Paul Holmgren Discusses His Moving Piece About His Brother On 94WIP
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- Flyers president Paul Holmgren wrote a moving piece for The Players' Tribune about his brother Dave, who paid for Holmgren to go to hockey school before losing his life to a severe case of diabetes at the age of 23.
Holmgren, now 61, went on to play in the NHL for the Philadelphia Flyers and Minnesota North Stars and owes his hockey career to his brother.
Listen: Paul Holmgren on the 94WIP Morning Show
"Well, just quick a phone conversation I had with Daniel Carcillo, of all people right?" Holmgren told Angelo Cataldi and the 94WIP Morning Show of his decision to write the piece. "He asked me -- it was probably like a year and a half ago, maybe two years ago -- if I'd be interested in doing something for them, for the Players' Tribune. I've been thinking about it, writing notes down over the last six months it came to fruition. I had a little help. Jay Greenberg kind of helped a little bit, kind of organized my thoughts. Sarah Ferga-Schwab helped a lot too."
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Cataldi asked Holmgren of what he remembers most about Dave.
"Well, he wasn't involved in athletics much, if I recall," Holmgren said. "He was a studio guy. Spoke German, he was always doing something, always trying to make money and work. So I didn't really have much of a relationship with him at all. We shared a bedroom, him and Dave and my brother Mark and I. We all shared a bedroom upstairs. If we were making noise, he would throw shoes at us. I remember that."
In the article for The Players' Tribune, Holmgren details a story of when him and his brother had a misunderstanding. Holmgren regrets not explaining himself on that day.
"My memory of that day has always weighed on me," Holmgren wrote in the piece. "It's the reason why I have always wanted to share this story."
"I think we get little reminders of things all the time," Holmgren said on Wednesday. "Life can certainly be short, so each day you get is kind of a gift so you just have to take advantage of it."
