Zach Parise didn’t sit down and watch his father’s full game.
Not from start to complete.
But occasionally bits and pieces filter through.
Old highlights will appear on his computer screen and he’ll feel something.
“It’s great,” Parise said Friday night. “To see him play, not only with the Islanders, but additionally see Team Canada highlights [in the 1972 Summit Series]makes you proud. He had an incredible career in the NHL. Like every kid, I desired to follow in his footsteps.”
The close relationship between Zach and JP Parise is well-documented and is the backdrop to Zach’s 18-year NHL career — particularly during his time in Minnesota, where he grew up and where his dad played in nine of his 14 seasons in the league.
In that sense, Friday night was one other link in a sequence that keeps getting longer.
Like his dad, who passed away in 2015, Zach left Minnesota for Long Island in the twilight of his career.
Zach’s first goal for the Islanders got here on December 11, 2021 – JP’s eightieth birthday.
And on Friday, Zach’s first period goal went to Michael Hutchinson for his twentieth goal of the season.
This marked only the fourth time in NHL history that a father-son combination had scored 20 goals each for the same series.
“Given the impact he has had on my life and career, which means loads,” Parise said after the Islanders’ 5-4 time beyond regulation loss in Columbus on Friday. “Sharing something like this with him is something special. And I do know he had loads of success playing on the Island and he enjoyed it loads. I loved it too. Sharing something like this with him is special.”
Parise is the Islanders’ third leading scorer this season and has played a key role in the playoffs.
And he did so at the age of 38, openly contemplating what his future could be after the season: whether to return for one more season or return home to Minneapolis with his wife and youngsters.
“Twenty is a very good number to hit,” said Parise, the only player in the club’s history to attain 20 goals aged 38 or over. “I used to be lucky to search out good chemistry with the guys up front. And now our line is playing well. We play well in defense, we play in attack. Our chemistry is convalescing.
During his last season with the Wild, in 2020-21, Parise seemed to be coming to an end. As a substitute, he found a renewal of his hockey life with the Islanders: 15 goals last season, 20 and counting this season.
If it seems to be his last ride, he makes the most of it.
“He’s only a seasoned teammate,” said Hudson Fasching. “You watch him every time someone scores a goal or something, he’s just as excited when another person does something right. He’s just an incredible guy and a very good teammate.”
JP Parise was an islander for under two full seasons and parts of two more, nevertheless it made a long-lasting impact on the franchise.
Before Bob Nystrom’s time beyond regulation goal against the Flyers in Game 6 of the 1980 Stanley Cup Finals, Parise scored the biggest goal in Islanders history, the time beyond regulation winner to finish the first round of the 1975 playoffs against the Rangers.
Zach Parise, when his career is over, can be remembered more for his days with the Devils and Wild than with the Islanders.
But he’s making an impact in his second season on the island that can be felt for a very long time.
“You see it in his ice game and the way he works on the ice, he never gives up,” said Jean-Gabriel Pageau. “He’s had that attitude throughout his career and that is why he’s been so successful. … He’s just amazing. Amazing person, amazing player, we’re lucky to have him.
Identical to his dad.