The once young Colorado Avalanche have now become a team of veterans. And dads.

Throughout the season, The Denver Gazette spoke to several Avalanche players about life before and after becoming parents and how becoming fathers has changed their perspectives on the game and life. With Father’s Day now here, what better time than now to share their thoughts on fatherhood and if becoming a father gives them something else to look forward to when their playing careers are eventually done.

Happy Father’s Day.

Scott Wedgewood

“I think just maturity in itself, as you get older, you kind of don’t hang on as many bad games. I remember like, just trying to get in the league, you’d have something go wrong or a day go wrong in the AHL, you’d sit in your car and hit your steering wheel a little bit (harder) than you should have and then the next day, go back to work, things like that. Right now, my day is that hour and 26 minutes she wakes up and I get to play with her, right? So, yeah, that side of it for sure. Days over, you wake up, you got to go get her out of bed. There’s times where we have late games and my wife lets me sleep in if we get back late and travel and things like that. And then I wake up at 8:30, 9 o’clock and it’s like, ‘Oh, crap, I’m going to miss the first hour.’ It’s changed in the sense of where your thoughts go. Used to just be a lot of downtime, and whatever I want to do time. Now it’s what can I do with her, or what does she need done. That whole daily agenda and calendar is now all her, and it’s a lot more rewarding, for sure.”

“I was joking with my wife the other day about how much we’ve moved. If we got to move our kids as much as we moved, I’m out. 17 different trades and moves and things. We’re so excited about what their lives will be, where it’s going to take us and everything and giving them the best opportunity. We’re lucky enough and fortunate enough to start them off in this situation and make some money and provide for their future and change some things that my wife and I didn’t have growing up, but we had a really good childhood. You just turn it toward them and I think when it’s all said and done, I’ll continue to do something in the hockey realm. Obviously it’s not just going to be golf and sipping cocktails.”

Brock Nelson

“I’ve said ever since we’ve had our first and now with four, obviously, it’s a lot, but going home, it’s nice to get away from the game and give yourself a break and you’re just thinking about the kids’ stuff and kind of being immersed in their schedule. It’s so nice to check out from the game. You still think about it, but maybe not overanalyzing as much when you’re kind of sitting there by yourself and looking at it.”

“Plenty of bad games over the years. You come home now with kids; they’re just so happy to have you home and up for breakfast. ‘Can you bring me to school?’ or ‘Can you take me here?’ And they just enjoy the simplest of things. If I say we’re gonna have a coffee date, and they’re just like, this is the best thing ever. Those moments, being home, just playing with them, mini sticks now. They’re kind of getting to the point now where, the oldest kids, they understand it a little bit. Beckett will kind of be like, ‘why didn’t you win?’ Kind of asking the hard-hitting, black-and-white questions, like a kid does, right? It gives you a different perspective on it. I feel like it gives you a little bit of a break to really focus on just family stuff and life stuff. There’s more to life than just hockey, even though it’s kind of consumes everything for us.”

Josh Manson

“I think a lot of things change, right? Your priorities obviously shift. So there’s different challenges. Kids are a blessing, but they’re also a lot of work. What you do in your off-time changes. Maybe it’s not as selfishly focused or motivated. It’s, what can we do to make them happy? I was always pretty good at washing (away bad games) but when you come home and your kids are running to the door, can’t really be beat the sound of ‘Daddy’ when you unlock the door.”

Jared Bednar

“Getting a dog brings that (laughs). They’re always happy to see when you come home. So the game, you want to be ultra focused and prepared when you’re at the rink, but I think it’s really healthy to have that balance where you can kind of let it go when you get home. And if you’re single and you’re going home to an empty apartment, that can be tough. You’re married, you get your wife or girlfriend and it becomes a little easier. And if you have kids like you have to shift your focus to other places, and it helps you get your mind off the game. They’re always happy to see you when you come home. You’re able to sort of leave the game a little bit more at the rink and not dwell on things. Not that you don’t do work at home, or don’t think about the game at home, but at least it’s not overwhelming or the sole thing you think about. Whether it’s a hobby you have or family or whatever, I think having that balance allows you to be more prepared, more focused, not worn out from the game when you get back to the rink.”

Former Avalanche forward Victor Olofsson

“I think it’s easier letting go of hockey, I would say, coming home. Before, maybe if I had a bad game or a bad stretch, I felt like I was maybe thinking about it a little bit more at home. Now, when I have a daughter, we’re just playing. Whatever she wants to do, we kind of do. It’s easier to get your mind off hockey in a way, which I think is very helpful. Obviously, the tough part when, maybe when they’re newborns, not getting the sleep and stuff, it’s obviously something you got to manage in the beginning. But I think you can adjust pretty quickly. It’s life-changing.”

“I do look forward to seeing my daughters, because I got another one on the way, growing up and just kind of go and do whatever they want to do. If they want to be whatever, sports or dance classes or whatever they want to do and just kind of see them pursue their dreams and support them in whatever they want to do. I think that’s going to be an amazing chapter in life. I’m looking forward a lot to that process as well. Maybe before it’s like, didn’t really know what, still maybe don’t know exactly what I want to do after hockey, but having that kind of makes it a lot easier seeing a life after hockey.”