Thanksgiving has universal appeal for the Penguins

Thanksgiving can be difficult for Bryan Rust.

Over the years, it has become a day that has caused heartbreak, anger, tension and all other kinds of negative emotions.

And it’s easy to understand why.

He’s a Detroit Lions fan.

Through the first 27 years of his life, the native of Pontiac, Mich., has seen his Lions go 10-16 in their traditional afternoon game on Thanksgiving.

“Always get beat by the Packers,” the Penguins forward lamented while shaking his head.

(For the record, Green Bay has a 4-2 record against the Lions on Thanksgiving since 1992, Rust’s birth year.)

Sporting interests aside, Thanksgiving is an enjoyable holiday for Rust and many other Americans.

At the same time, it is a curiosity to some of his teammates, particularly those who hail from east of the Greenwich Meridian.

Thanksgiving is a holiday celebrated in the U.S. and Canada but not in Europe.

“Guys who have been around the league long enough and around Americans, they kind of understand,” Rust said. “But it’s always interesting to see how the new guys from Europe kind of embrace the tradition.”

As rosters in the NHL, AHL, ECHL and all other leagues in the Western Hemisphere are dotted with players from Sweden, Russia, Finland and other European countries, it’s a holiday that is foreign but welcoming for non-North Americans.

“It’s a little bit different,” said defenseman Marcus Pettersson, a native of Skelleftea, Sweden. “I never (did) it growing up. We don’t do it in Sweden. But I know it’s a big holiday here. Just a moment to kind of reflect and be thankful. It’s in the name, right? So be thankful for what you have. Not every person has a chance to play in the NHL. Just kind of take a step back from that and have a nice time with your friends and family.”

“It’s unique,” said forward Dominik Simon, who was born in the Czech Republic. “We don’t have Thanksgiving. I’ve been in the USA now for four years, so I’ve been celebrating it since I came over. It was a new holiday to me, but I love it. It’s a great holiday.”

Acclimation to the holiday isn’t difficult.

“We had some Finns that (were) in San Diego there, too,” said Pettersson, who began his North American career with the AHL’s San Diego Gulls. “We (each) didn’t know what it was. So we did it with each other. We just bought a bunch of stuff and had a nice meal. We didn’t try to do it with the traditional ingredients, but we had a nice meal and took it easy.”

“I just was told to come over to a townhouse where we all met as a team with girlfriends and stuff,” Simon said of his first Thanksgiving as a member of the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins. “It was really nice. You watch football, you have some great food and have a good time with friends or family or the team.”

Given the international reach hockey has, the holiday is celebrated in small pockets throughout Europe.

“When I played in Germany, we had American and Canadian guys,” said forward Dominik Kahun, who was born in the Czech Republic but raised in Germany. “So we celebrated with them at a team event.”

The Canadian perspective on Thanksgiving is a little different. By about six weeks.

Our neighbors … er … neighbours above the 49th parallel celebrate their version of the holiday in mid-October. This year, it was Oct. 12.

While the American version is commonly connected to pilgrims as well as Native Americans at Plymouth Colony and is held on the last Thursday of November, Canadian Thanksgiving is staged on the second Monday of October and is not tied to any historic event or individuals. It generally is a celebration of a harvest, which, given Canada’s more frigid climate, occurs earlier than most portions of the U.S.

Additionally, the holiday is not celebrated as much in Quebec as in quadrants of the country that traditionally speak English as the primary language.

Logistics aside, the Canadian holiday largely has the same traits as in the U.S.

“Pretty much the same stuff,” said goaltender Matt Murray of Thunder Bay, Ontario. “For us, it was always turkey, stuffing and cranberry sauce was the big one. It’s not the same as the football thing here. But it’s the same thing. You just kind of hang out at home and have awesome food.”

For Canadian NHL players plying their craft in the U.S. or their American peers doing the same up north, there is ample opportunity for second helpings, albeit a month-and-a-half apart.

“In Canada, ours is a lot earlier,” said forward Jared McCann, a native of Stratford, Ont. “October. So we get to celebrate it twice. It’s kind of nice.”

“Another chance to have a good meal, I guess,” said Murray, whose team returns to the ice Friday at the Columbus Blue Jackets. “But we had family come down for Canadian Thanksgiving last month. You kind of just get to do it twice.”

Regardless a player’s or coach’s background, one sentiment appears universal with the holiday.

“People that spend time here learn to appreciate it,” said coach Mike Sullivan, of Marshfield, Mass. “What Thanksgiving has always meant or represented to me is it’s about gratitude and family and the things that are important in your life. It’s a great opportunity for all of us to step away from whatever it is that we do and appreciate what we have. For me, that starts with family.”

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