Blues to tackle two-game road trip, bringing their dads along for ride

MARYLAND HEIGHTS, Mo. -- The secret to try and help any team stabilize and level off their game, at least from a St. Louis Blues perspective: invite the dad's to come along for the ride.

The dad's trip unfolds for the Blues, who head north for a two-game divisional road trip beginning with a matinee game Sunday at 1 p.m. against the Chicago Blackhawks, followed by a Tuesday tilt against the Minnesota Wild.

The Blues (10-8-1), coming off a rough 8-3 home loss against the Nashville Predators on home ice Friday, have faired well when thew parents tag along on these trips.

This will be the sixth trip in which the dads are part of it, and the team has gone 7-1-1 in those games. The streak was broken last year when the Blues brought their moms for the first time, and they went 2-0 with wins against the Blackhawks (5-2) and Colorado Avalanche (3-2).

"We've played well historically," said Blues defenseman Colton Parayko, whose dad Tom is on the trip. "And with the moms last year too. Historically, we've played well."

"The players will be fired up," Blues coach Craig Berube said. "They want to perform well in front of their fathers for sure."

Brayden Schenn's dad, Jeff, is one of the deans of Blues dads; he's been on, along with Tom Parayko, most, if not all of the Blues trips that began in 2015. Jeff Schenn has done a number of these, not only with Brayden but also with older son Luke Schenn.

"They never get old for either mom or dad or players," Schenn said. "Your career only lasts so long. I remember back in the day in grade 9, it was take your kid to work day and now for us, it's a chance to take your parents and it's special for us. We enjoy it. You'll look back on this in years and you get to share dinners and games and experience and the meetings and in the life of the NHL with your parents is the reason why we're here. It's nice to have them along for four days."

There are a number of first-timers, including dads of Scott Perunovich, Tyler Tucker and Jake Neighbours.

"He was a big part of my career and getting me here," Perunovich said of his dad Jim. "It's the first one for him to be able to experience to see our routine and what we go through on a road trip. I'm looking forward to spending some time with him.

"He's definitely excited. I haven't seen him too much in the last couple years."

Tucker also played for his dad, and coach Byron Tucker.

"It'll be cool," Tucker said. "He coached me growing up all the way through. Cool to be able to share this experience with him for sure.

"He's always got something for me (after games at the NHL level). I look forward to his text or his phone call after I play. It's been like that forever.

"Obviously his first time to see what it's like to live a day in my life now. I think it'll be cool for him. Cool for all the dads.

"It's something you don't get to do every day, share your experience with your parents. It's good to have him here. I'm excited and it'll be a good road trip."

Neighbours said of dad Ed, "He's excited. I had him at the World Championships in the summer, so that was kind of his first taste of somewhat pro hockey, I guess. He's looking forward to this one. Obviously, didn't get to do it last year. It was a mom's trip, and I was not up. He's very excited to be on the trip this year."

Players and dads will enjoy dinner Saturday night in Chicago, then the game on Sunday, fly into Minnesota and get together and watch football Sunday night, a team dinner on Monday in Minnesota and then a game on Tuesday, all while they watch the prep and action of sons they nurtured and groomed since they were infants.

"It's a great trip though. It's fun for everybody," Berube said. "The dads, obviously they're a big part of the kids; they're not kids anymore, but all the players and where they're at today. I brought my dad on one trip in my career at the end of my career. It's a lot of fun. It's enjoyable for everybody."

The dads took in practice Saturday morning at Centene Community Ice Center, and some apparently had beers in hand in the AM hours.

"What? I didn't see that," Berube said with a laugh. "They're starting early."

And they'll start late too, in a big city like Chicago, with plenty to do.

Who's responsibility will it be to keep an eye on them?

"Not mine. I've been in charge of that in the past," Berube said. "... I've taken the dads out a few times in my career in coaching."

"I don't know what they're going to get into, but hopefully we get a nice dinner with them, just spend some good, quality time and whatever extracurriculars they get up to, enjoy it because they're some good cities," Parayko said.

"There's going to be a lot of beers drank and a lot of fun," Schenn said. "We're going to go split dinner tonight just because a 1 o'clock game tomorrow -- tomorrow night, watch some football when we land in Minnesota and then Monday night team dinner in Minnesota. One thing they can't always believe is how much food is around. That's what my dad said on the way to the rink, he said there's going to be breakfast and lunch so you let the eating begin. He'll love it and nice to see a smile on their face for four days."

So in other words, don't restrict them and let the dads do their thing.

"You don't. You don't," Neighbours said. "Just let them run free. Get them out of your way, so you can play hockey."

There were two dads that (jokingly, of course!) got themselves into trouble even before the trip began. Two of them were late for the first team meeting on Saturday. Who was it? Find out here and what the consequences were.

List of Blues players who have either dads or replacement that's part of the trip:

Jordan (John) Binnington

Sammy (Sebastien) Blais

Pavel Buchnevich (Richard Comeau -- billet dad)

Justin (David -- brother) Faulk

Kevin (Kevin) Hayes

Joel (Steve) Hofer

Kasperi (Sami) Kapanen

Torey (Kyle) Krug

Jordan (Kiriako) Kyrou

Nick (Mike) Leddy

Jake (Ed) Neighbours

Colton (Tom) Parayko

Scott (Jim) Perunovich

Brandon (George) Saad

Marco (Giulio -- brother) Scandella

Brayden (Jeff) Schenn

Robert (Scott) Thomas

Tyler (Byron) Tucker

Jakub (Karel) Vrana

* Alexey Toropchenko, Oskar Sundqvist, Nikita Alexandrov and Robert Bortuzzo's dads could not make it due to travel or conflicting commitments.