Rachel Barkley
5:00 AM practices, traveling across North America for tournaments, training until 10:00 PM; the intense dedication and commitment to hockey from a young age is a reality that every player is familiar with, but also one that resonates with every hockey parent, as well.
For Wes Stankoven, those hectic days were the norm as his son, Logan, took up the sport and pushed his way into the NHL, and then, to a Stanley Cup Championship with the Carolina Hurricanes.
In doing so, Logan Stankoven became the first son of Kamloops, B.C., to bring Lord Stanley’s chalice back to the city known as Canada’s Tournament Capital since NHL legend Mark Recchi won it 15 years ago.
It was certainly one for the books for the Stankoven family, who were in attendance at the Cup-winning Game 6 in Las Vegas, Nevada.
“We saw the clock ticking down to 60 seconds, and they just had the empty net goal,” Wes said, recalling the moment he knew Carolina would win the Cup. “You could see the guys were starting to get excited, Rod [Brind’Amour] was getting excited, and we were just like, ‘Logan’s really going to win the Stanley Cup’.
“Me, my wife Deana, and our daughter Macie were there, and we were caught between cheering and tearing up.”
It had been a long, winding road to reach this point for Logan. Having fallen in the conference final in his first two NHL postseasons, an out-of-the-blue trade from the Dallas Stars to the Eastern Conference’s Hurricanes, and repeatedly called out for being an undersized forward – it certainly didn’t come without adversity.
However, the Hurricanes’ desperate need of a quality second-line centerman – a role they had been scrambling to fill for years – presented an opportunity for Logan last preseason, and he took that bull by the horns, showing his mettle and becoming exactly what they needed.
“I’m on X, so you see a lot of the conversations,” Wes said. “As a hockey dad, you try to take things with a grain of salt, but everyone was saying the Canes needed, y’know, a 6′ 2”, 6′ 3” centerman…so to see him be able to fit the role has been great.”
Wes went on to further discuss the support Logan has received in developing his skills as a centerman, with a big nod towards the Hurricanes’ head coach, Rod Brind’Amour, and captain Jordan Staal – the latter of whom took him under his wing, becoming a mentor for him.
“Earlier in the season, he struggled – the pucks weren’t going in for him,” Wes said. “We had a lot of conversations about it, and he kept working on it, just trying to be positive, and things really started to pick up after the Olympic break.”
Indeed, things really picked up after February’s Olympic break. With just 24 games remaining in the regular season, he scored 11 goals, eclipsing the 10 he had scored in the 54 games prior, with his defensive game also becoming notably sharper.
Additionally, Wes mentioned how grateful he is for the support his son has received in Raleigh from the community, the team, and, of course, Logan’s friend and linemate, Jackson Blake.
“The interesting thing is Logan and Jackson actually played in tournaments against each other as kids: Logan played for the Thompson Blazers, and Jackson was with the Minnesota Great Plains.”
With youth tournaments, it’s often the case that not only the kids become friends, but the hockey parents also get to know each other, as well. Shared experiences create brotherhood, after all. Wes described that such was the story for himself and Jason Blake – Jackson’s father and a former NHLer himself.
There is no doubt that we’ll see those hockey dads back in the stands cheering on their sons and the Hurricanes next season, with the semi-annual father’s trip on the horizon.
However, before that, it will be a celebration of what it took to go from the youth rinks throughout North America to hoisting the Stanley Cup for all the world to see – a showing for kids playing the sport what can happen with enough grit and dedication, and for the families, the passion that encouragement and support can spark.
Congratulations to the Stankoven family, and a huge thank you to Wes for taking the time to share his perspective on his son’s journey to the Stanley Cup!
