About one-third of the Ottawa Senators' current roster have fathers who played in the NHL.
For well over a century now, the sport of hockey at its various levels has helped galvanize the bonds between fathers and their children. Whether it's a backyard rink, the community centre or watching in living rooms, when a game of hockey breaks out, even the most stoic among us open up with the people around us.
Not a single player in the NHL, including the Ottawa Senators, would be where they are today without the support of their parents or guardians. But quite a few current Senators had a little extra nudge, with fathers who actually played in the NHL.
As kids, they heard all the NHL war stories from their dads, who coached them and shared with them what it takes to play in the league.
Here are the current Ottawa Senators who grew up completely immersed in NHL hockey before stepping out of their father's shadow into the limelight. The first one I've listed here doesn't really count. Before you start scrolling, how many can you name?
Drake and Norm Batherson
Look at that. Right out of the gate, we're taking liberties. Drake's father, Norm, never actually played in the NHL but he was briefly in the Senators organization, playing for their top farm club, so we're going to allow it.
Patrick and Doug Brown
Patrick Brown is a UFA on July 1st and came in at this year's trade deadline to provide bottom-six depth. His father, Doug, won two Cups with the Red Wings in the mid '90s. As an aside, Brown's grandfather was the late Wellington Mara, the long time owner of the New York Giants.
Jakob and Jeff Chychrun
Jakob's father, Jeff, played 262 NHL games, mostly with the Philadelphia Flyers. He played junior hockey with the Nepean Raiders.
Ridly and Mark Greig
Mark Greig played nine seasons in the NHL, suiting up for the Hartford Whalers, Toronto Maple Leafs, Calgary Flames and Philadelphia Flyers. Ridly's late uncle Bruce briefly played for the California Golden Seals.
Mark and Ed Kastelic... and Mark's Grandfather, Pat Stapleton
Kastelic has the team's deepest NHL bloodlines. His Father, Ed, was tough as nails and played for the Washington Capitals and Hartford Whalers. Mark's grandfather, Pat Stapleton, played for Chicago and for Team Canada in the 1972 Summit Series. Until his passing in 2020, Stapleton famously claimed to have the puck from Paul Henderson's game winning goal.
Josh and Dwayne Norris
Dwayne Norris won a silver medal for Canada at the 1994 Winter Olympics. He played briefly for the Quebec Nordiques and the AHL's Cornwall Aces, before enjoying a successful pro career in Germany.
Jake and Geoff Sanderson
With eight different NHL stops, the Sanderson family moved around a lot. Geoff had 700 points in just over 1100 NHL games, with stops in Hartford, Carolina, Vancouver, Buffalo, Columbus, Phoenix, Philadelphia and Edmonton.
Brady and Keith Tkachuk
Keith had an outstanding NHL career with Winnipeg, Phoenix, St. Louis, and Atlanta. He's one of the NHL's few 500 goal scorers not in the Hall of Fame.
Other former Senators whose Dads played in the NHL include:
Logan Brown (Jeff Brown)
Patrick Eaves (father Mike)
Nick Foligno (father Mike)
Christian Wolanin (father Craig)
Former Senators whose sons have played in the NHL include:
Ted Donato (son Ryan)
Curtis Leschyshyn (son Jake)
Andrew McBain (son Jack)
Frank Musil (son David)
Lance Pitlick (son Rem)
Mike Sillinger (son Cole)
Cory Stillman (son Riley)
To my own dad, who taught me how to play, built me a net made from two by fours, took me to minor hockey and Saturday night junior games, brought home hockey cards, and watched thousands of hours of Hockey Night in Canada with me: Thank you for everything.