Housing rookie players with established veterans an enduring NHL tradition

When Nicklas Backstrom made his NHL debut with the Washington Capitals in 2007-08, he immediately gravitated toward fellow Swede Michael Nylander.

Backstrom would talk to Nylander about hockey but more so about life. He got to know Nylander's wife and kids and would spend three days a week at their house.

Which is why Backstrom, now 27 and in his eighth NHL season, wanted to reciprocate Nylander's guidance by serving as a landlord and mentor for Swedish rookie Andre Burakovsky, the Capitals' first-round pick in 2013.

“I wanted to give Andre the same opportunity I had, to maybe make life a little easier outside of hockey,” Backstrom said.

Rookies living with veterans is a unique NHL tradition — 2014 first overall pick Aaron Ekblad is living with Willie Mitchell — and one that traces its roots to Pittsburgh.

Then-Penguins general manager Eddie Johnston arranged for a teenage rookie named Mario Lemieux to live in Mt. Lebanon with Tom and Nancy Mathews. It's a relationship that has continued through the Penguins' co-owner's career and his success as a businessman and philanthropist.

“Tom Mathews was a successful business guy,” Johnston said. “If you look at what's happening now (in Lemieux's life), putting him there and having such a great relationship with Tom Mathews helped him all along.”

Johnston had his reasons. He wanted Lemieux protected and to get a sense of “home.” He also wanted him fit, not hung over and ready to play hockey.

“Anytime a first-round pick is coming in, they stayed with families because that's what they did in juniors,” said Johnston, who did the same thing with Craig Simpson and the Mathews family in 1985-86. “If you went to a different city, you mostly stayed with a family. You're going to eat proper. You have some discipline.”

Penguins captain Sidney Crosby went through it, living with Lemieux for several years at the beginning of his career. Same for Evgeni Malkin, who lived with fellow Russian Sergei Gonchar, and Jordan Staal, who stayed with Mark Recchi.

Crosby “would definitely recommend” living with an older, more established NHL player.

“There are so many new things all at once,” Crosby said. “It's nice that a lot of stuff you wouldn't know or would spend a lot of time thinking about is taken care of when you live with someone. You're talking about the littlest things, whether it's dress code or how to get around town.”

Like Lemieux, Jaromir Jagr faced a language barrier when he arrived in Pittsburgh. General manager Craig Patrick arranged for him to stay with the Nemec family — who, like Jagr, were Czech — in West Mifflin. Now 42 and with his seventh NHL team, Jagr hasn't forgotten the experience.

“I couldn't speak any English, so they helped me a lot,” Jagr said. “But they were tough on me. I couldn't go out at all. I didn't like that much.”

The Tribune-Review contacted all 30 NHL teams, and there are three rookies living with veterans. Edmonton's first-round pick in 2014, Leon Draisaitl, is living with 21-year-old Ryan Nugent-Hopkins.

Ottawa Senators forward Curtis Lazar lives with defenseman Chris Phillips, 36, his wife and their three children.

“I'm used to a busy household,” said Lazar, who was taken 17th overall in 2013. “You see how professional Chris is. He's been in the league a long time. I can learn a lot from him.”

Many rookies opt for hotels over home-cooked meals, freedom over family life.

“Maybe it's pride. Maybe guys think they can live on their own,” said Lazar, 19. “I know I'm fully capable of doing that. I can cook for myself. I can do my laundry and whatnot, but it is a lot in the National Hockey League.”

Burakovsky lives in Backstrom's Virginia home, which is shared by Backstrom's girlfriend, Liza Berg, and their 14-month-old daughter, Haley.

“It's been incredible,” Burakovsky said. “It's been really good for me to watch ‘Backie,' how he prepares for every single game and practice every day, how he's eating and how he's taking care of his family. He's been taking really good care of me, too.”

Islanders captain John Tavares appreciated his experience living with Doug Weight as a rookie. What Weight became at home, versus what he was on the ice, was most striking for Tavares.

“That helped me realize what it's like being a pro hockey player and how to be successful on the ice, seeing the way Doug handled his emotions at the rink but how he came home,” Tavares said.

Ekblad was living in a hotel until the Florida Panthers picked up his nine-game rookie option. Mitchell, 37, approached Ekblad and opened the doors to he and his wife Megan's home.

“It's definitely something I thought about coming into training camp, thinking, ‘I don't want to be living alone,' ” Ekblad, 19, said. “That's a lot of responsibility.

“With the schedule that we have and all the ups and downs of the NHL, it's important that you have someone there to talk to.”

Jason Mackey is a staff writer for Trib Total Media. Reach him at jmackey@tribweb.comor via Twitter @Mackey_Trib.