"It has been a most exciting life for the McNabs," said Max, now retired and living in Las Vegas with his wife, June. He still watches several NHL games a night on his satellite dish. "I defy anybody to find a more exciting life than living in those towns and working in hockey.

"I've been very fortunate. Hockey has been so good to us as a family."

Peter and David were rink rats from the time they were able to walk, watching practices and games and hanging out in the dressing room. Both served as stat keepers in 1966 while Max was running the San Diego Gulls of the now-defunct Western Hockey League.

Peter used the lessons he learned during those formative years to forge a 14-year NHL career with the Buffalo Sabres, Boston Bruins, Vancouver Canucks and New Jersey Devils. During his career, Peter twice topped 40 goals and had six 30-goal seasons. He also played in three Stanley Cup Finals.

Peter has spent the last 16 years as a television announcer, first for the Devils and most recently for the Avalanche.

"It was very interesting watching Peter's career," says Max, who was a front-office executive in Washington and New Jersey during Peter's playing days. "He had tremendous hockey savvy and skills. He's a deep thinker about the game and I enjoy talking hockey with him whenever I get the chance."

David knew he would never have the playing skill of Peter, but he also knew at an early age that he had a keen eye for the game's details and an emerging business mindset.

"He would notice things watching games as a teenager that I never noticed," says Max, speaking of his tenure with the Gulls. "We would be driving home from games and he would mention things that I completely missed from the bench."

After his playing days were over, Max McNab became a hockey hobo, criss-crossing the continent to take coaching positions and front-office jobs at both the minor-league and NHL level as he spread his love for the game in each stop.

After winning an NCAA championship with Wisconsin as a goaltender, David wanted to get into scouting. Max, knowing how prepared his son was, gave him his first job as an unpaid scout for the Capitals.

"He did things the right way," says Max. "He was a scout for many years and got to know everybody in the game. I'll tell you this, he was better prepared for a front-office job than I ever was."

In fact, David is proving today that Max's faith in him was based more on ability than nepotism. After stops as a scout in Washington, Hartford and New York, with the Rangers, David landed with the Mighty Ducks. In his tenure there, he has moved up the ranks, now part of the management team that has taken the expansion team to three Stanley Cup Playoff appearances in its 10-year history.

This year's surprising trip to the playoffs for Anaheim means both McNab brothers will be involved in the 2003 postseason tournament.

"It's a tremendously exciting time for us," says Max, noting he and his wife will watch all the playoff games involving Colorado and Anaheim. "We're very proud of both of them."

It's a safe bet that when the playoffs do roll around, both Peter and David will be fielding even more inquiries about their father's well-being. The messages of good will, in fact, may take all summer to relay.