The Detroit News’s Mark Falkner reports that former Red Wing Brad Stuart has moved to Michigan to support his sons’ hockey dreams:
It was Game 1 of the 2008 NHL Western Conference semifinals against the arch-rival Colorado Avalanche, and Detroit Red Wings defenseman Brad Stuart asked to skip the game because he had “something more important to attend to.”
Stuart flew to Los Gatos, California, with the blessing of Red Wings general manager Ken Holland, for the birth of his second son, Logan, born on April 23, 2008, the same day as Detroit’s 4-3 win in the opener against the Avalanche at Joe Louis Arena.
Now, 16 years after Detroit swept Colorado and won the franchise’s 11th and last Stanley Cup, Stuart has returned to Michigan from Manhattan Beach, California, to follow his son’s hockey careers with USA Hockey’s National Team Development Program in Plymouth Township.
Logan, 16, is a center with the U17 team and is eligible for the 2026 NHL Draft. Jake, who turned 18 last week, is also a center with the U18 team. He’ll play in Thursday’s All-American Game at USA Hockey Arena for top U.S. prospects for the 2025 NHL Draft (7 p.m., NHL Network).
“At the time, it was a little more acceptable for a guy to miss the birth of a child,” Stuart, 45, said. “Now, it’s expected you’ll be there. The decision wasn’t really that hard for me. I had been there for the birth of Jake, my older boy and I had also missed a game but it didn’t happen in the playoffs. Obviously, I wanted to play, for sure, but I knew these kind of moments are ones you don’t want to miss.”
The Stuart boys played most of their junior hockey with the Los Angeles Junior Kings, coached by their dad, a 6-foot-2, 215-pound defensive defenseman who played 1,056 games with six NHL teams, including five years with the Wings from 2007-2012.
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