There’s nothing more important than family. Many have expressed this sentiment and it’s true; nothing in the world is more important than family. 

The great game of hockey has seen its fair share of familial ties throughout its history. In fact, some of the NHL’s most decorated players shared surnames like Patrick, Howe, Boucher, and Sutter. Brothers have played with and against each other. Fathers have played with and against their sons. Cousins, nephews, uncles, the combinations are innumerable. 

However, this isn’t a story about a family playing against each other. No, this is a story about family scouting together. Or, at least, scouting alongside each other.

Kevin Maxwell, a former NHL player turned Scout has been around the NHL for longer than he’d care to admit. But for him, there’s nothing quite like knowing that his son Jackson is living the same life that he is. The Senior Maxwell is currently a scout for the St. Louis Blues while the younger plys his trade for the Toronto Maple Leafs. Two different teams, two different divisions, heck, two different conferences. But one Father-Son bond. 

“It’s pretty cool,” the elder Maxwell explained. “I mean, I can remember taking him to games, he would have his little notebook, he’d watch/scout games and just kind of have fun with it. Now it’s become reality, so it’s really cool…I don’t go to the same games as he does. But when we do, I have to admit, I’ve looked over a couple of times and thought it was really kind of cool that he is working in the business. My wife and I always have a chuckle over it. Just very proud of what he’s done.”

“Even in pre-school, at three- or four-year-olds, I said I wanted to work with my dad,” the younger Maxwell said. “So it’s been a goal of mine for a long time. He definitely influenced me a lot. Seeing what it takes to do what he does, and the ins and outs of the day-to-day that goes into being a scout, and how far he’s gone. He played a big influence in what I wanted to do and he’s helped me along the way tremendously. Just like with the little things, like teaching me (the game). It’s a lonely job, but when you have someone in the business like my dad to help out, it’s had a huge impact on my career.”

You can see the proverbial twinkle in each of their eyes when they talk about what it means to be a Father and Son scouting together in the NHL. Although, they’re not actually working “together.” Technically, they are competing with each other, or, rather, their teams are. So it’s a good thing they’ve created a “Church and State” like boundary in regards to their jobs.

“We made it apparent right from the start, when we started working in the same business, that we wouldn’t talk hockey in terms of names or sharing information,” Kevin said. “Actually, the team who originally hired him made that a point, and I think it’s a good point to just kind of keep hockey separate from everything. We talk about other things at the dinner table.”

“We don’t try to get information from each other,” Jackson chimed in. “We’re very respectful that way. It’s not so much of a secret at the pro level. It’s more about finding which player fits your team best. All of us kind of know who the players are and what they do. So there’s not really as many secrets out there, but we still, when it comes to information on the off-ice stuff, or even, who we’re looking at and interested in, we stay away from that because that’s a boundary line.”

It’s very interesting to see a Father and Son talk so matter-of-factly about how they have to have certain boundaries because of their jobs. But it just goes to further show how committed they are to their work and to respecting each other. And just as there’s no getting around the boundaries they’ve set regarding information sharing, there’s also no way of getting around the fact that Kevin Maxwell greatly influenced his son Jackson’s career.

“My dad’s had an influence on my hockey career,” Jackson said. “(Both) playing, and actual business. He has all the influence in the world on me. My parents are chronic optimists. They never once told me I wasn’t good enough, even though my dad probably knew in the back of his head I wasn’t at that level (of being an NHL player). But he would’ve never told me that. 

“He gives me all the optimistic positivity in the world to keep going and let me know what I can get better at. Little things like that have taught me what it takes to be a good player, even though I wasn’t able to accomplish it (on the ice). I know what it takes to be a good player and what the makeup of a good player (is). Then there’s also the little intricacies of the game that he’s taught me along the way. That’s been incredibly instrumental for me.”

The way Kevin Maxwell tells it, “I kind of directed him to some of the teams who were actually looking at (hiring) at the time when he graduated. In the end, Kyle Dubas hired him and I think it was mainly because of his master’s degree in sports management. He did it on his own and I’m very proud of him for getting in there.”

Before you all start thinking this is a one-way relationship, that’s simply not the case. In fact, Kevin credits Jackson with teaching him some “new tricks.”

“He’s really opened my eyes to analytics,” Kevin explained. “I’m a little bit older and he was taught that in college. The numbers game and everything that’s going on nowadays, I’ve got an open mind (to them) and I kind of credit that to him for getting me started on that.”

Ok, so we now know these two have influenced each other and that they make sure to keep things professional when professionalism is called for. But how and why did the son end up following in his father’s footsteps rather than his skates?

“Part of it would have to be that I wasn’t a good enough player to play pro like he did,” Jackson explained. “But it’s always been of interest to me.”

“I’ve always had an interest in (scouting),” Jackson continued. “The Trade Deadline and July 1st were some of my favorite days of the year (when I was younger) because I would turn on the NHL network and see what trades were going down. I’d always be on CapFriendly — it used to be called Cap Geek — online creating trades and looking at potential free agent signings and stuff like that. Since I always had an interest in (scouting) at a young age, I was already engulfed in the game. In my interview with Toronto, I was a young guy — I got hired at 23 — and I had only been working in The League for a year before then, but one of their questions was, ‘When did you really think you started looking at the game differently and not just as a fan?'”

“I think it was around age 14 when I really started,” Jackson added. “I wasn’t writing reports or anything, but I’d talk to my dad about what he was writing, what he was seeing, and what I was seeing. He’s helped me along the way to look for different things when you’re at a game; stuff like that. So the transition (from playing to scouting) was pretty easy ’cause I’d really been doing it as a hobby for a long time before then — before I finally did get a break.”

“He went into sports management and got his master’s at UMass Amherst,” Kevin added on. “Then it kind of evolved from there. He’s always loved hockey and grew up with hockey, so I think I had a little bit to do with it, but that was about it.” 

Kevin is being modest. As Jackson tells it, he’s wanted to work with his dad since he was three years old.

“I don’t think I was thinking too deeply when I was three years old when I said that (I wanted to work with my dad one day),” Jackson said. “But, it is funny (how things turned out).”

Funny? Maybe. But it’s definitely a nice story to see a Father and Son work “together” in the game they both love. And who knows, maybe one day they will actually work together on the same team.

“It would be interesting to have each other on the same team,” Kevin said, “trying to fight for The Stanley Cup. So that would be a dream of mine.”

“I think it’d be awesome to work with my dad at some point,” Jackson exclaimed. “But I do think that it’s been good for me to build my own path without him and with a different team. I know his leadership and his advice. I already have that. So being able to work underneath other people and now I’ve been through two regimes, with Brad (Treliving) hereafter Kyle (Dubas), I think it’s been good for me to kind of carve my own path that way. 

“But I can’t lie, it would be nice to work with him at some point down the road. That would be kind of a dream of mine. He knows that any success that I have in this league, a large part is due to him. So, no matter if we’re working together or not, we’re kind of intertwined with whatever we do, no matter what teams we’re working for.”

A Father and Son joined together through the game of hockey. There’s nothing better.