Canes Begin Event-Filled Week With Fathers and Mentors Trip

RALEIGH, NC. -Rod Brind'Amour will periodically reference how life in the NHL can be a lot like Groundhog Day.
From September until at least the middle of April, each day is mostly routine.
At least 82 times during that timeframe it's a game day, and seemingly every other includes a practice. Mix in an off day once per week and that's your recipe for a minimum of six months.
Of course, there are a few occasions throughout the season that break up the rhythm of things, such as the holiday break, All-Star weekend, and the league-mandated bye week, but for players with families, those are sometimes are just an attempt to play catch-up for the birthdays, anniversaries and special occasions missed when on the road. The season can be a grind.
Make no mistake though, this is not a sad story. Ask any individual in the Canes locker room and they'll tell you that they're fortunate to be able to play in the NHL. However, this is rather about appreciating the moments that break up the monotony of the season, such as the team's Fathers and Mentors trip, which has returned for the first time since the 2019-20 season.

"It's really special for [the dads and mentors]. I know that because I've had my dad do it many times. They're proud of their kid and to get the opportunity to be around it, it doesn't happen very often. It's special and everyone knows that," Brind'Amour offered of the event, which kicks off what is sure to be a memorable week in Raleigh. "They're the ones, maybe their moms a little more, but they're the ones that helped them when they were kids to allow them to do this. It's a little bit of payback from the players' perspective and it's just a neat thing to do."
With most dads and mentors arriving in town over the weekend, the group sat in the stands Monday, spending time and exchanging laughs with one another as their boys skated.

"Meeting all the dads and mentors, especially the ones that come from overseas, is the best part. It's fun to get their perspective on the game and hearing how hard their kids had to work to get there," Brad Stepan, Derek's father, offered.
For some of the group it was reintroductions, and for others, it was meeting for the first time.
Odds are though that if any of the dads or mentors had been on a trip like this before with the team, they've met Henry Staal, who estimates that he's now been on about 35, dating back to his first with Eric almost 20 years ago.
"It's always a pleasure and it's always fun," the Captain's dad spoke. "I think it's great when teams do it. It's great to meet everybody and get to know the players in a different light, instead of just seeing them on the ice. You get to know their character a little bit, and their dad's, too."
Each clad in a customized Stadium Series jersey, the crew eventually made their way to the ice for photos.

"This was our best practice of the year, bar none," Brind'Amour chuckled. "Even some of the guys that aren't the best at practice had a little jump today."
After seeing the travel day chaos of the locker room that is the players getting off the ice, quickly packing their gear, and then rushing to Raleigh-Durham International Airport, the group boarded the team plane Monday afternoon en route to Washington, D.C.
"It's nice for us to be able to share this time with them," Brady Skjei, who will have his father, Scott, in attendance for his 500th NHL game, said. "They were obviously a huge part of our upbringing and they supported us in getting here. They get to hang out with the guys and see how things work behind the scenes. It's a lot of fun."
Derek Stepan shared similar gratitude.
"Ask anybody, their dad sacrificed, and their parents sacrificed a lot to get us where we are," the 13-year-veteran remarked. "They had to take a lot of trips to get us here, so for us to be able to spoil them with one in return is really cool."
With a

in the nation's capital also included, the collection now prepares to cheer on their boys as they take on the Capitals.
Following a quick flight back to Raleigh post-game, most will stay in Raleigh through the remainder of the week, and will be in attendance for
Cam Ward's Hurricanes Hall of Fame Night
on Thursday, and then the organization's first-ever
outdoor game at Carter-Finley Stadium on Saturday.
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