- Sean Walker’s wife went into labor at 1 a.m. Friday after Carolina’s Game 3 win
- Hurricanes owner Tom Dundon chartered a private jet to get him back for Game 4
- Read below for Walker’s quotes, the team’s response, and a video on his whirlwind 36 hours
Sean Walker had the most chaotic 36 hours of his life. He came out of it with a baby daughter and a trip to the Eastern Conference Final.
The Carolina Hurricanes defenseman became a first-time dad on Friday and then logged 23:13 of ice time in a 3-2 overtime win over the Flyers on Saturday, sealing a four-game sweep that sent Carolina back to the conference final.
It started around 1 a.m. Friday, just hours after the Hurricanes had taken a 3-0 series lead with a Game 3 win in Philadelphia.
Walker explained how it unfolded after Game 4:
“I was still up and she said her water broke,” Walker said. “So, I called Brownie right away, and thankfully there was a 6 a.m. flight.”
Brownie is Mike Brown, the Hurricanes’ manager of team services. Brown got Walker on the early flight from Philadelphia back to Raleigh. Quinn waited for her dad to land before making her entrance.
He said Quinn waited just long enough:
“I was there for everything,” Walker said. “So the baby gods were on my side for that one and got to experience it all. It was an amazing experience.”
He spent Friday night in Raleigh with his wife Taylor and the baby. Then came the second flight.
Hurricanes owner Tom Dundon chartered him a private jet back to Philadelphia. Walker landed around 2 p.m. Saturday, met the team at the hotel, and rode the bus to the rink with everyone else.
“I ate my pregame meal in the hospital cafeteria,” Walker said. “It’s just crazy, but you just show up and 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.”
He played his usual steady game next to defense partner K’Andre Miller. Two shots on goal, three hits, and the second-most ice time of any Carolina skater.
Then Jackson Blake ended things 5:28 into overtime to complete the sweep and send Carolina to its second straight Eastern Conference Final.
Catch the Game 4 highlights below:
The game itself felt off in a way only no sleep can produce.
“It was kind of one of the easiest and hardest games I maybe ever played, if that makes sense,” he said. “You just kind of live in the moment running on no sleep.”
Defense partner Jaccob Slavin had a theory on how Walker pulled it off.
“Hockey is amazing, to get a win is amazing, but for him to welcome a baby into the world, there’s so much more to life than hockey,” Slavin said. “So, happy for him, happy for his family. He played amazing today. Dad strength.”
Walker now gets a couple of days off before the Hurricanes find out who they’ll face in the Eastern Conference Final. He plans to spend them with Quinn and Taylor in Raleigh.
