Oilers defenceman Brett Kulak races from daughter's birth to playoff game

Gemma Karstens-Smith · The Canadian Press

· Posted: Apr 23, 2025 9:11 AM EDT | Last Updated: 10 minutes ago

Brett Kulak didn't get his regular pre-game regular successful connected Monday.

Instead of skating with his teammates up of Game 1 against the Los Angeles Kings, the Edmonton Oilers defenceman was connected a formation aft concisely returning location for the commencement of his 2nd daughter, Scotlyn, connected Sunday afternoon.

The program had agelong been for Kulak's wife, Caitlin, to person a C-section aboriginal connected Monday morning, but health-care workers astatine the infirmary successful Canmore, Alta., heard the household mightiness person a scheduling conflict.

"They called connected Saturday evening and were similar `Hey, we spot your hubby and the Oilers are playing connected Monday. We tin compression you successful time afternoon. And truthful it ended up being Sunday afternoon,'" Kulak said.

'Just grateful'

The seasoned blueliner practised with the Oilers successful San Jose connected Saturday.

Then, arsenic the remainder of the squad past travelled to L.A. to settee successful up of Edmonton's first-round matchup with the Kings, Kulak flew from San Francisco to Calgary connected Sunday morning. His ma met him determination and they drove to the family's off-season location successful Canmore.

Soon after, Kulak and his woman headed to the section hospital, and met their newborn girl astir 2 hours later.

He spent the evening with his recently expanded family, past boarded a formation backmost to California connected Monday greeting and rejoined the squad earlier puck drop.

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"Everyone's doing truly well. So I'm thankful for that," said Kulak, who played 24 minutes and 58 seconds successful Edmonton's 6-5 loss.

"It's each you tin anticipation for, obviously. It conscionable makes you blessed and conscionable grateful. And everyone's healthy. And it gives maine a amended bid of caput knowing I person to leave, but they're each feeling good."

This isn't the archetypal clip Kulak has stepped distant from his squad for a commencement successful the midst of a playoff run.

His archetypal daughter, Ryleigh, came connected May 13, 2022, betwixt Games 6 and 7 of the Oilers' first-round bid against the Kings.

Kulak credits his ma and his mother-in-law with helping his household retired and allowing him to ore connected playing.

"It decidedly helps that I tin conscionable spell absorption connected hockey. And my wife's been great, too," helium said.

"She's like, 'You don't interest astir us. We're going to beryllium conscionable fine. You go, we're ace arrogant of you. So you spell bash what you request to bash for the team."'

The Oilers take on L.A. contiguous successful Game 2 enactment starting astatine 8 p.m. MT.