Like father, like son?
Well, his father played briefly in the National Hockey League and since has coached nearly 1,400 games in 20 NHL seasons, has advanced to the postseason 13 times and hoisted the Stanley Cup in 2006 with the Carolina Hurricanes.
Peter Laviolette Jr., the head coach of the Washington Capitals, will earn about $5 million this season.
His son, Peter III, is a left-handed forward for the Nailers and was born in the Friendly City during Dad’s single season (1997-98) as head coach of Wheeling’s ECHL team (37-24-9). He earns somewhere around $650 per week.
Before taxes, that is.
“But now I know why my parents loved it here so much,” the 24-year-old said with a smile. “They’ve told me that they still have friends that made here back then, and they told me that if I made the most of my time here that I would love it forever because of the team culture and the people here. As far as the game is concerned, I have to climb the ladder just like my Dad did.
“They emphasized that I should learn as much as possible here because Wheeling has that tradition of getting players up into the NHL, and they said I should I experience everything the area has to offer because it’s a pretty amazing place,” Laviolette explained. “It’s a small town, sure, but it’s the people here that make it special.”
Kristen Laviolette gave birth to Peter on December 19, 1997, at the Ohio Valley Medical Center, and after her husband’s one Wheeling season, he was hired by the Providence franchise of the American Hockey League. He guided the Bruins to an impression 56-15-4 record in the regular season and to the Calder Cup championship before being promoted to an assistant in Boston.
“My father has had a lot of success and he’s only one of 10 coaches in the NHL to have more than 700 wins so he’s a Hall of Famer,” the Nailers forward said. “It’s a pretty interesting situation for me because I was born here in Wheeling and now, I’m here playing. I didn’t live here very long, and, of course, I have no memories of here, but I have always heard about how great of a place it is.
“My parents have always told me how much they loved their experience here,” he reported. “That’s why I was super excited when I started talking with the folks here in Wheeling so I could come here and be a Nailer, too.”
When Steel Meets Ice
He’s a pro for the first time.
Laviolette played out his eligibility at Plymouth State University in 2021-22 and scored 11 goals and registered 15 assists to establish career highs with the Division III Panthers, and luckily for him, Wheeling head coach Derek Army was watching.
“How rare is it that the Wheeling Nailers have a Wheeling-born player on the roster?” said Army, now in his second full season as skipper in Wheeling. “The best part is that he’s proud of being born here and absolutely loves that he’s a member of our team. That’s one of the reasons why I started following his college career, and from the moment I started talking to him I could tell how much he wanted me to invite him to come home.
“The best part for us is that he’s a talented player who has a ton of potential and isn’t afraid to work his tail off to reach it. He’s here early and leaves later and that’s what you want to see from a guy who only wants to get better every single day,” the head coach said. “You can tell he wants to do everything he can to be the best teammate he can be, too, and that says a lot about the young man.”
To the player, it was simple. Wheeling’s storied hockey franchise was a launching pad for his father’s coaching career, so he was curious to see if the city could provide him the same opportunity.
“I told Coach Army I really wanted to come here, play and learn from him, and for it all to come true is a very cool thing for me. Being a Wheeling Nailer is a dream come true for me,” Laviolette explained. “Now I get to experience Wheeling for the first time as an adult and it’s been an amazing experience for me. I know it’s been 25 years ago now, but this city still is a really great place.
“Everything about Wheeling, with the team, the fans, and the people I get to meet, have been amazing to me and that homecoming feeling has been really surreal for me,” he explained. “When I drove into Wheeling to come to the rink and report was the first time I’ve been back here, it made me think about my parents and how young they were when they were here. It’s really been amazing to play hockey in the same arena where I watched my first games and watched my father coach for the first time.”
Thus far, Laviolette has played sparingly, appearing in just three games and registering only a couple of penalty minutes.
“He’ll be out there, trust me,” Army said. “He’ll be an important part of our team depth when that part of the season arrives when there are moves that take players away and injuries that take them off the ice,” Army explained. “He’s not here in Wheeling because of his last name. That’s a coincidence. ‘Lavs’ is here because he’s a talented hockey player who’s going to get better and better.”
The 6-4, 210-pound player who wears number 11 is all in.
“I knew that coming from Division III I would have my work cut out for me in the very beginning, and that’s why I haven’t played a whole lot during the first full month of the season,” Laviolette explained. “I have to earn my spot because I knew it wasn’t going to be given to me just because of who my Dad is. Coach Army was very straight with me about that when we talked over the summer.
“I had to earn his trust, so I worked my ass off and I believe I’ve done that,” he added. “I just hope he gets me out there more and more as the season progresses because I love being a Wheeling Nailer and one of Derek Army’s players.”
