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Capitals' Bellows has whirlwind day

Web posted June 12, 1998

By Tom Canavan
Associated Press

DETROIT -- The smile on Brian Bellows' face was wide and joyous, and said it all.

He had a newborn, a son, and the worries of waiting for the birth of his second child the past few weeks were over.

On Thursday, the 33-year-old forward went back to work, trying to help the Washington Capitals win the Stanley Cup.

Bellows took a short break after Game 1 on Tuesday night. He flew home to Minnesota on a charter flight paid for by team owner Abe Pollin, arriving around 2 a.m. After three or four hours sleep, he accompanied his wife, Tracy, to a hospital, where doctors induced labor.

Kiefer Sullivan Bellows was born at 2 p.m. Within hours, Bellows was back in Detroit, ready to play in Game 2 of the best-of-7 series.

``It was a whirlwind kind of a day, but a beautiful, fantastic day,'' a smiling Bellows said after participating in the pregame skate Thursday for Game 2. ``I really averted a situation where I don't think I would have been happy with.''

In the old days of hockey, many players would not have gone home to be with their wives during a birth.

``It's become a more civilized game, more family orientated, a game where the management and the players work together,'' Bellows said. ``Before, when you first came in the league it was more: `OK, you're our property and you are going to do basically what we say and when.'''

Bellows said there was no way he would have missed his son's birth but he admitted he would have felt guilty leaving, feeling he was letting the team down.

That's why Bellows has struggled internally the past three weeks with the pressures of trying to help the Capitals in the playoffs and being there for Tracy.

This wasn't an easy time for her, either. She had a miscarriage last summer and then she had a difficult time early in this pregnancy in Germany, where Brian was playing hockey early this season. He signed with Washington in late March and he has been one of their better players in the playoffs, with four goals and six assists in 18 games.

However, the past few weeks have been tough as the due date of July 3 approached. Three weeks ago, Tracy Bellows started having contractions, so Brian Bellows went to general manager George McPhee and asked him to look into charter flights so he could have a plane in a hurry.

Bellows said he would pay for it. Thirty-six hours later, McPhee said Pollin offered his plane, free.

``It was a heartfelt gesture, not just because we are winning, but I feel he would have done it anytime,'' Bellows said.

On Tuesday, it was decided Bellows would fly home after Game 1.

Bellows thought those plans changed hours before the game. Waiting on the team bus that was to take them to Joe Louis Arena, a couple of players told Bellows there was a telephone call for him in the hotel.

``I said, `No, not now.'''

It turned out it was the charter pilot informing Bellows of a change in the itinerary.

``I came back from that phone call just sweating, I was dripping wet,'' Bellows recalled.

The birth on Wednesday made up for all the worries.

``It was an amazing thing,'' Bellows said. ``Once things start happening . .. It's still my second time and to me it's one of the most amazing things that happen.''

Within a few hours, Bellows said goodbye to his 7-pound son and was skating with his teammates Thursday.

``Even today in practice I felt a lot looser, a lot lighter on my skates,'' Bellows said. ``I just felt like big load had been taken off my shoulder.''

Bellows would not mind having that weight put back on his shoulders in a couple of weeks, so long as it was the weight of the Stanley Cup.

``While I was in the hospital, Tracy's parents and everyone that came said now all you need is the Stanley Cup. Take a picture of the baby sitting in it,'' Bellows said. ``That's the perfect world. We just have to work toward that.''