Following in his brother’s footsteps

In his role of older brother, Haydn Fleury has worn many hats.

The Winnipeg Jets defenceman has shown the way, acted as a protector and often lent a helping hand with a word or two of advice when it comes to the experiences on and off the ice he shares with Cale, who plays for the Seattle Kraken and is just over two years younger.

After the morning skate Thursday, Fleury played the role of hype man as he spoke with reporters about the third meeting of their respective NHL careers that was about to take place inside Canada Life Centre.

“Yeah, this is the marquee matchup, though,” said Fleury. “Around the NHL, everyone has this one on their calendars.”

For those who weren’t there to witness it in person, Fleury’s tongue was firmly planted in his cheek when he uttered those words in response to a question about how two of his Jets’ teammates also have NHL brotherly connections in Luke and Brayden Schenn and Morgan and Justin Barron — who went head-to-head in Winnipeg last Saturday when the Nashville Predators were in town.

The Fleury brothers are most definitely the marquee matchup for the folks of Carlyle, Sask., the town they grew up in that is 200 km southeast of Regina.

The brotherly bond is a strong one, as Haydn blazed the trail to play first in minor hockey and eventually moving on to the famous Notre Dame Hounds program before graduating to the Western Hockey League to eventually become a Top-10 pick of the Carolina Hurricanes in the 2014 NHL Draft.

Cale followed a similar road and was chosen in the third round of the 2017 NHL Draft by the Montreal Canadiens.

“It’s awesome,” said Cale. “Similar paths. I’ve been following his footsteps every step of the way. It’s (nice) to have somebody to look up to and ask for advice. Even having somebody that understands what you’re going through helps out a lot.”

Make no mistake, this is a two-way street and the older brother has also done plenty of leaning on the younger brother over the years.

“We’ve been to a lot of places together,” said Haydn. “I just remember the backyard rink games, all the mini-sticks and all the things along the way. These are special nights and some things I’ll never forget.

“Yeah, there’d be some days where maybe we both weren’t playing, like last year in Seattle, and we just hung out and almost take your mind off it. We have a lot of things in common. We both love to play golf in the summer and try to do that as much as we can. I think we do a really good job of separating the game from our relationship and just being able to hang out and be brothers instead of hockey players is something we do a really good job of.”

Cale’s NHL debut with the Canadiens came on Oct. 3 of 2019 against the Hurricanes — and his older brother, which made for quite a memorable night for the family, which includes their father John and their mother Sandy.

“I hadn’t scored yet, I think I had played 87 games or something like that. And he got a breakaway in his first game,” said Haydn. “Thankfully, Petr Mrazek made a great save for me, otherwise I wouldn’t hear the end of it from that one.”

Cale verified Haydn’s account of that first meeting — and admitted there would have been some lifelong chirping involved had he found the back of the net.

“It didn’t even feel like I was real that I had a breakaway in my first game. But, I was unlucky that I didn’t score,” said Cale. “Haydn didn’t have a goal in the league yet at that point, so I really wanted to bury one before him.”

The Fleury parents were once again in attendance for Thursday’s tilt, just as they were Wednesday when everyone went to watch Haydn’s oldest son play hockey after a family dinner.

“There won’t be any jerseys or merch worn on any side,” said Haydn. “When you look at two kids from a town of 1,200 people to make the NHL and be able to play each other is really cool. I know they’re really proud of both of us.”

The support from the province of Saskatchewan and the town of Carlyle has been evident to the Fleurys for years.

“Yeah, it’s awesome. I think most of our town is Jets fans. It’s really cool,” said Haydn. “My parents live there now and they really feel the support. Just the texts we get from people in our community is really special.”

Part of the shared experience for the Fleury brothers included suiting up in a handful of games with the Kraken together during the 2021-22 season, when Haydn suited up in 36 contests and Cale got into nine.

“Obviously, playing against him is pretty sweet and not a lot of guys get to do that,” said Cale. “But playing with your brother, even (fewer) guys get the chance to do that, so it was pretty neat.”

Cale was at the end of a six-game road trip on Thursday, so the bonus family time was welcome.

“It (provides) a little bit of a perk up to see the family and step away from the game a little bit,” he said. “It’s nice.”

Since signing a one-year, two-way deal as an unrestricted free agent with the Jets in the summer of 2024, Haydn has done an excellent job of carving out a role as an NHL regular.

After a strong performance in the playoffs — which included more than 33 minutes of ice time in Game 7 against the St. Louis Blues in the opening round — Haydn signed a two-year pact with the Jets this past summer and he’s settled in nicely on a pairing with Luke Schenn.

Jets head coach Scott Arniel has seen growth in Haydn’s game since he arrived on the scene.

“I always knew he was a really good skater and that’s always his best attribute, in the sense of how quick he can close on people and jump in the rush,” said Arniel. “But we’ve really seen it more this year. Obviously, he’s in every night right now, and he’s been able to put his skating on display. But then he’s added to it as well, with his defending and closing quick on people jumping in the rush offensively, creating plays. He’s had some really good looks offensively. And that’s kind of just him feeling confident in doing those things nightly.”

Cale, meanwhile, appeared in his fourth game of the campaign with the Kraken and is trying to take advantage of an extended run with Ryker Evans sidelined with an injury and Brandon Montour away from the team for family reasons.

Just like he has since they were kids growing up in small-town Saskatchewan, Cale is trying to be like his big brother.

“He’s been grinding, in and out of the lineup for a long time. It’s taken until now, when he’s 28 or 29, where he’s established himself that he can help out every night and stick around in the lineup,” said Cale. “That’s definitely my next goal is to stick around and try to be a game player every day.”

ken.wiebe@freepress.mb.ca

X and Bluesky: @WiebesWorld