I was just 43 days old when my parents took me to a Washington Capitals game. My dad loves to tell the story: right after I was born, he asked the doctor two questions: “Is it okay if our dog licks his face?” and “When can he go to a hockey game?” The doctor answered “Yes”, and “as soon as you want,” and from that moment on, hockey has been a core part of my life, a home.

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I remember the first time on the ice, my dad laced up my skates, the smell of the ice, watching my coach glide effortlessly like it was second nature, my first steps and the foreign feeling of my blades on the ice. I was hooked immediately. 

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​​At one of those early skating lessons, our coach told us that the bigger the step, the faster we’d go. Instantly, I took a few massive steps and shot forward. I felt the cold wind on my face and excitedly turned to brag to a friend. Moments later, I realized that we hadn’t gotten to the “how to stop” lesson yet. I slammed into the boards knocking the wind out of myself. When I got back to my feet and saw my dad on the other side of the glass laughing, a huge smile broke across my face. My dad says that was the exact moment he knew I was a hockey player. I started house hockey later that year, made my first travel team at age seven, and still play rec and pond hockey today in Minnesota.

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Hockey shaped me into the person I am today. It taught me character during slumps and losing streaks, discipline during practices, what it means to be a good teammate, and leadership when I was elected captain. The biggest lesson of them all was work ethic. Hockey taught me that consistent effort compounds. If I showed up and worked hard every day, I could keep getting better. That belief has stayed with me ever since and has shaped my life, career, and has driven me to start the Hockey Dad Foundation.

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Only as I’ve gotten older have I truly understood how much my parents sacrificed so I could chase my hockey dream. They took me to the rink multiple days each week, early mornings and late nights, put their own hobbies on hold, and poured tens of thousands of dollars into hockey. Their sacrifices are the reason I had the opportunity to fall in love with the game. The Hockey Dad Foundation is here to make sure as many kids as possible get the same opportunity without the incredible financial burden. Our goal is simple: give kids the financial support they need to take their first steps on the ice for free.

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The foundation is named in honor of my dad, for making all of this possible, for supporting me every step of the way, and for still being my favorite person to watch a game with. Hockey dads like mine, and like Walter Gretzky, Tim Oshie, and Mikhail Ovechkin, give up so much so their kids can chase their dreams. They teach kids how to be good people. They are selfless in ways that often go unnoticed. That warmth, support, and selflessness are the qualities we want the Hockey Dad Foundation to embody.

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My parents gave me the chance to fall in love with hockey. Through the Hockey Dad Foundation, we want to give that same opportunity to as many kids as possible by helping them take their first steps on the ice, just like I did.