Feature photos courtesy of Tayler Strome & Getty Images
Understanding why Dylan Strome, a veteran of over 460 regular-season NHL games, would be gone for long stretches throughout the year was a difficult concept to grasp for a now three-year-old Weslie Strome.
Dylan and Tayler, Strome’s wife, did their best to explain but Weslie struggled at times to comprehend everything that her dad’s career as a Washington Capitals forward entailed.
So, mom figured out the best way to help their young daughter understand more about her father Dylan’s full-time NHL career was by the book – literally.
“For a while, it was tough to explain why one morning she would wake up and dad wasn’t there, and she might not see him for a week or more,” said Tayler. “It’s tricky to navigate in helping them understand why.”
Tayler then came up with an idea, one she felt might help provide her daughter with a little more clarity when it came to her father’s life in the NHL.
The end result was a custom book titled, “Daddy Goes to Work.”
The book, which includes illustrations and photos of Dylan in his hockey gear, is accompanied by a story that depicts different aspects of his career, on and off the ice.
“It has been so helpful to teach her what dad does,” shared Tayler. “For her to actually understand that he goes on the road, plays in different cities, and can’t always be here, has helped her so much.”
Dylan, in his eighth NHL season and third with the Capitals, has rave reviews for the book.
“I feel that kids understand books a little bit better than you just telling them something, so this would be something she could look at – it’s a cute way to share with her why I have to go to these places because it is my career.”
Courtesy of Tayler Strome
The book has been a big hit with Weslie.
“She knows that we take an airplane throughout the year to go play in different cities, how I skate on the ice, and that she gets to visit me at work sometimes,” said Dylan, who signed as a free agent with the Capitals in July 2022.
“There are a lot of things where she can put two and two together on why I have to leave at certain times, why I am home in the day and then have to leave at night.”
Weslie isn’t the only one who has taken a shine to “Daddy Goes to Work.”
When Tayler shared a few posts about the book on her Instagram page, other NHL families quickly took notice.
Not long after the posts, several player wives reached out to Tayler, asking if she could create a custom one for them.
Although unofficial, the book might be the No. 1 seller of its kind in NHL circles right now.
“I guess word got around and I had posted about a few times,” said Tayler. “I mentioned that if someone wanted a book, I would make it for them. Right now, we have had about 15 to 20 of the wives reach out.
“The feedback has been wonderful. It’s nice to be able to help young children understand the reason why dad isn’t there all the time.”
Dylan, like Tayler, has been pleasantly surprised by the book’s popularity.
“People seemed to really love it and latch on to it. People continue to reach out and message Tayler. They send the pictures in and she makes the book.
“This is something hockey players and other athletes deal with, being gone for extended periods of time, and our kids are still grasping the concept of us being away. I think this is a great way to help with that message.”
Courtesy of Tayler Strome
Weslie is also helping get the message out.
She has shared some of the words found in her go-to book with her younger sister, Emerson, who celebrated her first birthday in September.
“I think my favourite page is the one that says, ‘sometimes, Daddy leaves for a long time and sometimes Daddy leaves for a short time, but no matter what, he always comes back to Weslie and Emerson,’” said Tayler.
“That is something that is really instilled in Weslie and she will say those words to her younger sister.”
Dylan’s most treasured page is one with some inspirational words.
“There is one part that says, ‘he scores lots of goals,’ so that’s my favourite part,” he said with a laugh.
“We look at the book all the time and it’s the first book in her room that she grabs. She knows almost every page now. It’s cute to see her start to understand what my career is about.”
The book is a nightly read in the Strome house.
It has also become a hit in the classroom.
“Dylan went to Weslie’s school and read the book to her class, and she was so happy and proud,” said Tayler.
Most importantly for the couple, “Daddy Goes to Work” has provided Weslie with a better understanding of an NHL player's life.
That it might be able to help other players and their families do the same makes it even more special for the Stromes.
“It’s such a unique group who the book is for – any way we can help these kids understand more about their dad’s career is important to us,” said Tayler.
“We see the glamorous side of being a hockey player, but people don’t see the days and nights the kids are crying because their dad isn’t home and might be missing some big events.”
Said Dylan, “Every hockey player who has young kids is in the same boat, so there is that connection between so many of the guys. Hopefully, they enjoy it as much as we do.”
The centreman wishes the same for his young daughters.
“In those moments where I’m not there, Weslie, now, and at some point, Emerson, can open the book and then have that moment of, ‘that is why dad has to leave.’ It brings them back to that understanding of why I’m not there.
“It really has helped us all so much.”
