Penguins forward Brian Boyle finds professional and personal balance

At 6-foot-6 and 245 pounds, Brian Boyle is not one of the NHL’s fastest players. Quite the opposite, actually.

But as a father, he was quick enough.

On New Year’s Day, Boyle welcomed a new son, Callum, into the world. And with only a few minutes to spare.

“I got there like 11 minutes before he was born,” Boyle said. “It was good timing.”

While employed by the Penguins, Boyle still lives in the Boston area and has made frequent flight between work and home this season when the schedule allows it.

On Saturday, Boyle’s responsibilities demanded it.

Missing practice Saturday, Boyle made a mad dash home in order to greet his new son.

“I have this here (smart watch),” Boyle said. “I wear it a lot more just the last month or so. We went in for a meeting down at (PPG Paints Arena). For whatever reason, at the game rink, I think may have been out of range of my phone or something. … I got a text at 10:05 (a.m.) from my wife (Lauren). So right when I got out of the meeting, I ran in and gave her a call. She actually said, ‘Go practice, I don’t know what’s happening!’ My sister … she’s a doctor, she said, ‘I’ll be at your house in 10 minutes, and I’ll let you know.’ Like seven minutes later, she calls me, she said, ‘Get out of there now, get a plane as fast as you can.’”

Getting a plane home in a timely fashion was hardly a guarantee.

“(Director of team operations) Jason Seidling got me on a plane somehow,” Boyle said. “It was scheduled to leave at like 11:51 (a.m.). It was like 10:40 (a.m.) at the time. He said, ‘I’m driving you.’ I didn’t have a toothbrush, I had nothing. I just went. Luckily for me, the plane was delayed a little bit. He had a car waiting for me right when I got there, brought me to the hospital. I walked into the door. Everything was pretty calm. The doctor saw me come in. She said, ‘All right, we can start now.’ … 3:22 (p.m.) I walked in; 3:33 (p.m.), Callum was born.”

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— Brian Boyle (@BriBrows22) January 3, 2022

Boyle missed Sunday’s home game, an 8-5 defeat of the San Jose Sharks, then enjoyed a scheduled day off for the team before leaving his family — including an older son, Declan, and a daughter, Isabella — again and rejoined his teammates for a practice Tuesday in Cranberry.

That largely has been the routine this season for Boyle. After not playing last season, he returned to the NHL by attending the Penguins’ training camp this past fall on a professional tryout basis and earning a contract.

A veteran of 14 seasons, the 37-year-old never has won a Stanley Cup title. As he pursues that professional goal, he is mindful of the sacrifices required in his personal life.

“I’m chasing a (Stanley Cup title), it’s no secret,” Boyle said. “I want to be a part of a culture and make a playoff run again. What can I do today to make the most of today? That’s been my approach. It is hard, being away. It’s hard missing my kids, days I won’t get back. But you don’t get a lot of time in the NHL, either. They understand that. My (older) son understands that to a point. He misses me. It’s tough to saying good-bye to him because he’s at an age now where he understands more. He’s tuned in every night to our games, whether I’m playing or not. He likes to go over it the next day. It’s pretty special for me that he’s found that love that I have for this game at such a young age. We’ve been able to bond over that.

“There’s different things, there’s different roads. Life will take you different places you don’t know. You’ve got to kind of count your blessings, though.”

Notes: The Penguins assigned forward Radim Zohorna to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton of the American Hockey League. … Goaltender Louis Domingue was assigned to the taxi squad. … The Penguins canceled practice Friday.