RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — The on-ice celebration was underway for the Carolina Hurricanes, ticket in hand for their first Stanley Cup Final in two decades.
But defenseman Jalen Chatfield had to bolt. Like, right now. He had just found out his wife, Drew, went into labor shortly before the Hurricanes’ Eastern Conference Final clincher. He quickly showered and changed, then hopped in an unmarked police car for a blue-lights-on rush to the hospital.
“Everything was good, yeah, I made it on time with a couple of hours to spare,” Chatfield said of son Rhodes. “He was born at like 2 a.m., so, perfect.”
Chasing the Cup is pressure enough for the Hurricanes and the Vegas Golden Knights in a chaos-filled series with nightly multigoal comebacks and two overtime finishes. Throw in a life-changing event at home while fumbling with diaper changes or a baby crying through sleep-interrupted nights — and, well, there’s a lot going on at the moment.
Three Hurricanes players have welcomed babies in these playoffs since early May. Multiple members of the Golden Knights are preparing for deliveries of their own this month, offering the potential of adding to the postseason baby boom amid the sport’s biggest event that could go until June 17 if there is a Game 7. Vegas leads 2-1 going into Tuesday night’s Game 3.
“It’s going to be a lot of great stories to talk about,” said Vegas center Nic Dowd, whose wife, Paige, is due for their third child this month. “Having a new baby and trying to win a Stanley Cup, I’m going to compartmentalize those things. They’re different than each other, but definitely exciting and stressful. The biggest challenges in life are going to have the best rewards.”
A playoff whirlwind
That was clear watching Hurricanes defenseman K’Andre Miller after closing out Montreal in the Eastern Conference Final on May 29.
Nearly four weeks earlier, Miller and girlfriend Addison Clark had welcomed son Kashton, hours before Miller logged nearly 21 minutes of ice time in the 3-0 win to open Round 2 against Philadelphia. Fast forward to the night Chatfield rushed to the hospital, and there were viral videos of a teary Miller sitting on the bench afterward, holding Kashton and shaking his head between deep breaths in an emotional moment.
Or there’s the story of a frenetic 36 hours for teammate Sean Walker, one sure to be repeated at family gatherings for years.
After the Hurricanes beat the Flyers in a road in Game 3, Walker got a 1 a.m. call from wife Taylor back in North Carolina. It was time. Her water had broken, and their first child was on the way. Walker quickly called team services manager Mike Brown for help getting an immediate flight home — with Walker FaceTiming with his wife during his trek — and made it in time for daughter Quinn’s arrival.
“The baby gods were on my side for that one,” Walker said.
The next day, he ate his pregame meal at the hospital cafeteria, then flew back to Philadelphia, arriving about four hours before puck drop of the sweep-clinching win on May 9. The good news was the Hurricanes had an 11-day gap between series, the longest in the playoffs in more than a century, for the Walker-Miller D-pair to settle in a bit as first-time dads.
Walker savors those weeks as a special time in a still-unfolding adventure. As the Cup final began, his wife’s mother was in town in an “all hands on deck” effort on the home front. Teammates had been jumping in, too, by dropping off a steady stream of meals or something as simple as coffee along the way.
“There was so much food, I kind of lost who all brought over everything,” Walker chuckled. “The support’s been amazing. It’s a family and everyone’s really showed that for us.”
Teammate Eric Robinson understands well. He and forward Sebastian Aho welcomed babies during last year’s run to the East final.
“The coolest part is you get to experience two of the best moments of your life kind of happening at the same time,” Robinson said.
What’s ahead?
That’s a feeling multiple Vegas players experienced around their 2023 Stanley Cup run. It could happen again.
Joining Dowd, captain Mark Stone, Jack Eichel, Noah Hanifin and Shea Theodore — who had the Game 3 winning goal in double overtime Saturday — are playing for the Cup while preparing for baby arrivals.
Theodore’s wife, Mariana, is due this month with their second child “very shortly” after the series; they don’t know if it’s a boy or a girl.
“My wife is handling it amazing,” Theodore said. “I think especially when you’re in a playoff grind, there’s just some days where I’m not available. So she’s been handling everything so good, she’s been really good with it.”
Hanifin’s wife, Monique, is carrying a girl.
“It’s probably more stressful for my wife, to be honest,” Hanifin said before Game 1. “She’s at home going through it all, but we have a lot of family in town right now, just kind of with her, which is huge. … Hopefully everything goes smoothly and we can win and celebrate a new baby at the end of June.”
Stone’s wife, Hayley, delivered a daughter shortly before that 2023 run. She’s due again for an arrival that could come during this series.
“I guess my wife will be the telling tale of that one,” Stone said.
Unforgettable days
Chatfield’s wife reached out to Brown’s assistant to say she had gone into labor with the couple’s second child shortly before Game 5 of the East final against the Canadiens. But she didn’t want them to let him know until afterward.
So Brown told Chatfield after the traditional post-series handshake line. Chatfield joined the team photo with the Prince of Wales trophy, then bolted.
“It was a special night for me, to be able to win the Eastern Conference Final and then shoot to the hospital,” Chatfield said. “My adrenaline was still going. It was a very confusing moment: I just went from celebrating with the guys to rushing out and being in a quiet hospital room, getting ready to have a baby. But there was no other way I’d rather have it. It was special and one of the best nights of my life.”
Hurricanes coach Rod Brind’Amour has observed it all from a different perspective. He has coached his son Skyler in a handful of Hurricanes games the past two seasons and he has watched players in the locker room grow from rising prospects to veterans with growing families, figuring out life with a new baby.
“It’s supposed to be a little crazy,” Brind’Amour said last month.
That’s particularly true in this Cup final, on and off the ice.
“To be able to get these moments already with our new children is so special,” Walker said. “Obviously, they won’t really remember it at all. But we will.”
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AP Hockey Writer Stephen Whyno contributed to this report.
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