GENE'S BLOG: Dad Strength

When the NHL schedule comes out in the summer, the work begins for planning a season's worth of hockey. While the league decides where and when the games will be played, it's the teams that decide just about everything else. When they will fly, where they will stay, when they will practice, what they will eat and so on.
It's a detailed road map for what takes place from the start of rookie camp until the end of the regular season. Once the 2022-23 schedule came out, the Oilers started giving some thought to when would be the right time and the right place or places for a business trip with a little pleasure mixed in. It's called the Dads Trip.
"When the schedule came out we sat down collectively as an organization and identified these dates (Dec. 19 in Nashville and Dec. 21 in Dallas) as a great opportunity to bring back the guest trip after a couple years off due to Covid restrictions," explained Kaite Doyle, Director of Hockey Operations & Team Services. "During the 2019-20 season, we did a Moms Trip to Anaheim and San Jose, so we thought it would be a good opportunity to give the dads a turn next."
Today in Nashville I saw Brian McDavid and Richard Nurse, a couple of the returning fathers, and there are plenty of new ones as well like Rich McLeod, Ryan's father, whose smile probably tells the story better than any words could explain how he was feeling. Two buses full of players along with fathers, family members and mentors. They have a busy few days ahead of them.
There are games against the Predators and Stars. On game days, while the players are napping and prepping, their guests will get to make personalized cowboy hats and and see how moonshine is made, along with listening to live music at Dierks Bentley's Whiskey Row. Once the trip shifts to Dallas, there will be a treak to AT&T Stadium in Arlington to see where the Cowboys play.
Throw in morning skates, team meetings and dinner, along with a practice plus some bonding time with their boys, it promises to be a lot of fun for the fathers and other special guests.

"It's such a special opportunity for players and staff to have their guests join them on the road," Doyle said. "Everyone is so appreciative of the experience, which truly makes it a pleasure to organize."
There can be some challenges when it comes to managing last-minute roster adjustments. For example, the call-up of Markus Niemelainen whose dad lives in Finland but was already in North America getting ready to spend the holidays with his son.
Most of the guests on the trip are dads, but there are also a couple mentors. Throw in a brother or two like Adam Nugent-Hopkins and Braunson Holloway or a daughter like Katie Forss (dad T.D. is the Oilers head athletic therapist). There are also a handful of sons like Ben Manson, Greg Holland, Hunter Lang (dad Jeff is the head equipment manager) and Blake Harrison (his father Brad is the assistant equipment manager).
"For players and staff who spend countless hours together during a season, it really is special to meet everyone's guests," Doyle said "You get to see where each person's special traits and character come from."
It really is a special opportunity. I've been lucky enough over my almost 25 years of hosting Oilers hockey to have one of my sons and my daughter join me on a trip. With all the days, nights and weekends athletes end up away from their fathers or family, once a season it's nice to bring your family with you. To all the dads and special guests, here's to a great trip on and off the ice.