MERSCH NOT TAKING FATHER’S DAY FOR GRANTED
Jun 14, 2024
By Andrew Mossbrooks | @Mossbrooks48
Michael Mersch recently wrapped up his third season as captain of the Rochester Americans, but wearing the “C” doesn’t start and stop in the Flower City.
Away from Blue Cross Arena and just off the runway at O’Hare Airport in Chicago, Mersch is the captain of four at his household. He and his wife, Jenna, are raising two young boys. The oldest, Michael, turns three in July. His little brother, Mason, is 17 months old.
“It's not easy,” chuckled Mersch. “There’s no time off or days off whereas in hockey there are days off and days where you’re away from the rink. You might think before you have kids ‘alright, I'm going to parent this way so they're going to act a certain way and I'm going to teach them a certain way,’ but you learn that sometimes it doesn't always work the way that you think it's going to. You’ve got to be able to roll with the punches.”
Rolling with the punches is something Mersch has been accustomed to, not just in hockey, but in life. New fathers may look to their dads for advice on parenting. That isn’t an option for Michael. His father, Mike, passed away when he was in second grade after a battle with cancer.
“I have plenty of memories of him still,” said Mersch. “He was my hockey coach growing up. He played in the IHL and AHL until he was about 24, 25. Then, as kids came along, he decided to start a family and move back to Chicago and start working in the real world. He taught me a lot of lessons. I remember being fortunate that I was one of the better players on my team and we won a championship, and I was awarded the MVP or whatever you want to call it. When I won it, he made sure I shared that with the team.”
“He taught me a lot of little things in life at such a young age like work ethic and being a good teammate. I’ve tried to carry on those lessons throughout my career.”
Like father, like son, Mersch is in the AHL. He’s a second-generation Michael playing professional hockey. His first-born son, Mike, he says is more so named after his dad than himself. When he talked with his wife about it, Jenna was fully supportive.
“She was pretty on board with that. My name isn’t anything extraordinary. It’s just a pretty simple catholic name. I think it’s a good tribute to my father. He was always a good role model and example. People I talk to these days that knew him always have good stories and a lot of respect for him.
The senior Mersch played over 300 games in the IHL and one AHL game. Michael has doubled those totals, playing in over 600 pro games, amassing 404 points (189+215) over his decade-long career.
Even with his career being as long as it has, there’s still firsts for Mersch, including one last season when he got to play with his younger brother, Dominick Mersch, who was called-up from ECHL-Jacksonville early in the season. Michael and Dominick are six years apart, but the gap in age saw Michael assume a role for his younger brother from the very beginning.
“I kind of took on a mentorship role with him at a younger age, whether I wanted to or not. I grew into it a little bit. And, you know, I think that experience has helped me a lot with the hockey side of things, working with some of the younger kids and understanding where they are in their lives. I can use that as my kids get older, too, and try to help them along and understand where they are and where they want to go.”
Mersch’s sons haven’t been able to have their dad coach for them just yet. The duo isn’t quite old enough to be putting up points in any mite hockey programs, but they are able to watch hockey, and they’ve gotten the chance to see their dad play up close and in person.
“It's super cool. It's lifetime memories for me and my wife, and hopefully they’ll be able to see it in pictures or remember it. Not a lot of people get to experience that. As you go through a lot of ups and downs in a career and throughout a season, there's hard times for everyone, but just having that type of moment with them makes everything that's hard about a hockey season or career worth it.”
A hockey career comes with sacrifice. If Mersch is the captain of his household, then Jenna is the heart and soul of it.
“I mean, she's been everything for us,” said Mersch. “I guarantee you, any hockey wife or girlfriend will tell you that it's not the standard lifestyle that most people are accustomed to living. You have to be able to roll with the punches and make moves that you normally wouldn’t, and most people aren't willing to do. It takes a special person to be able to be a part of a hockey life and make sacrifices. She’s been incredibly supportive of me. She’s an amazing wife and great mother.”
Father’s Day is a special day to Mersch. In the past, present, and future, he’ll continue to think back about Mike and the everlasting impact his father left on him, but now, he gets the opportunity to celebrate the holiday as a dad himself.