for this whirlwind week ...
Mr. Andersson, who spent parts of two seasons with the Rangers and Florida Panthers in the early 1990s, is now head coach of the Malmo Redhawks in the Swedish Hockey League.
On Saturday, around the same time the Flames departed on their annual Fathers/mentors Trip, he was behind the bench at Malmo Arena for an overtime loss to Orebro.
His squad is back in action Thursday against Farjestad.
In between, Peter will crisscross the Atlantic Ocean, racking up nearly 14,000 kilometres in the air so he can see Rasmus play one game — Tuesday’s tilt against the Blackhawks in Chicago (6:30 p.m. MT, Sportsnet West/sportsnet 960 The Fan).
On Sunday, unable to get to Minnesota early enough for the Flames’ shootout victory over the Wild, he instead travelled from Copenhagen straight to the Windy City.
He joined the rest of the fathers/brothers/uncles/etc. to watch Monday’s practice at the United Center, with the entire group headed afterward for a tour of historic Wrigley Field.
After Tuesday’s contest, he’ll say goodbye to Rasmus again. His return trip includes a flight into Stockholm, followed by a threehour drive to Karlstad to get back to work with his own team.
“It’s pretty hectic,” Peter acknowledged.
Some might call it crazy.
“No, it was the easiest decision ever,” he insisted after Monday’s practice, parked beside his boy in the visitors’ locker-room at the United Center. “I’m so glad I could come, because last year I couldn’t, because you don’t want to miss a game of coaching. I can’t miss a game. I’m missing two practices, but I have other coaches that will take care of the practices. So I’m really happy it worked out the way it did. If I only would be here today, I would have done that.”
Flames interim skipper Geoff Ward gets it. He is a father of four, including two kids involved in NCAA sports — his son Cody as a video coach for the Canisius Golden Griffins men’s hockey team, while his daughter Kylie is a midfielder on the Merrimack Warriors women’s lacrosse squad.
“It’s so difficult, with how much time you spend at your job as a coach,” Ward said. “But it’s important, too, to find the time to really be able to support your family when they’re doing things that are important to them, because they do so much for you and sacrifice so much for you to carry on with your coaching career. And I think it’s important that they see that back, as well.
“I really, really love watching my kids play sports or whatever they happen to be doing. It gives me a lot of pleasure to see them do that and be on the path of what their goals and dreams and aspirations are. I think it’s important that they know that you feel it’s important, and I think they enjoy the support when you’re able to go.
“I know talking to Ras, he always looks forward to his dad coming over. And I know that my daughters and sons, they look forward to opportunities when I can go watch them play.”
Indeed, both Anderssons were tickled that Peter could sneak away from work for a slice of this special trip, even if he’ll wind up spending more time in the air than at the arena.
As a bonus, he’ll likely see lots of Rasmus against the Blackhawks, with all indications the 23-year-old will be working Tuesday alongside captain Mark Giordano on Calgary’s top pair.
“We talked about it right away, that if (Malmo) didn’t have a game, we would try to make it happen and the dates worked out perfectly for his schedule, even though he couldn’t make it to Minny,” Rasmus said. “Obviously, it means a lot to me. Just to have him around, even if it’s only for two days, it’s still a lot of fun.”
The sort of fun that Peter, whose only other live glimpse of his son in the Flaming C came during the playoffs last spring, figures more hockey parents should experience.
“We don’t have this in Sweden and actually, I’m going to try to bring it up — if we could do this back in Sweden, to bring moms or dads or whatever,” he said. “I think it’s a great thing to do.”
Obviously, it means a lot to me. Just to have him around, even if it’s only for two days, it’s still a lot of fun.