Brouwer gives game a Classic ending
— -- WASHINGTON -- Troy Brouwer hadn't yet seen his father, Don, immediately following the Washington Capitals' dramatic 3-2 win against the Chicago Blackhawks in the 2015 Winter Classic, but he had a good idea of what that reunion would entail.
It would likely be an emotional conversation, Brouwer said. That's pretty common these days.
"I figured I would wait until I got home to kind of share it with him," Brouwer said. "But knowing how my dad is right now, he's probably got a couple tears."
The 29-year-old Brouwer scored the game-winning goal with 12.9 ticks on the clock Thursday, snapping a 2-2 draw in front of a sellout crowd at Nationals Park.
But even before his late-game heroics, the day was memorable. It was one of the few times Brouwer's father has gotten to see him play since Don suffered a serious stroke in 2010, one that left him in a coma for six days.
Though Brouwer's father has made huge strides in his recovery, there are still residual effects of the traumatic event and traveling can be difficult. The trek from North Delta, British Columbia, where Brouwer's father lives, can be daunting, but he made it so he could savor the special event for his son.
He could not have gotten a better reward for his efforts, either, as the raucous Caps crowd was thrown into an absolute frenzy when Brouwer scored after Alex Ovechkin had the puck (and his stick) slashed away.
"I was trying to go to the net because I knew he was shooting and we were running out of time," Brouwer said. "And when I saw the puck laying at his feet when he broke his stick, somebody had to try to keep it alive. So I turned around, threw it to the net. I'm not sure where it even went in, but I heard the noise of the crowd, heard the noise of the guys on the ice, and it was one of those where you know the time, you know the score, and you're just trying to get a puck on net, and thankfully it went in."
"It's pretty special, for sure," Brouwer said. "I've had some good moments in my hockey career, but this one, with all the intangibles that played a part in it -- my parents being able to come into town, playing against my former team, this being the first goal that I scored against my former team and the dramatic fashion at the end of the game of how everything played out -- is definitely going to, you know, it's going to be a memorable day, a memorable event."
Brouwer did not broadcast his father's arrival. Some teammates were not even aware of the situation. But others knew that this wasn't any other visit. It was a special one for the veteran forward.
Brouwer is close with his dad. And though they talk on the phone regularly -- often chatting about hockey, as Don loves to do -- visits are infrequent. It's a tough reality for Brouwer to be so far from his family, especially now that he has a daughter of his own, Kylie, who turned 2 years old in October.
"I think it's great," Brouwer's friend and teammate Nicklas Backstrom said Wednesday. "The last couple of years have been tough for him, so I think it means a lot for Troy that his dad was coming here. I know he means a lot to him."
There will be few moments that rival this one for Brouwer: Jan. 1, 2015, will always be special, not just for him, but for his entire family.
"The entire lead-up to this has been a lot of fun," Brouwer said. "And the finish couldn't have worked out any better for us, as a team and me personally."
