CORAL SPRINGS — Ryan Lomberg was absent from the first day of training camp for the Florida Panthers.
It was for a very good reason.
On Thursday, Ryan and his wife Marissa welcomed a new baby girl, Lennon, into the world.
Lennon Lomberg is the couple’s second child.
“It was a very good day for the Lomberg family,” Ryan said on Friday morning.
“The baby and my wife are doing well, everybody is healthy and happy, so it was a smooth day.”
Lomberg’s first child, Roman, was born in the spring of 2022, weeks before the Panthers opened their first-round series against the Washington Capitals.
While coach Paul Maurice joked that it was a “veteran move” that he timed his child’s birth to Day No. 1 of training camp — a move he intends chirp him about heavily — Lomberg is good for it.
“He is an incredibly fit guy and I think we’ll get our fitness results from our testing doctor pretty soon, but he wants that title,” Maurice said.
“If there is going to be a guy to miss a day of camp, Ryan’s got a green light.”
Lomberg makes it a point to be one of the hardest working guys on and off the ice — that is how the 5-foot-9 forward carved out a role as a physical spark plug in Florida’s lineup — but family is one of the few things more important to him than the game.
As much as a day away from that grind hurt, it was all the more important for him to have that moment.
“It’s tough to put into words what it means to be a father,” Lomberg said.
“It is obviously something bigger than hockey. It’s tough to take yourself out sometimes. Obviously, we have a very fortunate and lucky job and we have been training our whole lives to get to this point, but looking beyond hockey, something I’ve always wanted was a big family so I am very excited to welcome another little Lomberg to the family.”
As Lomberg walked through the doors of the IceDen in Coral Springs, receiving congratulations from everyone he saw and a few friendly chirps for good measure, he was as well-rested as a new father could be.
He said he slept for seven hours at the hospital — albeit interrupted by doctors coming in and new baby Lennon — and returned to camp rejuvenated.
“I couldn’t be happier to be out there with the guys again,” Lomberg said.
“Obviously having a kid is a good reason to miss a day in training camp but to hear about how the guys are battling and grinding, it’s tough to not be around when stuff like that is happening. So I was happy to be back out there working hard with the guys.”
Lomberg has made a home for himself and his family in South Florida by providing an example to follow through the effort he puts forth on a daily basis.
He is entering his fourth season as a Panther and has evolved into a veteran leader on the roster.
“We have some great leadership in that room and I like to think I’m one of the guys that is holding guys accountable and getting to the point where making everyone feel comfortable,” Lomberg said.
“I want to boost everyone up and make sure we are all aware of how good of a team we can be.”
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