Stars sports dads and the advice they share

The history of sports dads is long and interesting, and it's been documented pretty well.
Stars coach Pete DeBoer summed up the relationship pretty well when he talked about car rides home during the team's recent dad's trip to California.

"Everyone does it and everyone has a different message," DeBoer said of the car rides after games. "There are the parents who stop for ice cream and everything is great, and there are the other ones who blow right by the ice cream shop because you didn't play well. All of our parents probably lie somewhere between those two."
The stories of dads like Richard Williams or Earl Woods are legendary. Those fathers drove their children to become the best in their respective sports with a certain amount of intensity. You also have stories of Marv Marinovich, who may have driven his son Todd too far. And like anything else, you have all manner of stories for all manner of athletes.
But one of the most interesting things on the Stars' recent trip with dads and mentors was the answer when players were asked what the best advice from their fathers was. Most said simply to enjoy the process.
"He's always been good about letting me play my game," Ty Dellandrea said of dad Jay. "His advice has always been, Go have fun.' He's been a good dad in that sense, supporting me, letting me do my thing and giving me good advice at the right times. "<br>Goalie Jake Oettinger has a similar story about his dad Chris. He said his dad didn't play hockey, but he still had great advice.<br>"He just wanted me to work hard and have fun," Oettinger said. "There were bad games and good games along the way, and ever since high school it's always been:I'm here to support you.' He's not a goalie and he doesn't know a ton about goaltending, but he wants to be there for me when there are hard times and when there are good times. He's been the best dad I could ask for."
This positive parenting style seems to be a formula that has worked for a lot of the sons. Video coach Kelly Forbes' dad Randy sends well wishes via text message before every game. Jason Robertson's dad Hugh says he tries to communicate with all of his children on pretty much a daily basis. Jason and his brother Nick (Maple Leafs) are both NHL players, so Hugh Robertson said he works around their practice schedules to try to get a call in. Jason said having the support from his family throughout his youth has been huge for him.
"My whole family has made so many sacrifices to help me get here, so I'm extremely grateful," he said.
Wyatt Johnston's parents would routinely make the three-hour drive to Windsor to watch his junior games, so he said he's become pretty used to having them in the crowd. He said he always wants to make his parents proud because they did so much for him.
"The biggest thing is they haven't really put a whole lot of pressure on, they just want me to enjoy the game," Johnston said. "That's really crucial. They haven't forced me to play hockey or do training, they've kind of put it all up to me. They didn't force anything on me, they were just there to support me."
That attitude has a way of filtering down to the players. Oettinger routinely says during slumps or moments of high pressure, he just loves playing the game, and that's the base he builds his career on. When asked what's the best advice he got from his father Ismo, Jani Hakanpaa gave a great answer.
"I think one thing that I've learned by kind of just watching him is he really enjoys life, just the small things in life," Jani said. "He always takes a lot of joy in his morning cup of coffee or reading the newspaper, just small things like that he takes a lot of joy out of. So, I think that's something I try to bring with me wherever I go and wherever I am. "
It sounds like there have been a lot of trips for ice cream in the past for this team.
This story was not subject to the approval of the National Hockey League or Dallas Stars Hockey Club.
Mike Heika is a Senior Staff Writer for DallasStars.com and has covered the Stars since 1994. Follow him on Twitter @MikeHeika.