The Sunday Read | Kuraly Honoring Late Father Rick: ‘I Know He’s Definitely Keeping a Close Eye’

BOSTON –– As Sean Kuraly sat in the hospital room with his father, Rick, there was an influx of people knocking at the door.

Rick was battling pancreatic cancer this summer, and his village kept showing up. It was teammate after teammate from Miami University's men’s hockey team, where Rick played four years of NCAA hockey from 1979 to 1983.

“It was just really remarkable to see,” Sean said. “It just seemed like there was somebody there every day. The nurses were all wondering, ‘This guy has so many visitors, I don’t know what the heck is going on.’”

Some of the former RedHawks brought old college yearbooks. The group would flip through the pages, looking at game stats and reflecting on the makings of Rick’s historic career at Miami University.

“We would sit around in the room and just chat and joke,” Sean said. “He loved talking about that stuff.”

It was often that Sean would read the line and see that Rick had scored. His father, after all, has the most goals (101), hat tricks (9) and power-play goals (36) in program history. Rick, who was inducted into the Miami Athletics Hall of Fame in 2014, is third in the all-time scoring with 179 points, too.

It, accordingly, was a natural progression for Sean to lace up for the same school. He played for the RedHawks from 2012 to 2016, and captained the squad his senior year.​

“My dad had his number and his name on the wall, and I wore the same number,” Sean said. “It was kind of an interesting thing, some people would ask me, ‘Why is your number up there?’ But it wasn’t mine, it was obviously my dad's.”

Sean always took pride in wearing the Miami jersey, especially with Kuraly spelled out on his back. It means a little more now, though. Rick passed away in September; he was 65.

“I think you realize more in hindsight how cool it is to do something like that. We were the first father and son to play at Miami, and I believe still, the only ones so far,” Sean said. “It is a cool little thing me and my dad share.”​

The school and the sport are one way Sean is staying connected to and sharing Rick’s legacy.

Choosing Miami Hockey​

Sean does not remember a specific moment when he decided that he was all in on hockey. From skating on frozen ponds at his grandparents’ home in Toronto to the early practice wake-up calls in middle school, he never questioned the journey.

“It was just what I wanted to do. I enjoyed it and the pursuit of the next level or the next team,” he said.

When it was time to make a college commitment, that decision came easy, too. Sean grew up in Columbus, Ohio, which is around a two-hour drive from Oxford, Ohio, where Miami University sits. Following in his dad’s footsteps added to the appeal, as did the upward trajectory of the hockey program.

Rico Blasi was the head coach at the time and had an eye on Sean well before the college recruitment started. Sean was on Blasi’s team as a nine-year-old at Miami’s summer youth hockey school, and the two had stayed connected since.

“It has kind of been family the whole way,” Blasi said. “He’s just such a personable person and outgoing. People want to do things for him because he’s the same way – he would do anything for you. We had a really good relationship, player, coach. Quite frankly, more like a father-son relationship. It has just been building over the years. We talk quite often, and it’s not just about hockey, it’s about other things as well.”

Sean went on to make his own mark at Miami. He was the NCHC Defensive Forward of the Year in 2015-16, and led the team to two conference titles and NCAA tournament appearances. Beyond his on-ice impact, though, was the way he carried himself off of it.

“He was just such an ambassador of what this place is about,” said David Sayler, who is Miami’s Director of Athletics. “I’ve been here 13 years as the athletic director, and if I’m going to point to a student athlete that I’ve watched go through here and achieve success and keep it all kind of balanced and be a great student, great in the community, great at their sport – Sean is right up there at the top of my list. He is just everything you would hope for in a student-athlete to represent your institution. And he continues to do it today.”

Before becoming the head coach, Blasi played for Miami from 1990 to 1994. He was well aware of the Kuraly name because of Rick, and had gotten to know him through alumni events. When Sean joined the team, Blasi noticed how Rick let his son have his own experience.​

“Sean is a pretty mature guy. I’m sure there was some pressure he put on himself, but never from dad or from us or anybody else. He handled it really well. He was very professional about his approach,” Blasi said. “I think [Rick] trusted us in terms of Sean’s development and let us do what we needed to do.”

Sean’s time at Miami helped prepare him for the NHL. He made his debut during the 2016-17 season with the Boston Bruins, and played four more years in the Black & Gold before going to his hometown Columbus Blue Jackets. It is another stage of Sean’s career that he got to share with Rick.

“We’d enjoy bantering about the game or how it went or the team,” Sean said. “What’s going on with the team, my other buddies in the league. Those were fun calls that we enjoyed. It was mostly hockey.”

Sean is making sure to carry on Rick’s love for the game.

Leaving a Lasting Impact

Miami University and the Kuralys have worked together to find ways to celebrate Rick’s life, especially as it connects to hockey.​

“All those things are really delicate. They’re hard to navigate when there’s a loss and you’re thinking about these things," Sayler said. “We threw a lot of different ideas out, and the scholarship was the one. We ultimately want to do what the family wants to do, and is going to be most impactful for them and something they believe in the most.”

The school hopes to start the scholarship in Rick’s honor next year. The RedHawks are also wearing No. 9 (Rick’s jersey) decals on their helmets this season.

“It is going to be based around going to a player that had similar qualities to my dad,” Sean said of the scholarship. “I think that will be a really fun way to continue his legacy and continue to talk about him and remember him as a dad and as a player at Miami.”

Rick’s friends and former teammates are also starting their own tradition. Before getting sick, Rick had the goal of visiting every NHL away arena this season while watching Sean. And so, a group of Miami alumni has an Excel spreadsheet, organizing which games each person will travel to on the Bruins’ schedule to fulfill Rick’s wishes.​

“That’s been something to look forward to after each away game, knowing a piece of my dad is around and watching,” Sean said. “I feel lucky to have so much support.”

Rick’s advice and experience helped shape who Sean is as a hockey player and person. As Sean navigates this new chapter without his father, he keeps him close in mind.​

“I think the thing about our dad, he was a pretty determined guy and worked really hard. He was a loyal guy. I think those are the qualities that we will remember about my dad. Whether he was cutting the grass or washing the car, he would try to do it the best he possibly could. He was detailed, and he worked his butt off,” Sean said.

“You think back on the good qualities my dad had, and I think it has been fun for me to think about those things and consider carrying them on. Thinking about them a little more intentionally now that he isn’t around physically.”

Returning to Boston

Rick got to watch Sean as a Bruin for the first five years of his NHL career. He was a big supporter of the two-year deal his son signed in July to return to Boston.

“He was so excited I was coming back to Boston,” Sean said. “I know he liked the way the team played and the organization. He enjoyed coming here for games and stuff.”

It was a quick turnaround for Sean following a turbulent and emotional summer. The forward reported to the opening day of Bruins training camp on Sept. 17 with the world on his shoulders, but also a renewed purpose.

“It was tough. It was a challenge. I had a lot of things, a lot of moving pieces where you’re moving your life and stuff going on with my dad in the hospital and all the things that come along with that,” Sean said. “I think getting back here was such a fresh and exciting place to be. Being around people I knew and people I love, old teammates – Charlie and Pasta and Sway there for a little bit. Now meeting the rest of the guys, that’s been a really fun thing for me to kind of pursue.”

While head coach Marco Sturm was not with the organization during Sean’s first stint with the team, he had been briefed on the kind of player that was joining his roster.

​“I noticed right away in the summer – before we signed him, actually – how everyone, mostly management, was speaking so highly about him. I was like, ‘Okay, I trust everyone’s opinion,’” Sturm said. “But then, when I saw him actually in the room, on the ice, and now to see him every day – they’re absolutely right. He’s a good person, he’s a leader, he’s very excited to be back in Boston and you can feel it every day.”

Sean has adapted to his role with the B’s and has five points (two goals, three assists) this season while being the stalwart center for the fourth line. The veteranship Sean brings has been an obvious asset to Sturm, too. But, more than X’s and O’s of the systems, Sturm wanted to make sure Sean knew his team was there for him, away from the rink.

“Yes, hockey is important, but it’s not the most important thing,” Sturm said. “I always think family comes first, and especially when tough things happen, just like with Sean. Me personally, and I think we all wanted to make sure he feels the support and love even through tough times.”

Following the B’s first win of the season on Oct. 8 in Washington, DC, Charlie McAvoy dedicated one of the game pucks to Rick. Sean and the B’s are skating with a little extra purpose this season.

“I know he’s definitely keeping a close eye,” Sean said.