On Tuesday morning, the Penguins dads filed into the locker room at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville… where a few years earlier, some of them had drank out of the Stanley Cup with their sons after the team won its second consecutive championship.
"The locker room gave me chills," Pete Dumoulin said. "You can remember to this day being down there. It was just so cool."
Dads Trip is Penguins' Way of Saying Thank You
He would make a cameo appearance in the team video meeting a short while later, as head coach Mike Sullivan got into the game review from Pittsburgh's 7-3 win over Tampa on Sunday, and went over Brian's first goal of the season.
"Unbelievable bomb by Dumo… we score… that's a hell of a goal. The bench is fired up, and, more importantly, your dad is pumped," Sullivan said with a grin before showing the footage of Pete cheering from the stands at PPG Paints Arena, with the entire room bursting into laughter and applause.
"It's funny just because they showed him on TV, I think, a few times," Brian said. "I think he enjoyed it, too. It was good. It was funny."
Sullivan invited the fathers in attendance for this year's Dads Trip presented by Highmark, taking place from Feb. 27-March 3, to be present for that session just to give them an opportunity to see the process the coaching staff goes through with their kids on a daily basis.
After president of hockey operations Brian Burke welcomed the group on behalf of the Fenway Sports Group and Penguins management - saying, "we understand that getting a kid to this level takes a great level of commitment from the parents… we never lose sight of that fact, and we're grateful for that" - Sullivan reiterated those remarks.
"This trip, it's our way to say thank you for what you do for us in supporting your sons along the way," Sullivan said. "There's an old saying that my parents used to say - that when you see a young, confident man who believes in himself, you can rest assured that there was a father who believed in him first.
"These guys are all here - we're all here - because of people like you that supported us along the way and that believe in us, even when we don't believe in ourselves. So, for me, I just want to say on behalf of the coaches, that we really appreciate what you do for your sons, and I know they do as well."
After Sullivan finished going over the many positives from the Lightning game, along with some of the teachable moments, video coach Madison Nikkel took over to show a 5-on-5 prescout of Nashville. And since the Penguins
invited the staff dads as well
, his father Jim got to watch Madison (nicknamed Digsy) in action.
"I had the opportunity to see him perform that preskate meeting three years ago. That was his first year in NHL," Jim said. "Just to watch him grow and to see where he is at today with his confidence, his ability, it was wild. It was amazing."
This is the first Dads Trip since February 2020, so it's been great for a lot of the veteran Penguins dads - like Dumoulin, Steve Rust and Troy Crosby - to be back on the road with their sons after a few years away, and welcome in a lot of the new faces.
"Meeting the dads is the best part," Pete said. "Every year, there's always some turnover, always some new guys to meet, along with some of the regulars. Talking to them and hearing their stories and where they're from, how their kid got here - you know, there's no one way. It's really interesting to hear their stories, to be honest with you."
A lot of them have been on Dads Trips with other teams, but are currently experiencing their first one with the Penguins.
Like Dan Petry, who had been on one with Montreal (that was actually in Pittsburgh!) … Frantzi Joseph, who's been taking his own DSLR camera around and documenting everything - "it's a passion for him. It's fun to see him having fun with it," P.O said … and Roland Rakell, who's pals with his fellow Swede, Daniel Pettersson, as they met when both of their sons played in Anaheim.
"It's crazy because my wife, she went on the Moms Trip with Anaheim, to Nashville and Tampa," Daniel said. "Two days later, he was traded, and I was heading on a Dads Trip with Pittsburgh."
Daniel, a former hockey pro in Sweden who looks like he could still be a player himself, actually just became a grandfather, as Marcus and his fiancé Beatrice welcomed their son Frans last week.
"You think you know what you're going to feel, but you don't," Daniel said. "Hockey is going to be secondary from now on if I talk to Marcus. I want to know how Frans is instead of how Marcus is (laughs). I think that's the way I'm going to approach it. But his mom is a preschool teacher, so any advice he's going to get, he's going to get from her."
And amidst all these veterans, there's one rookie dad experiencing his first one ever: Shawn O'Connor, who first got to see Drew get on the mic at Monday's team dinner and lead everyone in singing Sullivan 'Happy Birthday' for the coach's 55th birthday … and then hear Sullivan give him some praise for opening the scoring in that Tampa game.
This would be incredibly special for him no matter what, but especially so with Drew
starting his NHL career in the midst of a pandemic
.
"During COVID, he played his first game in the Boston Garden. There were no fans, no parents even allowed to go," Shawn said. "So it was still great to see the game, and we were so excited for him. But to be here, now with all the other dads and the Penguins organization, to see the way they handle everything … and just to be sitting in there with Sully and go through the video was just unbelievable to see."
Dave Jarry traveled all the way from British Columbia to watch Tristan play, and admitted that being the parent of a goalie is stressful, usually never leaving his seat during games. He watched as Tristan made a breakaway stop on the first shift Tuesday night against the Predators, and held down the fort until Sidney Crosby finally broke through late in the third to tie the game.
The dads erupted with applause, walking around and high-fiving each other. Pete Dumoulin then moved back to where he'd been posted up behind Troy Crosby, saying, "I'm standing right here."
"STAY THERE!" the other dads urged him, as superstitious as their kids.
Jason Zucker - whose dad Scott had worn a mic - and Bryan Rust then scored in quick succession to ensure the Penguins would get at least one victory for their fathers on this trip, which concludes in Tampa on Thursday (the team will then continue on to Florida to finish out the three-game swing).
"It's great. I mean, it's awesome having them here, and I think everyone really enjoys it," the captain said. "To able to get a win for them and spend quality time together, that's what it's all about. So hopefully, we can keep it going here on the trip."
