A Unique Introduction to Fatherhood

2021 has been quite the year for Chad Ruhwedel, as the Penguins defenseman and his wife Elle welcomed their first child, son Brody, in what was quite a unique situation. Not only did Brody arrive in the midst of a season; he came in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Brody was born on Jan. 21, just a few days before the Penguins headed out on a lengthy road trip to Boston and New York, after Chad and Elle opted to induce labor.
That's because if Brody had decided to arrive while his father was in either of those cities, it meant that Chad would have had to drive back to Pittsburgh since he couldn't fly commercial due to the NHL's COVID-19 protocols. So the Ruhwedels took advantage of a two-day break in the schedule to bring Brody into the world.
"Our decision was weighed heavily on us being in Boston and New York, heading on that road trip," Ruhwedel said. "If it was somewhere like Philly or Columbus or somewhere close, I wouldn't have been as worried because I could get home if something happened. But having a 10-hour type drive, we just really didn't want to risk me not being able to be there."
And the decision Chad and Elle made turned out to be the right one. Ruhwedel said the entire hospital staff was incredibly, well, hospitable to his situation. They helped Ruhwedel, who had to keep testing daily, create as much of a bubble as possible so he could stay safe and remain in the Penguins lineup.
"They knew I had games to play, so they got us into a better room that had a futon couch type of thing instead of just a chair," said Ruhwedel, who also brought his own food to the hospital in another effort to limit his interactions. "So that was really interesting, just plenty of foot traffic through the night and having to play the next day. You just kind of grasped it and rode that high throughout that little week stretch of him being there."
During the first few weeks following Brody's birth, Ruhwedel said that one of the biggest challenges the new parents faced was how to handle friends and family that wanted to meet their new addition while still adhering to the NHL's COVID-19 protocols.
Brody's grandparents were particularly cautious in following "strict quarantine-type rules," as Ruhwedel put it, as they helped Elle while the Penguins were on the road.
"In terms of COVID and having a kid, it's kind of a unique situation," he said. "You didn't have the opportunity to go to dinner or go to places, so you just hung out at home. And it didn't feel weird, because you weren't going to be doing that anyway. But with everybody getting vaccinated, we're looking forward to being able to get him out and about a lot more and just experience some more stuff."
Whatever those experiences entail, Ruhwedel shared that he and his wife are eager to start getting Brody used to being out of the house, something that will be relatively new for children born during the pandemic.
"You definitely just want him to be comfortable in all situations, able to be held by anybody and be fine and happy, so everything like that," Ruhwedel said. "We definitely want him to experience all different situations so that he's ready and not thrown off by it. We're excited to start doing that."
Now that it's summer, Ruhwedel is particularly excited to celebrate his first Father's Day as a new dad this Sunday. He is thrilled to be spending more quality time with Brody, because with the condensed nature of the past season and the seemingly constant travel - particularly in February and April - Ruhwedel spent a fair amount of time on the road after Brody's birth. And while being away from his wife and baby was tough, apps such as FaceTime and Snapchat are a big help.
"I was definitely calling all the time whenever I had some time in the hotel room, and was always asking my wife to send plenty of Snapchats and videos of anything funny he was doing just to keep me in the loop," Ruhwedel said. "When I got home after a week or something like that, he definitely grew and matured in certain ways. She did a great job just keeping me updated with all the pictures and how he was doing and stuff. Obviously it wasn't the same as being there, but it was really helpful."
When he was there, Ruhwedel said that some of the best moments were when Brody first woke up for the day, before Dad headed off to the arena.
"He's getting older and sleeping a lot better, so I got to spend some time with him before I went to the rink in the morning, which was always awesome," Ruhwedel said. "He's always so happy in the mornings, too. It's crazy how easy it is to wake up in the morning and he's so excited to see you. It's pretty amazing. You open the door to his room and he's just smiling and ready for the day."
But as with any infant, there are days where it's equal parts smiles and tears. And Ruhwedel said the best piece of advice he received in order to combat those tears is simple: food.
"They don't just cry to cry," he said. "Our main solution - and hopefully it works for other people - is when they're crying, feed them. Especially when they're young, I can almost guarantee it's going to work. If he's upset, I just feed him. We were kind of wondering why he was crying sometimes, and couldn't get him to settle down and sleep, but man - just give him the bottle and he's totally content."
And just as teammates such as Brian Dumoulin and Kris Letang shared their best tips with Chad while awaiting Brody's arrival, he then passed along that advice to fellow new dads Bryan Rust, whose son Hunter arrived on May 26, and Mike Matheson, whose son Hudson arrived on June 5.
"It is really cool to see a lot of these guys I've played with for a long time having their kids and becoming dads," Ruhwedel said. "In terms of our little circle, I'd say Dumo was the first and kind of trudged through and gave everybody their fair share of tips. And we're super excited for Rusty's little one. The Rusts will make great parents, as will everybody else within the team."