Hockey Labor Day

Eric Perrin, the Stanley Cup champion and the hockey director of the DME Swamp Rabbits hockey program in South Daytona, sent a memo to all parents about Labor Day training weeks ago. The memo read: “Practice is on Monday. Show up!”

Eric Perrin, Ryan Carpenter, Nikita M.

While most Florida kids enjoyed beach activities and a day off, many hockey families were required to attend a practice. According to Perrin, hockey never sleeps.“I don’t know anything about Labor Day historically. It’s supposed to be a day off from doing any work,” Perrin said. “Hockey never sleeps. I always work.” Perrin, 47, who won one of the most prestigious hockey trophies in the world while playing for the Tampa Bay Lightning, guides USA Hockey programs in South Daytona.

The former NHL player said sports parents love to bring their kids to the ice rink. “It’s like a family event. In my opinion, hockey people don’t want to take days off,” Perrin said. “My coaches have the same mentality.”

Hockey moms support this idea. According to Marie Johansson, whose son plays for the DME Swamp Rabbits 16 AA team, getting as much ice time as possible is a top priority for all hockey kids. “The more ice time they get, the better they become,” she said.

The DME Swamp Rabbits take two days off for Thanksgiving and two weeks off for Christmas. “It’s about celebrating and spending quality time with families. We rest on Thanksgiving and Christmas,” Perrin said. “We don’t skip practices on Labor Day. It’s not our culture.”

When Peter J. McGuire, a union leader and co-founder of the American Federation of Labor, became known as the founding father of Labor Day in 1882, he didn’t mention anything about hockey. Historical data shows the first professional hockey team was formed in 1903 (Fischler et al., 2023). Since then, hockey has never rested on Labor Day.