Logan O'Connor opens up about the death of his father and his return to the Avalanche

Logan O'Connor has long been known as one of the most beloved players in the Colorado Avalanche locker room. On Friday, the heart and soul winger sat down with reporters for the first time since the unexpected passing of his father, Myles O'Connor, and delivered an emotional reflection on grief, family, and the game that bonded them together.

Myles O'Connor died on October 6 while the Avalanche were in Calgary. The team played the Calgary Flames the following night, and Logan stepped away to be with his family during an unimaginably difficult time. He rejoined the squad on October 23 before traveling back to Calgary the next week for his father's funeral, missing a home game in Denver. He has since been back with his teammates for road games.

O'Connor admitted that returning felt like a decision that needed to happen on its own terms. He acknowledged he could have stayed away for months, but ultimately felt that getting back to the sport he loves, the sport that connected him so deeply to his father, was the right move. He described the physical and mental toll of grief, calling it exhausting in ways he hadn't anticipated, and said he tried to balance what felt right for himself and his family.

"He was my hero," O'Connor said of his father. "I wanted to be just like him."

The forward shared that the hardest moments come before and after games, when his mind drifts to the bond he and his dad shared over hockey. After every game, he used to call his father. That absence, he said, hits especially hard around game time. During play, he tries to stay locked in, but thoughts of his dad inevitably creep in.

O'Connor's Avalanche teammates rally around him

O'Connor had already been sidelined to start the season with a lower-body injury and was nearing a return when his father passed. Despite the layered challenges, his teammates have wrapped their arms around him in every way possible.

Parker Kelly, who has frequently skated alongside O'Connor in recent seasons, said he simply wants to give his teammate whatever he needs, whether that's conversation, normalcy, laughter, or space. Kelly mentioned that he and his wife, Kiarra, have offered to help with anything, from walking O'Connor's dogs to watching his young son, Brooks. Kelly emphasized that everyone in the locker room views O'Connor as a brother and wants to make sure he never has to go through this alone.

Defenseman Josh Manson, who lost his own mother, Lana, to cancer in August of 2023, spoke about understanding the grief from personal experience. Manson said the key is reading the room day by day, checking in, and simply being available as a friend and a human being rather than just a teammate.

O'Connor earned the team's "player of the game" necklace in his first contest back on October 23 and recorded his first point of the season in a 3-2 overtime loss to the Nashville Predators.

The undrafted free agent out of the University of Denver has built himself into an integral piece of the Avalanche, earning the affectionate nickname "The Mayor" around the city. He was part of Colorado's Stanley Cup championship team in 2022 and has been a glue guy in the locker room for years.

Myles O'Connor played hockey at the University of Michigan from 1985 to 1989, serving as captain during his senior year. Logan chose to play for DU instead and won a national championship with the Pioneers in 2017. When Michigan visited Magness Arena last month for a marquee nonconference series, the first time the Wolverines had played in Denver since 1981, a pre-game ceremony honoring both O'Connors had been planned well in advance. Despite his grief, Logan felt compelled to participate. He walked to center ice with Brooks on his arm for the ceremonial puck drop.

"We were supposed to go to the game together," O'Connor said. "It felt like a way to honor him, something I know he'd still want me to do with my son."

Before this season, O'Connor always took a quiet moment during pregame warmups to appreciate the life he was living and the dreams he was fulfilling. Now, he uses that moment to think about his dad. He honors Myles through the way he plays and the man he continues to become.

When asked about the best advice his father ever gave him, O'Connor pointed to a simple but powerful philosophy: be your own man, take pride in who you are, and measure success not by material possessions but by the people around you. He said his father was the most successful person he ever knew, surrounded by friends and family who showed up in remarkable ways during the weeks following his passing.

"The support our family's had is because of the man he has been," O'Connor said. "It's pretty remarkable and special to see."