Sykora's father passed away several months ago, and so sharing these stories are even more impactful for Sykora.
"Until the last day," he recalled, "I was still thanking him for putting me on that plane and sending me over to Detroit, and basically starting a new chapter in my life. I'm very thankful to my father that he made that decision for me, even though at that time I didn't like it."
Now at 44, Sykora's role is reversed, now a father himself, sharing hockey moments with the younger Sykora generation. His son Nick plays hockey, and when Petr retired in 2013, he suddenly found himself at a hockey rink even more than when he was a player.
"I really love the game, for me definitely it was way easier to make that transition from not playing because my son is playing hockey," Sykora shared, "He's a very talented hockey player. And you know, I finished my playing my career, and [I didn't] go through that transition of missing hockey so much because I'm actually at the rink now more than when I was playing."
All that time spent in the rink, as a father instead of a player reminds Petr of his early beginnings in the game.
"He was there since day one," he recalled of his father. "He hadn't missed a game until I was 16 years old and I left the United States. He hadn't missed one game."
Petr recalled his father as his biggest mentor, but he also found mentorship once he settled in New Jersey in Larry Robinson. He recalled the extra time Robinson would put in after practice, shooting one-timers together, he would walk through details of the game or specific plays with Sykora and when he had a couple of off-games, Robinson instilled confidence in him, explaining what wasn't working in his game, how to fix it, never screaming or demeaning. It's these little details from his father and Robinson that he is passing on to his son and the next generation of hockey players.
"I'm coaching youth hockey since I retired since 2012, so a lot of the stuff that I learned from those two guys, I try to pass it on to all of the kids who I've been coaching, obviously most importantly to my son, who lives and breathes for hockey."
It's clear there is a close bond between the two generations of Sykora is a strong one. And as much fun as Petr is having coaching and watching his son play, as proud as he is of his son. There's just one thing that's hard to admit about Nick.
"It's hard to say it for me, but he knows he might be better than me."
