For Kamil Bednarik’s parents, the drive from Chicago to Vegas one of resilience and love

When the New York Islanders selected center Kamil Bednarik with the 61st overall pick at last month’s NHL Draft in Las Vegas, the most powerful story was the journey two people had taken to support him there.

“My parents drove from Chicago,” Bednarik told me. “I think it was 26 hours.”

The trip from Elmhurst, Ill., to the state-of-the-art Sphere covers more than 1,700 miles, an extraordinary itinerary for reasons both heartbreaking and inspiring.

Kamil Sr. and Miriam emigrated from Slovakia three decades ago. They’ve raised Kamil and his older sisters, Nicole and Simone, in the Chicago area. Kamil Sr., known for his ability to fix almost anything, worked in construction. That changed one day in the summer of 2022.

As Kamil Jr. was preparing to leave home for the USA Hockey National Team Development Program, his father was injured in a roofing accident. The impact left Kamil Sr. without the use of his legs. He has spent his days in a wheelchair ever since.

Yet the Bednariks have remained a constant, supportive presence at Kamil’s games. Over the past two seasons, Miriam was behind the wheel for four-hour drives on wintry roads from the family home to USA Hockey Arena in Plymouth, Mich. She did the same last month — in the heat of summer, traversing decidedly different terrain. They stopped to rest only twice along the way, Kamil Jr. said.

Logistical needs associated with his wheelchair meant Kamil Sr. wasn’t sitting directly beside his son when the Islanders announced the Bednarik name (pronounced Bed-NAHR-ik) to the hockey world.

But he was in the building. That’s what mattered.

“My dad was up there watching,” Kamil said shortly after being selected. “I think he was on the fourth floor. It’s really special for him to be here, for everything that he’s done for me. He made me into the man I am today, helped me so much, sacrificed so much for me to be in this position. All the glory in the world to him and my mom and my family.”

Kamil Jr. said his father hasn’t flown on an airplane since the accident. Maybe that will change in the future. Maybe not. For now, the most important story to tell is the fortitude displayed by all five family members.

“I’ve generally been good at handling adversity since I was younger,” Kamil Jr. said. “My parents being European, they’re very hard on me. I feel like that’s the European way of raising kids, which in my opinion is the best way.

“[My dad] definitely made me tough, made me figure out things on my own. After the accident, I think that also made me more mentally resilient. Obviously it was hard, but it kind of made me stronger.”

In addition to caring for her husband every day, Miriam is the owner and head coach of the Torpedo Swim Team in Bensenville, Ill.; she previously participated in high-level U.S. Masters Swimming events.

Nicole, who graduated from Macalester College last year, also coaches for the Torpedo Swim Team and has competed in two triathlons this summer.

Simone, preparing for her fourth season of varsity ice hockey at SUNY-Oswego, has represented the Slovakian national team during international events.

And then there is Kamil, who was only 16 when his father’s injury changed so much at home.

USA Hockey arranged for Kamil to stay in the Detroit area with Slovakian billet parents, Marek and Lubi Banovsky, while playing at the NTDP. At the Banovsky home, Kamil enjoyed Slovakian food and spoke Slovakian; he is fluent in the language and calmly conducted interviews with Slovakian media at the Draft.

Through it all, Kamil has needed to grow up quickly. By all accounts, he has.

“I’ve got a lot of jobs to do when I’m back home,” he said. “I really like that a lot. I feel like as a man you should know how to work with your hands and figure out how to do stuff on your own.”

Bednarik won a silver medal with Team USA at this year’s Under-18 World Championships, and he earned a spot in the World Junior Summer Showcase, which begins in Plymouth later this week. This fall, he will join fellow Chicago-area native and NTDP teammate Cole Hutson at Boston University.

For the record, BU’s Agganis Arena is almost exactly 1,000 miles from Elmhurst. After their journey to Vegas, and all they’ve already overcome, that may feel like a trip around the block for Miriam and Kamil Sr.

Jon Paul Morosi is an MLB Network broadcaster and lead features reporter for NHL Network’s coverage of the World Junior Championships.