Knights benefit from ‘dad strength’ as playoff run continues

The same jokes keep bouncing around the walls of the City National Arena locker room these days.

Whether it’s referred to as the “dad bump” or “dad strength,” the Golden Knights have it right now. They have four new fathers on their roster — with another on the way — and all are playing key roles for the team.

The Knights’ best line in the Winnipeg Jets series consisted of left wing Brett Howden, center Chandler Stephenson and captain Mark Stone, who all became dads for the first time in the past 11 months. Left wing Reilly Smith also welcomed daughter Isla in August, and center William Karlsson is expecting his first child soon.

It’s been a whirlwind for all of them to navigate as they help the Knights fight for their first Stanley Cup. But they’ve been able to do so together, which has made it that much more enjoyable.

“Guys are always talking about it,” Stephenson said. “How the days are going, nights are going. It’s a lot of fun.”

Stephenson was the first of the group to experience fatherhood when his son, Ford, was born last May.

What followed was one of his best seasons, as he had a career-high 65 points and was named to the NHL All-Star Game for the first time. Ford even got to go to soak up the experience.

Being the first also meant sharing advice. Howden, who sits next to Stephenson in the locker room, said he asked his stallmate a lot of questions before his son, Charlie, was born April 13.

Howden seems to be doing fine, as he proceeded to record his first-ever two-goal game in the first round playing against his hometown Winnipeg team. He even got the puck from his first goal to take back to Charlie’s room.

“It’s kind of funny, everyone’s making that joke (about ‘dad strength’) right now,” Howden said.

Stone, for his part, doesn’t think he’s receiving the same bump as his linemates. But he has eight points in five games since he welcomed his first child, Scarlett, to the world.

“I had three months off, so I had no excuses,” said Stone, who had back surgery Jan. 31 and missed the rest of the regular season. “I was fresh.”

Stone did say it was “crazy” the Knights have so many players becoming fathers at the same time. Coach Bruce Cassidy, a father of two, said “there’s certainly something in this room” in regards to the new-dad energy. He thinks it’s been a positive force.

Cassidy compared it to the Knights’ fathers’ trip to Nashville and Minnesota in February, which kicked off their remarkable 22-4-5 finish after the All-Star break. They got a dad bump then. They seem to be getting another now.

The Knights just hope it continues as they begin their second-round series against the Edmonton Oilers on Wednesday at T-Mobile Arena. Their new dads keep learning about fatherhood every day, and it’s brought them plenty of joy.

“They change so fast,” Stephenson said. “Our guy’s almost a year, and it feels like it’s been a month or two that we’ve had him. Time goes really quick when you have a kid. It’s always changing. There’s always new steps, new words. Things they like, things they don’t like. It’s been a fun ride.”

Contact Ben Gotz at bgotz@reviewjournal.com. Follow @BenSGotz on Twitter.