Eight-year-old Peter Laviolette ’21 with the Stanley Cup.
It was Fourth of July weekend, 2006, and eight-year-old Peter Philip Laviolette III ’21 was at a holiday party. But this celebration was a bit different than most. Five hundred people filled the family cul-de-sac, and the most famous guest was a piece of silver and nickel alloy weighing 34.5 pounds and standing just under three feet tall … the Stanley Cup.
Laviolette’s father, Peter Philip Laviolette Jr., had just completed his first full season as the head coach of the Carolina Hurricanes, guiding the franchise to its first championship.
For as long as he can remember, the younger Laviolette was obsessed with hockey. His dad put him in skates when he was two. At three he took his helmet, gloves, and stick with him everywhere. At age four, in his first game, he scored a hat trick.
Perhaps he had an advantage over other kids: he had regular access to an NHL-caliber, personal coach. But the family life of a sports luminary isn’t always easy.
Peter had been playing AAA hockey in North Carolina, the highest level of competitive hockey for an athlete his age. After the 2008–2009 season the family moved to Florida, where the best youth hockey within driving distance was only A level. He had to make do.
When his dad was hired to lead the Philadelphia Flyers a year later, Laviolette didn’t make the AAA team. The lack of high-level competition had the expected result on his skill set, but he took advantage of his situation and began working out with his father and the Flyers.
“Dad didn’t push me over the limit, but he was there to get me up in the mornings. He would make me a good breakfast, drive me to the rink, make me work out, and then we ’d skate for an hour. The next year I made the AAA team, and I give that all to him.”
At the same time, he was picking up the pro culture. At the end of practices he’d hop on the ice and skate with his dad’s teams. “I’d stick handle, shoot with the guys, get dangled,” he says with a smirk.
One his favorite Flyers was Zac Rinaldo, a left wing known for his physicality. “He lined me up,” recalls Laviolette, relishing the story. “He put me on the boards and ran into me, and it was hard. Not as hard as he could, but hard enough to knock over a 12-year old. I did it to him and we kept doing it for 30 minutes. He kept teaching me.”
After difficulties in high school in New Jersey, Laviolette came to New Hampshire’s Proctor Academy to start over, and by his senior year knew he could be successful at college. He chose PSU.
“I had this feeling, like I feel comfortable here,” says Laviolette. “I knew I would be in a good place.”
The family already knew the MASCAC (Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference), as Peter Jr. had played at Westfield State University in the 1980s. “I
loved Plymouth, loved New Hampshire, and thought it would be neat to play in the league my dad played in, and see if I could make some noise,” says Laviolette.
And that’s how the son of an NHL coach ended up at Plymouth State University. The two talk regularly and Peter Jr. catches PSU games online. When both are in action, a video coordinator for dad’s current team, the Nashville Predators, records the son’s game.
“My dad is brutally honest,” Laviolette laughs. “If I played badly he’ll list every single thing I did. He won’t do it in a way that will hurt you, but sometimes you need to hear it.”
Laviolette family
Exceptional encouragement has come from both parents. “My mom [Kristen] is the best. She’s the foundation of our family. With my dad traveling so much, she got everything done: driving us to hockey and sitting and doing homework with me. She’s the reason I’m here today.”
As the youngest first-year on the team, Laviolette arrived on campus nervous, overwhelmed, and anxious. In less than a week, though, everything felt right. “I instantly made best friends,” he says. “The hockey guys would invite me to breakfast and call me to hang out. They made sure I was okay.”
Laviolette saw time in 20 games this season, coming away with six goals and three assists. Plymouth State rolled through the regular season, finishing 19-5-2 and securing the program’s sixth regular season MASCAC championship in seven years. The year came to an unexpected end as the top-seeded Panthers were upset in the tournament semifinals.
That loss has turned into extra motivation. “We’re going to be fired up next winter,” he says. “That loss is really going to fuel us.”
Plymouth State hockey will be exciting to watch next season, and the Panther community, including at least one NHL head coach, can’t wait for the puck to drop.
■ Chris Kilmer ’99
Tags: Laviolette men's ice hockey
