Today, we join with the NHL and people worldwide in celebrating our best friends -- our dads!
The third Sunday in June is always special.
It's the day we get to celebrate our biggest examples, our best friends, and our trusted confidants -- our dads.
I know my father, even at 61 years young, still coaches, teaches, and even supports me and my mom through thick and thin.
It's the biggest reason why he's got me to where I am today, and I'm sure all of us at The Hockey News can say the same.
So it goes for every NHL player who's gotten to this point.
But it's even more special for those dads who get to see their own sons play in-person, as Clayton Keller's father did on March 27, 2017.
The Chesterfield, Missouri, native, as the 7th overall selection in the 2016 NHL Draft, was called up to make his big-league debut in St. Louis that night -- in front of his proud parents.
What a special moment for Keller, his parents, and his father.
It's these special moments that should teach us why we love sports, but more importantly, why we're all human.
These players feel emotions, and they have challenges, just like we all do.
No one has to bear more of those burdens than our parents, particularly our fathers.
So today, give your father a call, a text, or a simple note. They've done more for you than you could ever imagine.
(You should have already done it to your mother on Mother's Day, but here's a second chance.)
Note: This article was updated; Keller's hometown of Chesterfield is in Missouri (earlier read Illinois).