It has been a whirlwind few days for Carolina Hurricanes defenseman Sean Walker.
Early Friday morning, just hours after the Hurricanes took a 3-0 series lead over the Philadelphia Flyers, the 31-year-old received a FaceTime call from his wife, Taylor. Her water had broken.
Walker knew his wife was due any day, but thought he had more time.
“She had an appointment on Thursday, and they said things are kind of getting going but weren’t too worried about it,” Walker said.
But nature had its own plan, and the defenseman’s only goal was to be there for the birth.
Hurricanes Head of Team Service Mike Brown arranged a 6 a.m. flight for him that morning. Walker stayed on FaceTime with his wife throughout the wait, describing it as “really tough.”
Fortunately, he made it in time to be with Taylor for the birth of their daughter.
“Thankfully we were able to get there in time,” Walker said. “And I was there for everything. The baby gods were on my side on that one, and I got to experience it all. It was amazing — really an amazing experience. Mom and baby are doing amazing. I can’t put into words how proud I am of her. She had to go through it for a little bit without me there. I did make it, but she was amazing. And just, it’s funny, you know already how much you love your new daughter. And again, my wife is a rock star, the way she killed it, and just so proud of her. And I love them both.”
Walker spent the rest of the day with his family, but knew he had to rejoin the team the next day for a potential series-clinching Game 4.
Team owner Tom Dundon stepped in, chartering a private jet to get one of his top blueliners back in time. By 2 p.m., Walker was back in Philadelphia, ready for the 6 p.m. puck drop.
“Unbelievable,” said Carolina coach Rod Brind’Amour. “We talked about that before the game. These guys are having the time of their lives right now, and you’ve got to enjoy it. I love that he has that memory, for sure. That’s special.”
“It’s awesome to see,” said teammate Taylor Hall. “A life changing moment. I think he was a little bit stressed in the last couple weeks just on when it was gonna happen, if it was gonna be a game day or if he was gonna miss a game because when you looked at the due date, it was right around the second round of the playoffs. I think he was happy that it happened the way it did. You just have so much energy after seeing your kid born, so I wasn’t worried about him in the least.”
Despite all the chaos, Walker didn’t miss a beat, logging 23:13 in the 3-2 overtime victory.
“It was weird,” Walker said. “It was kind of like one of the easiest and hardest games I’ve maybe ever played, if that makes sense. You just kind of live in the moment, running on no sleep. I ate my pregame meal in the hospital cafeteria. Yeah, it’s just crazy, but you just show up. The guys were amazing, everybody: team services, the whole organization, from the owner down, really made it possible for me to be there and get back in time. And, yeah, I just was happy to contribute.”
Interestingly, Walker’s defensive partner K’Andre Miller also became a first-time father just a week earlier.
With the Hurricanes sweeping the Flyers in four games, both players now have plenty of time to spend with their growing families.
“I didn’t want to get on the boys and tell them we better win,” Walker added with a smile.
