In search of ice time during the pandemic and a higher level of competition, father and son moved to Pittsburgh to play for the Pittsburgh Penguins Elite Hockey program for Charlie's U-14 and U-15 hockey seasons. They moved again before the 2022-23 season to play with Michigan-based Little Caesars, and they have remained in the Detroit area during Charlie's time at the NTDP, which is based in Plymouth, Michigan.
"It's definitely awesome having him with me," Charlie told NHL.com earlier this season. "I'm just so happy he's been able to move place to place with me. His commitment to my career has been unbelievable. I can't think him enough for that."
Bob calls them "billet brothers" for five years. That will change next season when Charlie is a freshman at Boston University.
"He's my best friend. He's my guy," Bob said by phone from the Dallas area, where he's watching Charlie play for the U.S. at the 2025 IIHF World Under-18 Championship. "It's going to be tough when this chapter ends. It's hard to say for sure what it's going to be like, not being with him every day. There are a lot of mixed emotions.
"I'm so excited for the next chapter. He's got a lot of exciting things ahead at BU and beyond that. I'll try to see him play as much as possible next season. I'm sure there will be a lot of tears and a lot of hugs along the way."
Bob laughed when asked to evaluate his son as a roommate.
"It's hilarious," he said. "Charlie loves doing all the little things on his own, but I'm still his dad. I still have that caretaker mentality. I want to have things ready or fix a great dinner. But what's remarkable to me is if I'm out for the evening or come back from a road trip, the way he takes care of everything is pretty awesome.
"He's worked on the independence part to be the guy you can rely on for large or small tasks. That's where I’ve seen the most growth, and it's given me a comfort level with him going away to BU. I know he'll be the go-to guy for the boys there, cooking steaks and keeping his area clean."
Bob is grateful that his career as a managing director of retirement planning for SageView Advisory Group allows him to work remotely and make the living arrangement possible. But he's also missed spending more time with his wife, Kelly, and their daughters, Alex and Quinn. The family works to balance the intense hockey seasons by making additional memories as a family of five during the summers.
Charlie is proud of sisters, both of whom are standout players for Hero's Lacrosse club in Maryland. Alex's teams have won back-to-back national championships.
"The months in the summer [when] we get to live together, it's a highlight of my year, for sure," Charlie said. "Getting back to see them, going down to Maryland, having those vacations with them, it's awesome."
Along the way, the Trethewey family has had plenty of conversations about whether the sacrifices are worthwhile. Bob has learned that kids simply need their parents to be there for support, regardless of the result of a game or placement in the draft.
"I check in with him periodically and ask, 'Is this what you want? Is this your dream?'" Bob said. "This can’t be my dream. It needs to be his. Every time, he says, 'I'm motivated. I want this. I want it bad.'
"He doesn't just want to play hockey. He wants to be a hockey player. For me, it's a parental instinct. You do your best to ride the ups and downs along the way. At the end of the day, it has to be his dream."
When Bob has traveled back to Maryland the past couple years, his father, Bill, has gone to Michigan to stay with Charlie. The bonus time with his grandfather has been one of the best aspects of Charlie's time at the NTDP.
"That's definitely a special time in my heart," Charlie said. "I love when he comes up. It's awesome not having to go stay with another person. We've grown really, really tight over the past couple years; more than I would ever expect. He has a lot of grandkids, and I'm one of the kids he spends a lot more time with. I'm so fortunate.
"It’s an awesome time, deep conversations that I wouldn't really talk about with normal people."
Charlie has vivid recollections of Christmastime visits to Bill's house in the Pittsburgh area, which always included attending Penguins games. Sidney Crosby was Trethewey's first favorite NHL player, before he began closely watching Kris Letang in an effort to learn from one of the top defensemen in the NHL.
Trethewey has played with multiple defense partners during the World U-18, including the Harvard-bound Donato Bracco, whom Trethewey met through the Boston Junior Bruins spring hockey program at age 8.
