Alex Nylander reveals what it was like to grow up with his brother, William Nylander
The NHL has sometimes lacked the ability to properly market their game and their star players, but one way that they've tried to rectify this is by taking the NHL product to Europe, Asia, and Australia for exhibition games for the popular Global Series.
This season, the Detroit Red Wings, Minnesota Wild, Ottawa Senators, and Toronto Maple Leafs embarked on a trip to Sweden for 2 games apiece. Of course, for William Nylander, this trip means a lot more considering he spent a lot of time just outside of Stockholm as a kid over the summers.
William was never alone as his younger brother, Alex, was always by his side. The family had a barn - not one with farm animals - that was set up as a hockey haven for the future NHLers. Alex would be the goaltender, William would take the shots, brotherly jabs would ensue, but "...then after the fight, no matter what happened," Alex said, "we would be best friends again."
Their father, Michael Nylander, was a journeyman of the sport as he spent time with 7 different NHL clubs and also played in leagues in Switzerland, Sweden, Russia, and Finland. A lot of the time he was traded or flipped at the deadline, which meant that the Nylanders all had to get up and move from city to city.
For William, he always had Alex by his side and vice versa. Through all the moves, new cities, new schools, and everything in between, they were at each others' sides through thick and thin.
"Willy and Alex, they're like stuck [together]," said Rasmus Sandin, the former Toronto Maple Leafs defenseman and a close friend of the Nylander family. "They're together all the time."
Being the son of an NHLer had it's perks as well as they would be able to watch games, visit the arena, the locker room, and even meet with some of the stars that Michael played with - including Doug Gilmour, Jaromir Jagr, and Peter Bondra. However, they also had to settle down and get serious with NHL aspirations. Nicklas Backstrom of the Washington Capitals was a good friend of Michael from their days in Washington and was close with the family as well - seen as an honourary sibling. "Backstrom remembers watching William and Alex both play for a local youth team. "I knew they were special players, for sure," he said. "They were dominant."
Through it all, William and Alex remained close friends and did almost everything together. Alex said he's the more funny and goofier of the two as William follows more in the footsteps of their father. Alex also is very quick to point out that William loves his naps:
"We both nap a lot," Alex said, "but you'll never see somebody who naps more than my brother. He'll nap 365 days of the year."
Returning home and playing in front of family and friends in Sweden is a huge moment for William. It shows his growth from being the child of an NHLer to forging his path as a top-ranked prospect, and then flourishing in style in the big leagues. Through it all, the brotherly bond has remained as close as ever.
