TARRYTOWN, N.Y. — A few hours after competing against each other at Madison Square Garden, NHL brothers Darren and Taylor Raddysh anxiously boarded a late flight out of Newark Liberty International Airport.
They were headed to Toronto to visit their ailing father, Dwayne Raddysh, who was diagnosed with stage-four pancreatic cancer in May and was reaching the end of his initial prognosis.
“We thought that was the last time to see him,” Taylor said of the Nov. 29 trip.
Neither Darren, a defenseman for the Tampa Bay Lightning, nor Taylor, a forward for the New York Rangers, were scheduled to play again until Dec. 2, which provided the opening. Both organizations encouraged the brothers to go, with the Lightning going so far as to help charter a flight so that Darren’s wife Selena and 1-month-old son Beau could join them from Tampa.
Darren traveled with Taylor, his wife (also named Taylor) and their 1-year-old son Bennett, with both families converging at the Raddysh residence with Dwayne and their mother Gwen.
“It was the first time all six of us got to go up and see Grandma and Grandpa,” Darren recalled on a phone call with The Athletic last week. “So, we wanted to make sure that he did get to meet my son, and get to see my brother’s son, as well, and get to spend that quality time. … It meant a lot for us.”
The next two days were spent running through the gamut of emotions, reliving fond memories and saying all the things they didn’t want to regret holding back. The brothers cherished those moments while bracing for the possibility that this could be goodbye.
“The doctor told us he might not even be around until Christmas,” Darren said.
While the Raddysh brothers fight to sustain NHL careers, their father is facing a much grimmer opponent. He’s beaten the doctor’s prediction and held on well into the new year, but the demands of a professional hockey schedule have forced his sons to largely watch from afar as Dwayne is increasingly weakened by the disease.
They’ve played every shift with heavy hearts, yet found strength in their father’s courage and motivation in his pride.
“With the season and how much we’re traveling and how much we’re playing and how busy we are, it obviously takes a toll,” Darren said. “You’re just trying to make sure you’re doing this for the right (reasons). You know how hard Mom and Dad worked for us to get to the point that we’re at now, and when we are playing, it makes it special for them.
“When they’re watching and listening, I know they’re smiling from ear to ear when they hear our name or they see us on TV.”
Taylor, left, and Darren Raddysh as children. (Courtesy of the Tampa Bay Lightning)
‘I knew something was wrong’
Darren flew to Washington last spring to watch Taylor, then a member of the Capitals, play the Carolina Hurricanes in the second round of the NHL playoffs. After the Caps were eliminated in Game 5 on May 12, Darren called his father to get his thoughts on the game.
“I could hear something in his voice,” he said. “Whenever he talks to us, he never really asks for both of us to talk at the same time. If he’s going to talk to my brother, he’ll call him separately, but he asked for both of us. I knew something was wrong from there.”
Taylor was with his Washington teammates, still processing the end of their season, so they decided to wait and deliver the news about Dwayne’s diagnosis until the next day. Soon after, the Raddysh brothers were heading home to hear what the doctors had to say about the next steps.
“They gave my dad four to six months,” Taylor recalled. “When you hear it, you’re shocked, sad, scared, feelings for him, feelings for all of us individually. It was an emotional time and something you never expect to happen. When it does, it rips your heart out.”
Despite the stunning timeline and overwhelming sorrow, the Raddyshes quickly shifted their focus to a plan that could beat that bleak timeline.
The message, as Darren put it, was unwavering: “How do we fight this as best as possible?”
Dwayne Raddysh, left, with Darren. (Courtesy of the Tampa Bay Lightning)
Family man
As both Darren and Taylor emphasized, that determination stems from their father.
Throughout their childhoods in Caledon, Ont., Dwayne logged grueling hours as a warehouse manager while remaining steadfast in his commitment to help his kids pursue their hockey dreams.
“My dad would get up at 4 in the morning, go to work, and he wouldn’t come home,” Darren recalled. “He’d pick us up, take us to practice, and he wouldn’t get home till 9 at night, then go to bed and do it all over again.”
“Most dads would do it for their kids,” Taylor added. “I was lucky my dad was one of those guys.”
Both brothers described a household that was full of love. Their parents were devoted and caring, but Dwayne could also be “hard on us,” as Darren described.
“He always wanted us putting our best foot forward and making sure we’re getting the most out of whatever we’re doing,” he added.
Work ethic was non-negotiable, as was making time to be there for each other.
“I didn’t really appreciate that until growing up,” Darren said. “That’s something that I want to take into my life and give to my son, and just give him the best life that I can, because I know my dad did the same thing for us. Every car ride and every hockey tournament, he was always there. Any time I had any event or any accomplishment, he was always there by our side. Him always being around and helping us through whatever problems we had or whatever accomplishments we had were definitely the best moments for me.”
Darren Raddysh celebrates a goal with his Tampa Bay Lightning teammates in 2024. (Mike Ehrmann / Getty Images)
Darren’s perseverance
Darren turned 27 on Feb. 28, 2023, at which point he logged 339 career games in the American Hockey League — including 108 for the Rangers’ AHL affiliate, the Hartford Wolf Pack — and only four in the NHL.
It’s rare for any player to break through at that age, a reality Darren admitted was difficult to block out of his mind.
“There were definitely times four or five years into my pro hockey career where I maybe thought, ‘Is this what I want to do for the rest of my life?’” he recalled. “Playing the AHL is a great opportunity, and people make a great living, but did I have it in me to make it to the NHL?”
Whenever doubt crept in, Dwayne was usually his first call.
“He always believed in me,” Darren said. “I think it’s something that I’ve taken into my career now, and the way I play is, ‘Never give up, and always make sure you’re trying your hardest. Eventually, you’ll get rewarded.’”
That moment came shortly after Darren’s 27th birthday. He was recalled by the Lightning two days later and hasn’t returned to the minor leagues since.
As Darren approaches his 30th birthday on Saturday, he’s in the midst of a breakout campaign. He ranks sixth among all NHL defensemen with 52 points (17 goals and 32 assists) through 49 games played, making him one of the league’s best stories of perseverance.
This success comes as no surprise to Taylor and the rest of the Raddysh family, who watched as Darren went undrafted, then responded by winning OHL defenseman of the year in 2016-17 and persisting at multiple AHL stops.
“He’s been doubted everywhere, but I feel like when he’s put in the right position — and this is the way he’s been his whole life — with the right amount of ice time, he can contribute,” Taylor said. “Even defensively, he gets knocked a lot, but he always plays hard. He’s not the biggest guy, but he’ll give you everything he’s got. And offensively, he’s always had that, so it’s nice to see him being rewarded on the power play on that team, and he kind of took it full force. I’m super pumped. It’s obviously not been an easy year for both of us, but for him to do that, it’s a great source (of pride) for our family.”
Taylor Raddysh has had a challenging season for the struggling Rangers. (Sarah Stier / Getty Images)
Taylor’s perspective
The younger of the two Raddysh brothers took a more straightforward path to the NHL.
Taylor was a second-round pick for Tampa Bay in 2016 and debuted during the 2021-22 season. His rise was much steadier, yet he never felt a hint of jealousy from Darren.
“He always wants me to do better than him,” Taylor said.
While Taylor had more initial success, including a 20-goal output with the Chicago Blackhawks in 2022-23, the roles reversed lately. Darren’s career took off as a member of the first-place Lightning, while Taylor and the Rangers are stuck at the bottom of the Eastern Conference.
The 28-year-old winger has mostly played on New York’s fourth line, where he’s had a few standout moments. The biggest one came on a hat trick against the San Jose Sharks on Oct. 23 — a feat Darren matched on Jan. 3, making the Raddyshes the first set of NHL brothers since Marián and Peter Šťastný in 1982 to earn hat tricks against the same opponent in the same season.
It was a notable highlight in an otherwise disappointing season for Taylor, but the realities of what’s going on at home have helped him keep the Rangers’ struggles in perspective.
“It’s obviously not something you ever want to go through as a team or an organization, but at the end of the day, you’re still playing NHL,” he said. “It’s a privilege to be able to play, and no matter what goes on, you can’t really control anything other than just being present in the moment. And that’s kind of what we have to do with our dad. Just be present all the time we have him and just take it day-by-day. That’s kind of been our motto from the start of this.”
Taylor Raddysh and his dad, Dwayne, on Taylor’s wedding day. (Courtesy of the Raddysh family)
Pushing for the next visit
Darren, Taylor and their families spent eight days in Caledon earlier this month, with the NHL’s Olympic break providing the latest opportunity to get everyone together.
“He’s kind of bedridden right now, but my mom is doing the best she can,” Darren said. “She’s been amazing.”
The brothers have also been amazed by their father’s ability to stay positive. His bravery in the face of terminal illness is one of the things they’ll remember most from this trying year.
“He’s handled it way better than me,” Taylor said. “If I knew I had a certain amount of days left to live, it’d be — I don’t even know how you could do it.”
Dwayne’s movement is limited these days and he spends a lot of time sleeping, but he sets the clock to make sure he’s tuned in for each of their games. Every time they take the ice, they know Dad is watching.
It’s one of the things that’s kept Dwayne going, along with trying to hold on for the next visit. The Lightning are scheduled to play in Toronto on March 7, while the Rangers will be in town March 25. Both boys told their father they plan to see him then.
“He keeps battling his way to find another time for us to be home,” Taylor said.
Collectively, they’re inspiring each other to make the best of difficult circumstances and keep striving for the next milestone.
“This is probably the worst situation you can have, but I do believe that what’s going on with my dad has pushed both of us to try and be better people, be better players, be better fathers and husbands,” Darren said.
“It just goes to show what type of man my dad was and how much he cared for my mom and my brother and I. He’s led us to where we are now.”
Correction: A previous version of this incorrectly described an accomplishment by the Raddyshes. They are the first set of NHL brothers since 1982 to earn hat tricks against the same opponent in the same season.