from Michael Russo of the Star Tribune,

In the cruelest of ironies, the two cornerstone pieces and closest of friends that the Wild signed in 2012 each lost his father four months apart last season.

It made for a miserable year for Zach Parise and Ryan Suter, one that required balancing professionalism during the public eye of a hockey season with the heartache that comes with losing the men they idolized the most.

“It was hard. I’m not going to lie,” Parise said of mourning the loss of his dad, J.P., following a battle with cancer so soon after Suter lost his dad, Bob, of a sudden heart attack. “At this point now, this year can only be better, I guess. It was a long season, a long year away from the rink.

“You know, there’s always something that makes you think of him. Every single day, there’s something that reminds you. That’s just life. It’ll hit me sometimes where you get sad, or sometimes you just laugh. Your mind’s always working. But what’s been good for me is to have kids of my own where I lose myself with them and not just drive myself crazy.

“That’s what helped me through it a ton last year, to be honest. But I’m in a good spot mentally now where I think this year can only be better.”

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