The Pickard family’s quest for gold

Courtesy Annie Fowler, Tri-City Herald — Dan and Cathy Pickard’s family will be scattered across Canada at Christmas, celebrating the holiday 2,220 miles and five provinces apart. But that’s OK; it was their Christmas wish.

The Pickards’ oldest son Chet, the starting goaltender for the Tri-City Americans, is one of two goalies playing for Team Canada at the World Junior Championships in Ottawa. And their youngest son Calvin, a rookie goalie for the Seattle Thunderbirds, is playing for Team West at the U-17 Hockey Challenge in Port Alberni, British Columbia.

“This is what we were hoping for,” Dan Pickard said from his home in Winnipeg, Manitoba. “We knew we wouldn’t be home for Christmas, we just didn’t know where we’d be.”

Dan and daughter Kelly will make the flight to Ottawa to watch Chet, 19, play, while Cathy will travel to Port Alberni to watch 16-year-old Calvin.

“We are so proud of Chet and Calvin,” Dan said. “Calvin got home Sunday (Dec. 14) and Chet won’t be home at all. But I don’t think he’s upset with that. There’s not much family time for him, but there isn’t one kid on that team who would trade their spot to be home for Christmas.”

The Pickards made Western Hockey League history earlier this season when they became the first brothers to face each other in goal on Oct. 17 at Toyota Center. Now they both hope to bring home gold medals.

“That’s what we’re hoping to do,” said Chet, whose team opens play Friday against the Czech Republic. “I’ll be checking in with him and him with me. We’ll be rooting for each other. I never made the U-17 team — I’m so excited for him.”

Calvin and Team West leave Winnipeg on Friday and will play their first game Dec. 29 against Quebec, one of five Canadian teams in the 10-team tournament.

The Pickards aren’t the only brothers hoping to bring home matching gold medals. Team USA has forward Matt Rust (University of Michigan) on its WJC roster, while his younger brother Bryan, also a forward, is on the Team USA U-17 roster. They hail from Bloomfield Hills, Mich.

Chet went through a grueling tryout process for Team Canada, with camps over the summer and last week to earn a spot on the WJC team. He will share goaltending duties with Dustin Tokarski from the Spokane Chiefs.

Pickard is the only player from Manitoba on the team, making him a celebrity of sorts.

“Everybody wants to know who he is,” Dan Pickard said. “He’s new to the national stage. He’s been interviewed on the radio, on TSN and a lot of newspapers and magazines.”

Calvin went through tryouts this past summer and was named to Team West the first week of December. He will be joined on Team West by Tri-City rookie Brooks Macek.

“I think both are bona fide in receiving those honors,” Tri-City player Don Nachbaur said of the Pickard brothers. “Chet came in here, played well and put up good numbers to make the World Juniors. That’s a lot of pressure on a younger brother to live up to, but for 16 he’s (Calvin) a good one. He’s earned the right to play on that 17-year-old team.”

The Pickard brothers have been two of the best goaltenders in the WHL the first half of the season.

Chet is 18-7-0-2 with three shutouts. He’s ranked sixth in the league in goals against average (2.50), is fourth in save percentage (.914), and has the Americans on top of the U.S. Division with a five-point lead over second-place Spokane at the holiday break.

Calvin, who shares time in net with Jacob DeSerres in Seattle, is 10-11-1-2 with one shutout. He’s 15th in the league with a 2.94 goals against average, compared with DeSerres (4-8-0-0), who is 31st with a 4.07.

“We are aware of his brother (Chet), but it’s not fair to compare them,” said Thunderbirds coach Rob Sumner. “They are both very good, they are both in the WHL, but they have taken different paths once they got here.

“I never saw Calvin before we drafted him, but our staff had him as the top-ranked goalie that year (2007),” Sumner added. “He’s played exceptional for us. He’s poised, he hasn’t faltered at all and he gives us a chance to win most nights.”

According to Richard Doerksen of the WHL office, the only other goaltending brothers he can recall in the league were Garth (Calgary Centennials, 1973-74) and Clint (Portland Winter Hawks, 1979-81) Malarchuk.

Whereas Calvin jumped right into battle, Chet spent the first two years of his career in the WHL playing backup to Carey Price, now the starter for the Montreal Canadiens.
But once Chet got his shot, he was worth the wait. Last season, he set a franchise record with 46 wins, going 46-12-2-2 with two shutouts. He led the Americans to the Western Conference
finals, where they lost an epic seven-game series to Spokane. He was named WHL and CHL goaltender of year and was a first-round draft pick of the Nashville Predators.

“I had a lot to learn when I came into the league,” Chet said. “I didn’t know what to expect, but I’ve kind of shown Calvin the way by being a big brother. I learned from Carey, and (Calvin) learned from me. He’s already matched my win total and minutes played that I had as a rookie. We didn’t expect him to get the amount of games he’s played as a young guy, but that experience is important.”

Calvin also is surprised by the amount of playing time he’s gotten.

“It’s certainly not what I expected,” he said. “I expected to be the backup and be called upon when needed. Chet has helped me a lot since he came to the Dub and even this year but I don’t want to be like him. I want to make my own achievements playing for the Thunderbirds.”

Chet and Calvin may be surprised by Calvin’s ice time and record, but their father isn’t.

“Chet never got the opportunity to go to the U-17s, but in Calvin’s case he’s always been recognized as one of the best goaltenders his age,” Dan Pickard said. “Chet’s had to work a little harder and he’s earned it, but Calvin’s always had more recognition.

“There’s never been a rivalry, but a respect for each other’s ability,” Dan added. “They are each their own man and they are proud of each other.”
While Chet is beaming with pride over his brother’s accomplishments, he still has a pang of big brother in his heart.

“It’s hard to see your brother get scored on at the other end of the ice,” Chet said. “It’s not something you see very often. It would be nice for it to be 0-0 and go into a shootout. I’m proud of what he’s accomplished and I hope he does well.”

Instead of seeing the Pickards in opposite goals, Americans fans were two bantam draft picks shy of possibly seeing them on the same team. Tri-City, which had no first-round pick in 2007, was two picks behind Seattle in the second round, which is where the Thunderbirds landed Calvin.

“If Calvin had been available we may have taken him,” said Americans general manager Bob Tory. “But we were focusing on forwards that year and were lucky to get (Brooks) Macek and (Jordan) Messier.”

Chet and Calvin may not be playing on the same team this holiday season, but both will be making saves toward the same goal — gold medals.
“That would be cool,” Calvin said.

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Photo courtesy Paul T. Erickson/Tri-City Herald