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Carolina Hurricanes defenseman Sean Walker received a FaceTime from his wife, Taylor, early Friday morning, informing him that her water had broken, just hours after the team's 3-0 series lead over the Philadelphia Flyers.
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It has been quite the whirlwind as of late for Carolina Hurricanes defenseman Sean Walker.
It was early Friday morning, just a few hours after the Carolina Hurricanes had taken a 3-0 series lead over the Philadelphia Flyers, when the 31-year-old defenseman received a FaceTime from his wife, Taylor.
Her water had broke.
Walker knew that his wife was expecting anytime now, but thought that he might have had a bit more time before the inevitable.
"She had an appointment on Thursday, and they said things are kind of getting going but weren't too worried about it," Walker said.
However, nature was ready to take its course and so the Hurricanes defenseman had only one goal in mind: making it for the birth.
Hurricanes Head of Team Service Mike Brown was able to hook Walker up with a 6 a.m. flight that same morning.
He stayed on the FaceTime with his wife the whole morning as he waited for the hours to count down, something he said was "really tough."
Luckily enough for him though, he made it in time to be with Taylor for the birth of his daughter.
"Thankfully we were able to get there in time," Walker said. "And I was there for everything. The baby gods were on my side on that one, and I got to experience it all. It was amazing — really an amazing experience.
"Mom and baby are doing amazing. I can't put into words how proud I am of her. She had to go through it for a little bit without me there. I did make it, but she was amazing. And just, it's funny, you know already how much you love your new daughter. And again, my wife is a rock star, the way she killed it, and just so proud of her. And I love them both."
Walker was able to spend the rest of the day with mom and baby, but knew that he had to get back to his team the next day for a potential series clinching Game 4.
That's where team owner Tom Dundon came in, chartering a private jet to get one of his team's top blueliners back for the action and by 2 p.m., Walker was back in Philadelphia, ready to roll for the 6 p.m. puck drop.
Sean Walker received a call from his wife informing him that her water had broken, coinciding with the Hurricanes' playoff success.
Sean Walker's wife is Taylor, and she shared the news that her water had broken, indicating that labor had begun.
The Carolina Hurricanes took a 3-0 series lead against the Philadelphia Flyers in the playoffs.
Sean Walker is a defenseman for the Carolina Hurricanes.
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"Unbelievable," said Carolina coach Rod Brind'Amour. "We talked about that before the game. These guys are having the time of their lives right now, and you’ve got to enjoy it. I love that he has that memory, for sure. That's special."
"It's awesome to see," said teammate Taylor Hall. "A life changing moment. I think he was a little bit stressed in the last couple weeks just on when it was gonna happen, if it was gonna be a game day or if he was gonna miss a game because when you looked at the due date, it was right around the second round of the playoffs. I think he was happy that it happened the way it did. You just have so much energy after seeing your kid born, so I wasn't worried about him in the least."
And despite all the craziness, he didn't seem to have missed a beat, logging 23:13 in the 3-2 overtime victory.
"It was weird," Walker said on the game. "It was kind of like one of the easiest and hardest games I've maybe ever played, if that makes sense. You just kind of live in the moment, running on no sleep. I ate my pregame meal in the hospital cafeteria. Yeah, it's just crazy, but you just show up. The guys were amazing, everybody: team services, the whole organization, from the owner down, really made it possible for me to be there and get back in time. And, yeah, I just was happy to contribute."
Walker isn't the only player who's recently become a first-time father either, as funny enough, his defensive partner K'Andre Miller welcomed in a baby literally just one week earlier too.
And with the Canes sweeping the Flyers in four games, they're going to have plenty of time to spend with their newly expanded families.
"I didn't want to get on the boys and tell them we better win tonight, but I'm really appreciative everybody dug in," Walker joked. "The sweeps huge for everybody, but to take this time to just be with my family is going to be really special."
"It's awesome for him," said teammate Jaccob Slavin. "Obviously hockey is amazing, to get the win is amazing, but for him to welcome a baby into the world, there's so much more to life than hockey and so happy for him, happy for his family. He came and played amazing today. Dad strength."
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