Kearns gets set to suit up
Dad, Dennis, is on vacation and will miss the game
Circumstances deprived Dennis Kearns of the opportunity to attend his son Bracken’s first NHL game 16 months ago.
It appears it’ll be a double whammy because Bracken Kearns is expected to draw into the San Jose Sharks lineup on Tuesday for a game with the Canucks at Rogers Arena, and the former outstanding Canucks defenceman will be on vacation in Palm Desert, Calif. Talk about bad timing. Bracken, 31, a career minor leaguer who’s playing for the Sharks’ AHL affiliate in Worcester, Mass., heard on Sunday from the parent club that he was being called up. The Sharks put forward Tommy Wingels on injured reserve to make room for Kearns, and with winger Martin Havlat out with a lower-body injury, Bracken was in the Sharks top-six forward group in practice on Monday before they travelled to Vancouver.
“He called me yesterday, he’s hoping to play tomorrow,” said Dennis, 67, who’s in Southern California on a golfing holiday with wife Lynn.
“I tried to change my flight and one-way was $500 so I said forget it. I would have gone otherwise.”
When Bracken made his NHL debut on Oct. 20, 2011, with Florida, Dennis also missed the game and he has yet to see his son play an NHL game in person.
“One stint was early (in the season) and the next was Dec. 1 and my wife and I were just moving into a new house so we couldn’t go,” said Dennis, who joined the Canucks in their sophomore season in the NHL (1971-72) and played 10 seasons.
Of course, he will be seeking out a venue that’s carrying the game on a big-screen TV.
“We’ll be scouting out some places where they might have it on,” said Dennis.
Bracken is Dennis and Lynn’s youngest son, behind Brook and Shea. He grew up on the North Shore and played his minor hockey at Holly burn Country Club in West Vancouver. He was a high-level amateur golfer as a teenager, but opted to stick with hockey, playing Junior Bat Grandview and then going from walk-on to captain in four years at University of Calgary.
This is Bracken’s eighth pro season – including two stops in the East Coast League. He’s been nothing if not persistent.
“He’s enjoyed what he’s been doing and he’s a good boy, so it looks good on him,” said Dennis.
Dennis said Bracken was pumped about the possibility of playing in Vancouver — still his off-season home — for the first time.
“Sure, he was a big Canucks fan, of course, because of his dad, but he was more of a fan of the game and loved Gretzky and Lemieux,” said Dennis.
“He’ll have a lot of friends at that game if he’s playing.”