WINNIPEG 鈥� Kyle Connor laughs when asked what was more difficult 鈥� preparing for his wedding last summer or the hockey season?
The Winnipeg Jets star left-winger married longtime girlfriend Ally Petack in front of about 150 friends and family in their home state of Michigan in July.
He had a few assists.
鈥淚f I needed to have my input valued, then it was there,鈥� Connor said in a recent interview. 鈥淚t was a big day for me but, obviously, for a girl it鈥檚 another thing. It鈥檚 their dream pretty much, so it was good and very special.鈥�
That happy occasion was followed up by the Jets鈥� strong start to the NHL season, and then news in November that the couple is expecting a daughter on March 31.
It鈥檚 a lot of positive vibes on and off the ice for Connor, who leads Winnipeg in scoring with 59 points in 45 games after recording his sixth career hat trick in the team鈥檚 6-1 win over the Vancouver Canucks Tuesday night.
He and Mark Scheifele both have 26 goals for the club that sits first in the Western Conference (30-12-3).
鈥淲e鈥檝e had success, but we鈥檙e still very hungry as a team,鈥� Connor said. 鈥淭he kind of culture that we鈥檝e built here is to never be satisfied.鈥�
He doesn鈥檛 correlate his happy home life to his production with the puck this season, but acknowledges things are going well.
鈥淚鈥檓 definitely in a good spot in my life where I鈥檓 happy about it,鈥� Connor said.
鈥淵ou鈥檙e playing the sport you love and, obviously, everything outside of hockey is awesome for me. We鈥檙e having a lot of fun.鈥�
Ally Connor has volunteered with the Winnipeg Jets Hockey Academy, a play-based program that helps students in socially and economically challenged schools with hockey and life skills.
She plans to be in the stands for an elite competition next month, watching her husband suit up for the United States in the 4 Nations Face-Off in Montreal and Boston.
When the couple returns from the event that runs Feb. 12-20, the countdown to their family addition will begin in earnest.
Kyle Connor said he and Ally started dating in 2019, meeting through mutual friends in Detroit. They connected on numerous levels, with both enjoying spending time with family and being outdoors, especially on the lakes in Michigan.
The Jets鈥� players, wives and girlfriends are their family away from home as they navigate this next chapter in their lives.
鈥淭here鈥檚 a lot of new fathers here, lot of new guys that have gone through it,鈥� Connor, 28, said. 鈥淵ou pick their brains, but at the same time you just want to be your own man and figure it out.
鈥淚鈥檓 sure the time will come when I鈥檒l need their support and they鈥檒l be there.鈥�
He has two brothers and a sister, but he鈥檒l be the first to enter parenthood.
Jets captain Adam Lowry said the team is going through a bit of a baby boom.
The wives of Eric Comrie and Dominic Toninato are also expecting. Last summer, Neal Pionk鈥檚 wife had their first child and Dylan DeMelo and Haydn Fleury became fathers for the second time.
鈥淚 think it鈥檚 great that not only can the mothers, the wives support each other as they go through it together 鈥� we鈥檙e gone a lot 鈥� but a lot of the guys are going through that experience together and they can gripe about not sleeping,鈥� Lowry said.
鈥淣ormally you鈥檇 be surrounded usually by your family and your hometown or whatnot, but being away it鈥檚 nice to have that support system of guys going through similar situations.鈥�
Selected by the Jets in the first round of the 2015 NHL draft (17th overall), Connor joined the team full-time in 2017-18, leading the league鈥檚 rookies in goals with 31. His seven-year, US$49.9-million contract runs through next season.
Lowry鈥檚 not sure if Connor鈥檚 positive personal life has impacted his success on the ice.
鈥淚 feel like Kyle is so stoic that sometimes it's such a hard read to know how things are going, whether it's good or bad,鈥� Lowry said.
鈥淗e kind of comes in and he's always so even keel. But I think good things away from the rink kind of allow you the peace of mind when you come to the rink to solely focus on hockey.鈥�
It might also just be Connor鈥檚 evolution as he matures, Lowry said.
鈥淚 think it鈥檚 one of those things where he鈥檚 just taken another step into kind of becoming that superstar, all-star, that we view him as.鈥�
Connor has more of a leadership role on the team.
鈥淗e鈥檚 been a little more vocal in between periods,鈥� Lowry said. 鈥淚 don鈥檛 know if he鈥檚 focusing on trying to take that next step.
鈥淵ou can certainly feel like when we鈥檙e not playing at our best or things aren鈥檛 going well, he鈥檚 a guy that you can sometimes kind of feel that fire burning and you want to follow a guy like that.鈥�
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Month Date, 20XX.
Judy Owen, The Canadian Press
