Some things are bigger than hockey, and that\u2019s never more evident than the birth of a child.<\/p>\n
Brock Nelson\u2019s wife, Karley, was back home in Minnesota while his New York Islanders team was trying to stay alive during the 2019 Stanley Cup Playoffs. The Islanders were in Raleigh, N.C., the day of Game 4 and trailing 3-0 in the series.<\/p>\n
Nelson found out during the afternoon that Karley was going into labor with their second child. The season was on the line that night, but Islanders general manager Lou Lamoriello had something more important to arrange. He caught up with Nelson just before the game to put his star center\u2019s mind at ease.<\/p>\n
\u201cI had spoke with Lou before. He kind of knew the situation,\u201d Nelson said. \u201cHe was unbelievable. He said, \u2018No matter what happens, I have a plane, we have everything ready for you to go be there with your family.\u2019 I feel like every team, you always hear good stories of them making sure that everything\u2019s going to be taken care of. Then you can do whatever you, and more importantly, what your wife is most comfortable with. It\u2019s such an important event for everyone.\u201d<\/p>\n
The Nelsons have four kids now, and the Colorado Avalanche locker room is just starting the process of welcoming a bunch of new members to its family.<\/p>\n
Scott Wedgewood\u2019s wife, Brittany, welcomed their second child to the world on Thursday. She is the first, but three other Avalanche wives are all expecting in the coming weeks.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou\u2019ve got to be flexible,\u201d Avs coach Jared Bednar said. \u201cThat\u2019s what it comes down to. We\u2019re going to have a few more of these coming before too long. You\u2019ve just got to stay flexible and keep your phone on.\u201d<\/p>\n
Devon Toews\u2019 wife, Kerry, is expecting their fourth child in early February. Toews has been selected to play for Canada in the 2026 Winter Olympics, but the Avs defenseman said he\u2019s not joining his countrymen in Milan until the baby is born and his wife is settled.<\/p>\n
They don\u2019t expect it to be an issue, other than possibly he shows up a day or two late for pre-tournament practices. Victor Olofsson\u2019s wife, Taylor, is expecting their second child a few weeks later.<\/p>\n
Her current due date is Feb. 25, which is the day of Colorado\u2019s first post-Olympic break game at Utah.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s tough,\u201d Olofsson said. \u201cYou obviously don\u2019t want to miss games, but this is bigger than hockey, so you\u2019re probably going to miss a game or two. If it happens during the break, that would be nice. Get to spend a little bit more time at home with the baby and help out.\u201d<\/p>\n
Samuel Girard\u2019s wife, Jacklyn, is also pregnant. Navigating the NHL schedule and the birth of a child in-season can be tricky, but teams are typically accommodating for whatever their players and their partners need.<\/p>\n
The Avs are an older team, and therefore have more players with young families. It can help them get settled in new places \u2014 Nelson credited Toews with helping to recruit him to Colorado and noted that having their kids play together was a cool experience, as an example.<\/p>\n
Olofsson knew Wedgewood from a season together in the AHL, and now this year they\u2019ve had chances to hang out at their daughters\u2019 gymnastics and dance classes. Now they\u2019ve also gone through pregnancies together.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt can be pretty lonely sometimes for the wives and girlfriends to be away from their family and friends,\u201d Olofsson said. \u201cIt\u2019s not easy to go see everyone. I think having a couple other people in the same position as you helps a lot. It helps kind of create \u2026 maybe not a new family, but closer friends you can hang out with who are in similar situations.\u201d<\/p>\n
Wedgewood had the morning off Friday as the Avs prepared to face the Philadelphia Flyers. He was expected to be at Ball Arena and able to back up Mackenzie Blackwood.<\/p>\n
Nelson scored a goal that night in Raleigh back in 2019, the last goal of that Islanders season. Two years later, his third child was born the day of Game 4 and he scored twice in Game 6 to help the Islanders knock out the Bruins and advance to the next round.<\/p>\n
He has been enjoying watching his quartet of teammates get ready for such an important moment in their lives.<\/p>\n
\u201cI feel like it\u2019s fun when you have that,\u201d Avs forward Brock Nelson said. \u201cThere were a couple times on The Island where three or four of us were all expecting a child. It is a lot of excitement. It\u2019s such an unbelievable miracle, to watch the whole process and go through it. To have a couple of guys and their wives go through it at the same time is a nice little support system. You can kind of bounce things off each other, see how they feel, check in with each other and just enjoy everything.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt sounds like everything went well for (the Wedgewoods), which is great. Healthy little girl. Can\u2019t wait to meet her.\u201d<\/p>\n