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SALT LAKE CITY — The morning has become Alex Kerfoot's favorite part of the day.
Before he faces the chilly arena air at morning skate, and well before he laces up to play in the chaotic beauty of an NHL game, he's on the receiving end of a smile.
In those early hours of the day, his baby daughter, Carrera, beams.
"She wakes up, and she's just got a huge smile," the Utah Hockey Club forward said. "She's pretty peaceful in the morning. She's just now started to giggle and smile at what she sees. That's lots of fun."
He's not the only one getting to experience that fun.
Kerfoot is one of four Utah Hockey Club players — alongside defenseman Juuso Välimäki, forward Lawson Crouse and forward Liam O'Brien — who became fathers for the first time this offseason.
New NHL locker rooms were added to the Delta Center this summer; maybe a new nursery should have been thrown in, too.
"It's funny, because we didn't have many dads around before. Now, having a lot of us has allowed us to build connections a little bit more," Välimäki said, whose son is the only boy in the group. "It's funny, talks in the locker room are a little bit different sometimes."
It hasn't been uncommon for dressing room chats to slide into side conversations about first milestones ... or questions about sleep ... or just proud new dads sharing pictures and videos. That has strengthened the team's bond off the ice.
"It's just nice to have each other," said Crouse, whose daughter, Isabel, was born in August. "There are things that pop up a lot for first-time dads, so you have someone to talk to about it and ask, like, 'Is this normal' or 'Is that normal?'"
Kerfoot and O'Brien's baby girls were born just a few days apart in the spring, so they've been able to go through the process together nearly step-by-step.
Their daughter's first milestones — from the first coos, first chuckles and first communicative smiles — have all come close together.
"We were talking about our four-month doctor's appointments today," said O'Brien, whose daughter, Leilani, was born in early June. "It's really nice to have people you can ask questions to and talk to about certain things. It's been great."
Going through the experience together has brought some comfort to Kerfoot. It's nice to know that others are struggling with things, too. And if he has a question, he has multiple teammates to bounce ideas off, including more experienced fathers like Ian Cole, Nick Bjugstad, Mikhail Sergachev and Michael Carcone.
That team connection has also given the players' wives a built-in support system, too, which has especially been helpful with the families relocating to Utah.
"I'd be lying if I didn't say it was difficult," O'Brien said. "A lot was going on at the time of her birth. You're going to a new city, you've got to move and get settled. At the same time, you want to see family. It was a pretty hectic summer."
Hectic, yes; though, O'Brien said the excitement of having a new child seemed to eclipse everything else.
On paper, the offseason task list sounded difficult: find a place to live, learn a new city, deal with getting a new contract and move — all while having a baby. But just getting to look at his daughter made everything seem pretty simple.
"She just looks at me and smiles — that's a love you just haven't felt before," O'Brien said. "No offense to my wife, but it's just a different type of love and feeling. And I think that's probably the best part about being a dad."
That same type of perspective is helping the players tackle their first NHL season as fathers.
"When you're at the rink, you really want to focus on being with your teammates, putting in work, doing the best, so when you go home, it's a little bit easier to forget hockey and be present with your kid and family," Välimäki said.
The expanding families symbolize an evolving team. On the ice, Utah is emerging from a long rebuild. It won its first three games and seems poised for a strong push toward playoff contention. A young team is maturing — just like the players are off the ice.
"It's part of what's fun about being in the team environment," said coach André Tourigny. "You grow and you change and you evolve with those people."
