Father's Day is a time to celebrate dads. There are many dads on the Ducks, all of whom take pride in their roles as fathers while acknowledging the role their fathers played in their lives. Others aren't yet fathers but still recognize the impact that their fathers have had on them.
“Gary Z’s the man," Trevor Zegras said. "He was heavily involved with my hockey career from a young age up until maybe around college, maybe took his hands off the wheel a little bit less (by then). But, Mid-Fairfield my whole life, he was on the bench helping out. Car rides to Boston, Canada, flights all over the country, you name it. Definitely wouldn't be here without him or my mom. After every game, (he'll) shoot me a text (to) tell me if I played good or if I played bad or what I could do better."
Jansen Harkins' father, Todd, played parts of three seasons in the NHL for the Calgary Flames and the Hartford Whalers. He also made an appearance in the movie "Miracle" as an extra.
"That was probably like the least impressive thing he's done hockey-wise," Harkins said. "He wasn't really playing in that movie; he was just skating around. Growing up (in a) hockey family, my uncles played, my dad played, my brothers. It was great to have someone to lean on and someone you can confidently listen to what they have to say throughout my life. It works out awesome having him around and someone to talk to. There are so many ups and downs throughout a season and a career, just to have someone who's kind of been there before is huge."
"When I was growing up, I looked up to my dad," Ducks captain Radko Gudas said in an interview with iSport (translated from Czech). I've watched him since I was little, how he's been fighting. He doesn't give a damn about anyone. He played hard, he dealt blows. I really liked it. We even had videotapes of the fights at home. The fighter wanted to headbutt my dad, but he flattened him with one move. And it was calm. His arms were along his body (and) he just threw him away like a rag."
Cutter Gauthier's father, Sean, was a goaltender who played professionally for 14 seasons. He made a single appearance in the NHL in 1999 for the San Jose Sharks, relieving Steve Shields and stopping both shots that he faced in three and a half minutes of game action.
“He loves to bring it up every once in a while, his glory days," Gauthier said with a grin. "It was super cool. Not everyone's dad had the opportunity to play in the NHL, whether it's two, three minutes or ten years. I've always leaned on him to give good advice and be there for me as a role model, so it's great bouncing ideas off of him.”
Neither Frank Vatrano nor Ryan Strome's fathers grew up playing hockey, but both players understood how hard their fathers worked to make ends meet for them to play at the highest level. Strome's father was an electrician while Vatrano's father owned an Italian restaurant in Springfield, Mass.
"My parents were very blue-collar people," Strome said. My dad was an electrician, my mom was a stay-at-home mom and had to go back to work when I was in grade nine or ten. We had a very modest upbringing and I saw how hard my parents had to work to put us through hockey. I think that was the biggest thing there. I don't think there was ever stress to make it or be super successful. It was always just about work ethic and just making sure that sports were a way to learn and grow as a person."
"As you get older, you learn that the family business gave me and my brothers everything you could ever ask for," Vatrano said." It puts food on the table and that's how you support your family. That's what my dad did for 40+ years. He and my mom worked very hard to give us everything we wanted and put me through hockey, put my brothers through school. I give him a lot of credit and I'm forever thankful for that."
"I would wake up at seven for school, he'd be gone already for an hour," Strome said. "He woke up at 5:30, 6 a.m. every day, he would rush home from work at 4 p.m. and pack us up, and we'd be driving his work van to the hockey rinks. Just very gritty and just trying to find a way to get us through it and give us everything we needed. And I think just seeing that determination in our work was everything I needed to work hard every day and be successful. In terms of hockey, he always preached that he was never about results. He was always about my work ethic.
"Nowadays, I think he's just kind of a support system. I think I've kind of surpassed his knowledge of hockey, but growing up, he was awesome. He just loved watching us play and he still loves watching now. They don't miss a game, so even though it's a little bit late on the East Coast, I still get a text after every game. He's half asleep sometimes, but he stays awake and it's awesome to have that support. I hope I can do that for my kids one day."
It can be difficult for the Ducks dads to keep up with what's going on with their families at all times while on the road. But thanks to technology and support from their wives and others, it's easy for them to stay in the know.
"I just try to get her as much help as possible," Vatrano said. "She's really good with the scheduling and stuff. I don't even know my schedule; she knows my schedule better than I do. She always sets up where there's help at home, whether there's a night nurse for her when I'm not there or someone there throughout the day just to help her out."
"(Our wives are) the unsung heroes of our team," Strome said. "Every team I've been on, there's been a great wives/girlfriends support group. It's important. What we do is not easy. We have super weird hours. I joke with my buddies that we work evenings and weekends, which is tough. What they do is tough. But I think when I'm home, it's totally locked in. I can honestly admit that with one or two (kids), when I was home, the operation was a little rockier because I was just in the way. But now, with three, I really have to help out. I feel like when you're home, you're locked in, you're doing as much as you can and you're trying to make up for lost time. I think parenting is one of the toughest things I've ever done in my life, but it's the most rewarding and something I look forward to doing when I leave the rink every day."
"For me, it's a little different," Vatrano said. "My oldest was born at the end of (last) season, so I kind of got to see her develop the first six months of her life. We had a new one born in October and I was kind of gone a lot. So every time I came home, I felt like she was doing something different. So on the road, just try to FaceTime as much as possible and talk to them. Now, my oldest kind of understands when I leave and go away and gets sad, so it's always tougher to leave. But when you get home from the end of the long road trip, you always look forward to seeing them."
"When you're on the road, I think FaceTime is obviously good," Strome said. "At this age, I think my kids are five and four in six months. Every time you go away, you feel like you come back and they've learned something new. Every time I drive them to school or pick them up, I try to talk to them about their day and let them dictate the conversation. I think one thing I've learned is that it's very important that you let them talk and you just listen. Sometimes, I have a problem not talking. But I think with the kids, I try my best to let them dictate the conversation and see what they have to say and what they're interested in. I think that's really helped me learn from them.
"Before you have kids, you realize how selfish you are with your time. You could nap, you can stretch, you can do whatever you wanna do, eat when you want. Now, it comes down to a routine and you kind of have to work around them. So I think it's just about prioritizing, you have to do what's important. I used to nap every day, play a lot of video games and do this and that. Now, you have to cut out some of those things and you just have to kind of limit your hobbies a little bit. I find that when they go to bed at night, it's my only time for myself. Other than that, I'm kind of with them throughout the day, so it's just prioritizing. But, actually, it becomes good. I realized that before I had kids, I just didn't really do a whole lot of anything. And now, I feel like I'm doing the things I want to do, the things I need to do."
Troy Terry hasn't taken being a father of two for granted. His first child, Greyson, was born in April 2023 just after the end of the Ducks' season and his son Theo was born this past January. Theo required care in the NICU because of complications due to being born prematurely.
The Terry Family's Journey to Togetherness
Troy Terry and his family received unwavering support from CHOC during the complicated birth of their son, Theo, in January.
"The last two weeks have felt kind of normal again," Terry said in late March. "Emotionally, it was hard for a while there. He's doing a lot better, still not 100%, but he's doing way better. He's at home (and) our other son loves having him. We've kind of figured out how to be parents of two. Life has just slowed down a whole bit the last couple of weeks."
“When my son says anything remotely close to an actual word, I couldn't be more proud, so I'm sure just having a son that has made it to the NHL and then getting to come on the (dads) trip and spend time with them, it definitely has given me more of an appreciation for what it's like to be a proud parent.”
"(Being a dad is) a lot of fun," Brock McGinn, the father of an 18-month-old, said. "I think he's grown real quick, so he's gotten to a fun age. It was nice going home. My brothers both have two, so just seeing all of them together throughout the summer, it was a lot of fun."
Alex Killorn recently became a father after he and his wife, Tiffany, had their first child, Camilla in May. "I am (excited)," Killorn said in late March. "I think it's time, especially with all these guys on the team who have kids. When you get older, you feel like maybe it's time. I'm really excited."
What kind of advice did some of the Ducks dads have to offer for those like Killorn who have or will become prospective fathers?
"I think you kind of just get thrown in the trenches and find out what works and what doesn't work," Vatrano said. "With the second one, you're more prepared with everything. It's a blessing. It's been the best thing that's happened in my life."
"I think you're never fully prepared," Strome said. "I think you're always learning. The best two things I ever got as a piece of advice were that kids are very, very resilient. There are kids in this world who grew up in pretty difficult situations and they are able to survive and find their way. The second thing is there's like 10 billion people in the world who have had kids. We're not the first, we're not the last. Everyone's experienced the hardships and the late nights and the frustration. I think it's just a part of it. It's the toughest thing you'll ever do, but it's also the biggest rewarding thing."
Featured image caption: Apr 7, 2025; Anaheim, California, USA; Anaheim Ducks right wing Troy Terry (19) speaks with right wing Frank Vatrano (77) during the third period at Honda Center. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images
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