Panthers Build Brotherhood Through Fatherhood

Florida Panthers defenseman Nate Schmidt just didn't get it.

He did not understand why his teammates would interrupt their pregame warmups to visit with their children before the first drop of the puck.

“It’s like ‘Come on, these guys are at every game. What the heck?’” Schmidt said to The Miami Herald (paid content).

He then had a child of his own and he understands what all of the hoopla was about. Once little Harvey arrived Schmidt finally got it. He searches for a pint-sized Panthers fan wearing a jersey with the number 88 and "Daddy" embroidered on the back.

“You don’t really realize how precious it is to have your son be able to see you on the ice and just see you at work, right?” Schmidt said. “A lot of jobs you can’t take your kid to work. So it’s really fun for him to be able to see me on the ice. We play a ton at home. It’s really special. I didn’t realize how special it was until I had him.”

It seems as though the Panthers have their own version of bring your child to work day, every day. The players assemble with their children between their bench and the goal and spend time with their most precious of fans. Each player has their own traditions they like to take part in. For example, forwards Evan Rodrigues and Tomas Nosek send pucks to their children through holes in the glass.

“You can’t stay too long,” said forward Jonah Gadjovich, “because there’s a lot of other kids that want to see their dad. It’s cool going over there and seeing my kiddos and seeing the smiles on their faces and then it’s also fun seeing the other kids and waving to them and seeing how excited they are when they get to see their dad come and say hi.”

This is something Panthers head coach Paul Maurice, who is the father to three children of his own, embraces and supports.

“When you bring your stroller to the rink and there are 12 other strollers there, you got lots of stories to tell. And they’re all going through it at the same time," Maurice said. "It’s been marvelous to watch and I think it does build the connections that you have with your team.”