CRANBERRY, Pa. -- Players sometimes talk about getting "dad strength" when becoming first-time fathers.
If "dad strength is real," the Penguins have two key players coming into this season with that added boost.
Jake Guentzel and Rickard Rakell both became dads over the summer, with Guentzel and his wife Natalie welcoming their son Charlie Allen and Rakell and his wife Emmeli welcoming their daughter Daisy Summer.
Rakell described the experience so far as being "a lot of fun" first and foremost.
"Something new is happening everyday, like growing out of her pajamas or making a new noise," he said. "There's a lot of new things, trying to get into new routines and everything, but I think we've been spoiled with how well it's been going so far."
Rakell laughed that their dogs Heinz and Stella are still warming up to their new sister.
"They're a little scared of her," he said. "Like, they won't go close to her, they'll let her have her space."
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Guentzel broke into a big smile and said that everything has been "awesome" with his son.
"It's a new experience, a new challenge," he told me. "It's been good so far and he's starting to sleep a lot now. It's been a lot of fun just to see him grow, and how much he's grown already."
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Something you hear a lot of first-time dads in the league talk about is how going through the experience just gives them a new perspective, and both Rakell and Guentzel spoke of that feeling.
"I feel a little bit older," Rakell said. "Like, I really have some responsibilities. I have to make sure I take care of her, my family and her, so that changes it a little bit. But it's good. I like our family right now, we have so much fun. Before it was nice having the dogs to come home to and obviously my wife. But I'm gonna miss her a lot when we're on the road. It feels like you're going to miss a lot of time. Like, she's going to grow, she's growing so fast. It's life-changing but for the good."
Guentzel echoed a similar sentiment.
"It's a whole new thing," he said. "He depends on us. It just gives you a new look on life just taking care of him and watching him grow. The biggest thing is you go home and you see him smiling and sitting there, and it just brings happiness and joy to your life. It's been really fun so far, I just can't wait to see him as he gets older."
The new dads club in the locker room will be gaining another member later this season: Marcus Pettersson and his girlfriend Beatrice are expecting their first child in February.
Marcus Pettersson is going to be a dad! pic.twitter.com/plZbFTGwTu
— Taylor Haase (@TaylorHaasePGH) September 26, 2022
Pettersson told me that they don't know yet if they're having a boy or a girl, and they don't want to find out yet. They want to keep it a surprise.
"I would say it's been the past few weeks that's really felt like it's a real," he said of his emotions right now. "Like it felt a little surreal before that. I'm nervous, I'm excited. I don't know what to feel right now. But everything's going great, and we're excited. Really excited."
There are a number of Penguins players who have young kids, and Pettersson said that he's going to be leaning on them for some advice once his baby comes in just a few months.
"I've seen (Rakell) handle his new baby Daisy, so I'm trying to take a lead on that," he said. "And (Brian Dumoulin, Chad Ruhwedel, Bryan Rust) have babies, so it's been a lot of fun watching them grow up over these past two, three years. I'm for sure trying to take their lead."
Pettersson and Rakell are close friends, being the only two Swedes in the locker room and knowing each other from their time in Anaheim. Having his first child shortly after Rakell welcomed his daughter makes things that much more exciting, because he's looking forward to seeing their children grow up together.
"We hope they'll be friends," Pettersson said. "It's not even a year between them, it's super fun that a close friend like that can have a baby at the same time."
