Stuart may miss start of Round 2

[FireCaptain 563]

The players DO NOT get paid during the playoffs, so this is a moot point.

Their salaries are pro-rated for the 82 game season.

Does he have to forfeit pay? How does the MFLA law apply to pro athletes? I'm not trying to be a smartass, but I was curious. I work in education and know that many of my female coworkers can opt to use short-term disability for maternity leave (as do the male educators who have wives who are/will give birth).

In short, all the FMLA does, is guarantee that you have a "comparable" position when you return to work.

The company can't replace you while you're gone.

Most companies have policies in place that you have to exhaust your vacation/sick leave before you start the unpaid leave. If you had a week of each, you would have 10 weeks of unpaid time eligibility left under FMLA.

Edited April 24, 2008 by FireCaptain

[StevieBoy 2]

Understood as career is definitely important.

I apologize in advance if it sounds like I'm being snobbish to you, but I am curious to know from your first response to this thread.

Do you have kids? I just don't know if you fully understand how powerful a feeling or an event it is to see your child being born for the first time ever. I personally do not have kids, but I have a nephew who is close to 5, and a second nephew on the way in probably about 6 weeks, and I absolutely cannot wait to see this kid, and he isn't even mine.

Hell, the spouse of one of my co-workers showed up at our office today and showed off their daughter that was recently born about 7 weeks ago. I was tickled like crazy when I first saw the baby today, she is adorable.

Work is definitely important, we all have to work, and winning the Stanley Cup has got to be an extremely special occassion, but none of that comes remotely close (at least to me) to witnessing a child being born or seeing a child for the first time ever. Family and your children is most important in the grand scheme of things.

I don't take your comments as being snobbish. I do not have kids, but I have enough close friends/family/etc that have had children to understand the importance of being there for everyting involving them. I'll repeat again that I don't have any issue with a man being there for the birth of his child. But the article sited at the beginning of this thread stated that he will not play again until his child is born. While this could be in a day or two, it also could be in a week, two or more. There are plenty of cases where the due date is far surpassed. Also to state again, being an NHL hockey player is not a job comparable to the average joe and regardless of whether pay is based on the 82 game regular season or not, the entire point of his employer is to do well in the post season. Having a career of this sort with the rewards it brings also means some sacrifice. If he's gone 1 game...maybe 2 then its no big deal. But the reality is that he could be gone the entire series which, while it doesn't guarantee failure for the Wings, greatly cripples it as he has become a strong part of that business. He's not a data entry clerk that can call in another guy to fill in for a day or two.

[Frozen-Man 144]

I don't take your comments as being snobbish. I do not have kids, but I have enough close friends/family/etc that have had children to understand the importance of being there for everyting involving them. I'll repeat again that I don't have any issue with a man being there for the birth of his child. But the article sited at the beginning of this thread stated that he will not play again until his child is born. While this could be in a day or two, it also could be in a week, two or more. There are plenty of cases where the due date is far surpassed. Also to state again, being an NHL hockey player is not a job comparable to the average joe and regardless of whether pay is based on the 82 game regular season or not, the entire point of his employer is to do well in the post season. Having a career of this sort with the rewards it brings also means some sacrifice. If he's gone 1 game...maybe 2 then its no big deal. But the reality is that he could be gone the entire series which, while it doesn't guarantee failure for the Wings, greatly cripples it as he has become a strong part of that business. He's not a data entry clerk that can call in another guy to fill in for a day or two.

I can't imagine that he left to go back to California until a few days before she is due. I don't know that for a fact, but if that is the case they will probably not let her go anywhere near that long without inducing labor. Again, I don't know any of that for a fact but this is generally the case.

[jpfalcon09 0]

Best wishes to Brad and his family. Hopefully everything happens alright, when it gets close to the expected birth date, things can get somewhat stressful, especially if dates are overshot and missed.

Also, good on Mr. and Mrs. I for letting him be with his wife. Another classy move by a classy organization.

[Matt 1,049]

I'm saying that the statement 'he will not play until his child is born' means he could be in San Jose waiting for that to happen for weeks and weeks.

Uh, no. She's due now, if the baby doesn't come they'll induce. It isn't a "could be weeks" kind of thing, it's a "will he make Game 2 or not?" thing.

[HenrikRules40 14]

Uh, no. She's due now, if the baby doesn't come they'll induce. It isn't a "could be weeks" kind of thing, it's a "will he make Game 2 or not?" thing.

Exactly.

The due date is usually set at 40 weeks gestation according to Naegle's rule. Often times in a first time pregnancy it can take longer. Usually it's just a dating error. The point is, once a fetus hits 40 weeks it needs to come out. If she doesn't spontaneously go into labor they will either induce her or schedule a c-section.

/end dorky lecture

So yeah, hopefully Stuart is back for game 2.

[puckloo39 5,686]

Good for Brad, he has his priorities straight. The Wings will be just fine without him, and will welcome him back when he's able to concentrate and things are good at home with the new baby.

I respect the Red Wings for knowing that some things take precedence over a game or two, even in the playoffs. Besides, that's why they are a team. They will pull together and take up the slack when one of their team mates needs them to do so.

Best wishes to the Stuart family!

[Matt 1,049]

Exactly.

The due date is usually set at 40 weeks gestation according to Naegle's rule. Often times in a first time pregnancy it can take longer. Usually it's just a dating error. The point is, once a fetus hits 40 weeks it needs to come out. If she doesn't spontaneously go into labor they will either induce her or schedule a c-section.

/end dorky lecture

So yeah, hopefully Stuart is back for game 2.

Yep. When my wife had our daughters the first one was a week late exactly, the 2nd was 10 days early. They actually induced the 2nd one because she was already starting to dialate (not rapidly, but steadily over a period of a couple of days if I remember right). The baby was of great weight so there was really no reason to let it continue on to term (not that it would've, anyway) and she was born the same day they induced (how they did it I won't get into details....).

[96warrior 11]

http://redwingscorner.blogspot.com/

Brad Stuart and his wife Melissa have a newborn baby boy, Logan Michael. (Coach Mike Babcock joked that he can't believe Stuart wants on the power play so badly that he'd name his son Michael.)

Stuart will be in Detroit later today and he will practice with the Red Wings tomorrow. He will be back in the lineup for Game 2.

Andreas Lilja will partner with Niklas Kronwall tonight on the second defense pairing. Lija has been a healthy scratch the past three games.

[Beau 0]

Congrats to them! I was just reading earlier that she was induced on Tuesday.

[HenrikRules40 14]

http://redwingscorner.blogspot.com/

Brad Stuart and his wife Melissa have a newborn baby boy, Logan Michael. (Coach Mike Babcock joked that he can't believe Stuart wants on the power play so badly that he'd name his son Michael.)

Stuart will be in Detroit later today and he will practice with the Red Wings tomorrow. He will be back in the lineup for Game 2.

Andreas Lilja will partner with Niklas Kronwall tonight on the second defense pairing. Lija has been a healthy scratch the past three games.

How exciting for them! Congrats to the Stuarts. And yay for Brad coming back for game 2. Now he can win the Cup and Logan can be a part of it.

[uk_redwing 495]

I want Downey

[Frozen-Man 144]

Congrats to the Stewart family!

[NeverForgetMac25 483]

I want Downey

Why? At this point he absolutely isn't needed in this series.