It is a program that is growing in the NHL, and if it continues to go well may be copied by other leagues more often…the New York Rangers, like a few other NHL teams, picked a road trip and had the players’ fathers accompany them for a little bonding and giveback. Now many teams will disappear into a “team building” opportunity during the long season…an unscheduled trip to Disney, bowling, a movie…but few times are the media and the fans given insight into such private moments. However the Rangers, took a more public step in explaining the reasons and benefits of inviting the fathers along on a recent road trip, and by doing so gave the fans a look into the private lives of many of the players, especially those who are younger and don’t get much everyday exposure in a crowded media market. Now each sport does create those special bonds between father and son over the long period and long hours on the road through the development time of young pro players, but hockey has a pretty unique isolation…with baseball probably the only sport similar in the U.S…where young players leave home at a very early age and much of that bonding time can be lost. This special trip is a smart one to help the players have that special time at a great point in their careers. and by letting the media and the public in for some glimpses, builds added human interest into a very long season..the New York Times has a good look today at the state of Delaware and the special role it played in both conference championship games…John Feinstein in the Washington Post has a good look at the first-Brother-In-Law, Oregon State head hoops coach Craig Robinson..the New York Post's Mike Vaccaro had a good piece on merging the Olympic baseball issue and the World Baseball Classic…and the Providence Journal has a good wrapup of the brother of PC's Jeff Xavier as he ran onto the court to harass a ref in their Saturday loss to Marquette.
