Father's Day is always a special holiday to celebrate the hard work and dedication that dads show toward their families, and the New Jersey Devils are no exception. There are plenty of fathers on the roster. A few years ago, the Devils were one of the youngest teams in the league, and very few of them had kids. Throughout the past few seasons, they've added many veteran players with families. Even though fans might not realize it, having a family is important when it comes to establishing a strong, healthy locker room.
"Families are everything. They're our backbone, and we need to give them support. We have two guys [Nico Hischier and Jack Hughes] who are big leaders on our team, but they don't have families yet. They don't have the home life that the veterans have. The Devils have done a fantastic job of making the wives and kids feel special... For a while, there wasn't any of that here. I thought myself, Dilly (Dillon), Jake (Allen), and Marky (Markstrom) really helped bring that back into this room."Stefan Noesen, Devils forward
Interestingly, some of the Devils' core players (Nico Hischier, Jesper Bratt, Dougie Hamilton, Timo Meier, and both Hughes brothers) don't have kids for the time being. Jacob Markstrom is the only star player with kids. Noesen talked about this matter last summer when he signed his three-year contract to return to New Jersey. He used Brett Pesce and Brenden Dillon as prime examples.
"They're just the best human beings in the world. Dillon comes from a great family, he's got his little girl, and Emma's [Dillon's wife] an amazing human being. Same with Brett and Amy [Pesce's wife]. They're good humans coming into a great organization, in a great locker room, where the vets can see that."Stefan Noesen last summer
"Having kids around the locker room, celebrating, and being proud to be a Devil, it's an unbelievable feeling and place to play...I think that's what helps culture get better year after year."Brenden Dillon, Devils defenseman
This is also something that previous leaders instilled on the Devils, like former captain Andy Greene.
"We used to go to Andy Greene's house to (experience family life). Now we're going to my house out there [in the suburbs]. It's a totally different experience. [With me] kind of being an older, veteran guy on the team, it makes our responsibility shift a little bit. You're worried about where you're going for dinner in the city sometimes, to now, when are we gonna feed my kids? "Stefan Noesen, Devils forward
During the season, NHL players are constantly traveling and away from their families as a result. But the Devils do a great job of creating a "family-friendly" environment in order to make everyone feel at home. The main takeaway that everybody can learn from the veteran players is that having a family can help teach valuable life lessons, which sometimes leads to a strong culture inside the locker room.