Boston College Athletics
Like father, like sons...one on one with Patrick Eaves
November 17, 2004 | Men's Hockey
Nov. 17, 2004
Not often is a junior honored with the title of assistant captain. Patrick Eaves has earned the "A" embroidered on his left shoulder, posting two impressive seasons with the Eagles. The last player to achieve such an honor was, actually, his brother Ben (captain both his junior and senior years).
Patrick played with Ben for two years on the BC squad. Last season, Patrick and Ben were third and fourth in scoring, respectively. The brothers were impact players on a team that could flat-out score. With Ben's graduation, the focus has moved to Patrick.
"Ben and I have played together for a long time. I have always played-up on teams, so we really know each other's style. He was one of the biggest reasons I came to BC. I saw the success he was having here and I wanted to be here.
"From the second I got here, we had a blast. He has moved along to professional hockey and I have two more great line-mates in Ryan Shannon and Dan Bertram."
Ben's #22 was taken by Bertram, a freshman who plays right wing opposite Patrick. "I am getting used to it now. At the beginning of the season, when I saw #22, I would immediately think it was Ben. Now that Dan is making a name for himself, I see him rather than Ben."
Patrick's father, Mike, enjoyed an eight-year NHL playing career. He is currently the head coach at the University of Wisconsin. Patrick received extra treatment in that he was constantly surrounded by his coach. Other players who were coached for two hours a day were at a clear disadvantage because Patrick got to learn from one of the best every waking hour of the day.
"It was really nice having him around growing up. When he taught my brother and I how to skate, I look back on it now and see that we were practicing then, too. Even now, I can still bounce ideas off of him if I have questions about anything, especially hockey. He provides me with a coach's perspective on college hockey and I give him a player's perspective on college hockey."
Both Patrick and his father have spent so many years surrounded by hockey; the depth of their knowledge is only compounded by talking with each other. It was always Patrick who asked his father questions, not his father providing him with information. With this mentality, Patrick evolved into a student of the game. From the way his production numbers have consistently risen from year to year, it is evident that he has not stopped learning.
"All three of us [Patrick, Ben and their father] all share similar approaches to the game. We're all hard workers and have great attention to detail, but we approach working on them in different ways. We're a pretty unique bunch on the whole."
Throughout his junior and senior years of high school, Patrick spent time playing with USA Hockey's National Team Development Program. This team, based out of Ann Arbor, Mich., picks a pool of nearly 50 hockey players. The intensive program puts out teams that play at the junior and collegiate levels.
The best players from across the country are brought in and live together in Ann Arbor. During his time with the development team, he met future teammates Stephen Gionta, Dave Spina and Ryan Murphy.
With the Development Program, he was incredibly successful. Before he got there, the system had not seen much success. With his Under-17 team, Patrick recorded 38 points in 45 games. This team played in the North American Hockey League and was just a stepping stone for the success he was to enjoy in the coming years.
As he went up to the Under-18 level, the competition increased as the squad began to play colleges and teams from the USHL. From this team on through the next three, Patrick played with the same core of players in international play. This team represented the USA and took three straight gold medals in their respective age groups.
On his Under-18 team, he notched 12 points in eight games as the team won the gold medal in the Four Nations Tournament. The next season, Patrick was selected to play with Team USA in the 2003 IIHF World Junior Championship. Although he was sidelined, he watched the same group of guys take the gold again. Last year, he was a key part of the 2004 Team USA squad, tallying one goal and five assists in six games.
"Those are my best memories. To play on such great teams year after year with the same group of guys year after year was great. I could not ask for any better memories than those.
"I still try to keep in touch with those guys and we talk when we get a chance. But we will always remember those times we had."
Over the years, Patrick has become quite a player. This season, he was mentioned on multiple Hobey Baker watch lists and there was journalistic hype all around him. However, with years of playing under premier coaches and growing up with a coach, Patrick understands that hockey is a team game. He knows that if he gets wrapped up in the hype, he may miss out on experiences like the ones he had with the national team and the memories that come with them.
