Issue link: https://read.uberflip.com/i/1171526
couple of guys who played hockey at the University of Minnesota with me or I just missed them: Joey Miller and Tony Lucia. We had some really talented sports teams growing up and not just in hockey. "I loved being able to play baseball with my friends in the summer and playing football with my friends in the fall; going golfing in the summer with my friends." Jim and Pat said there was never a discussion on play- ing just one sport. "It wasn't even a part of the conversation with Blake; he always wanted to be moving on from one sport to the next," explained Jim. "Even if he had wanted to play one sport, I don't think we would have let him. … To us, it was important for both our kids to always be trying something—sports or not." "We definitely didn't want them to ever feel pres- sured to do just one thing or another," added Pat. "I think it's so important to make sure that whatever they're doing, they're doing it because they want to and because it's fun. …I think that was really it." Blake is raising his kids, 6-year-old Louie, 4-year- old Leni, and 2-year-old Mase, in the same fashion his parents raised him. "I think the point is, we want our kids to do things they 're passionate about, and try to explore everything," said Blake. "You don't really know what you might or might not love until you try things. We don't push them in any direction, we don't force them to do anything, but we try to encourage them to do as many different things as possible. It 's such a great foundation to have built in to explore other options. "Right now, Louie loves hockey, he loves playing soccer, he loves playing baseball—he reminds me of someone I know. But mostly, he just loves being 6." O C T O B E R 2 0 1 9 | M H J ON L I N E . C O M 25 RW SHOOTS: Right POSITION: Plymouth HEIGHT: COLLEGE: University of Minnesota 6' 5" HOMETOWN: FUN FACT: Wheeler played piano for three years and is still able to play 'Yankee Doodle.' BLAKE'S BASICS Blake has been wearing the 'C' for Winnipeg since 2016 and earned a spot on the 2014 U.S. Olympic team in Sochi.