“He helped open all the right doors for me, put me in positions where I could succeed," said Bobby Butler, a forward for the Milwaukee Admirals.
It’s not every day a father gets news that his son will be an Olympian.
The Milwaukee Admirals shared a video on Twitter of 30-year-old forward Bobby Butler informing his father that he will be joining Team USA as a member of the men's Olympic hockey team.
As Butler’s dad wraps him in an energetic embrace, his teammates could be heard in the background cheering him on and banging their sticks on the ice.
Butler told InsideEdition.com that when he received the good news that morning, he couldn’t wait to share it with his dad.
“I shot him a text before practice and said, ‘Hey, come on down, watch practice,’” he said. “He just came down at the end of practice and said, ‘Hey, what’s up?’ I shook his hand, I go, ‘By the way, I’m an Olympian,’ and he’s like, ‘No way.’”
Butler, who plays in the AHL and has not played for an NHL team since 2014, explained the moment reminded him of his childhood and how far he has come in his hockey career.
“It brought me back to high school, the year we won the state championship and he gave me the same type of hug,” he explained. “[My dad] helped open all the right doors for me, put me in positions where I could succeed and my mom, she drove me everywhere when he opened those doors. … They all helped me get to where I am today.”
He explained that he has been looking forward to this opportunity his entire life and is excited to begin training with his new teammates.
RELATED STORIES
