Happy Father’s Day. Happy hockey Father’s Day. Happy Father’s Day to the men who took us to the rink every early morning, turning down the luxury of sleeping in so that we had the chance to experience the exhilaration of hockey. And Happy Father’s Day to the guys who showed a saint’s patience when we were trying to find our way in the world and on the ice. 

Happy Father’s Day to the fathers who coached us, either officially as part of our house league hockey teams, or just in the car ride home, offering pointers in good faith because they wanted us to succeed in whatever we did. And happy Father’s Day to the dads who knew when to let up, and let us find our own path forward.

Happy Father’s Day to the dads who were always there in the stands, making sure we saw them there as their primary support system. Happy Father’s Day to the fathers who stuck up for us when things didn’t go our way and someone was ripping into us for one reason or another.

Happy Father’s Day to the dads some of us quarrelled with as we grew older, trying to be the alpha dog when it really wasn’t our place. Fathers may not have been perfect, but over time and with wisdom, we came to appreciate them, warts and all.

Happy Father’s Day to fathers who gifted us with an appreciation for the finer points of the game when we were watching elite hockey on TV, always being sure to show us things we might not have seen otherwise. We learned the ins and outs of the game, the minutiae and the macro details of the sport, and we learned them from men who learned it from their fathers.

Happy Father’s Day to the dads who rushed to the rescue if we were hurt on the ice. It didn’t matter if we got the wind knocked out of us or whether we broke a bone in the pursuit of the puck – they were always right there when we needed them to be.

Happy Father’s Day to the fortunate few whose kids rose through the ranks of the sport and became elite players. We’re talking about the Foligno family, the Howe family, the Sutter family, the Stastny family, the Wilson family, the Domi family and many more NHL families. It couldn’t have been easy for those fathers to see their kids pressured to be at least as good as they were, but they did their best to raise good players and good people. 

Happy Father’s Day to the dads we’ve lost, in many cases, well before their time. Happy Father’s Day to the Gaudreau family, who continue to mourn the passing of Johnny Gaudreau and Matthew Gaudreau, taken from us far too soon. Johnny Gaudreau was already a dad when he was killed last August, while Matthew was cruelly lost only months before his widow gave birth to a baby boy in December.

We can’t replace the joy Johnny and Matthew brought to the world, but we can make sure their legacies remain vibrant and always available to the hockey world. And the same thing goes for everyone who has lost their dad and misses them terribly.

Happy Father’s Day to the dads who washed our smelly hockey equipment, and to the fathers who built hockey rinks in the backyard so that we could practice whenever we wanted to, and who were human Zambonis so that our house was the focal point of the neighborhood all winter long. It took a lot of work to maintain a decent-quality rink, but those dads never complained about it, and we became better players for it.

Happy Father's Day to all the hockey fathers who transferred their love of the sport to their sons and daughters. We may have otherwise wandered into being a hard-core fan of another sport or pastime (and there’s nothing wrong with that), but fortunately for us, they opened up the beautiful world of hockey to our eyes, and let us experience the thrill of the sport on our own terms.

Happy Father’s Day, everyone. May this Father’s Day be your best one yet, and may we say the same thing every year.

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