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Back home, the Dubielewicz family celebrates

Wade's parents are local celebrities in wake of son's triumph

Jim Baumbach

3:53 PM EDT, April 9, 2007

For all you Islanders fans who could barely bring yourself to watch the shootout against the Devils yesterday in fear of what horror might take place next, just think of what was going through the minds of Wade Dubielewicz's parents.

Watching via satellite television back home in Invermere, British Columbia, the goaltender's parents were absolutely silent, going what felt like hours without saying a word to each other.

"Oh my," Wade's mother, Phyllis, said this morning. "You wonder if you're going to live through it. I've never had a hockey game feel like it lasted that long."

After the Devils tied the score in the final second and the teams got ready for the shootout, Phyllis couldn't stop moving, releasing her nervous energy by walking around the kitchen. "I'm a goaltender's mother," she said. "I pace the floor."

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Her husband, Roger, was the opposite. He sat stoicly in his chair, his eyes locked on the television. "He was saying prayers, I suppose," Phyllis said.

It was an awful stretch, when time seemed to stand still. But it was certainly worth the agony, with Wade coming up big by stopping the Devils' Sergei Brylin to clinch the shootout victory, not to mention the Islanders' berth in the playoffs.

Anyone with a connection to Wade felt the same way, it seemed. So many people have called him over the past 24 hours, and everyone wants to tell him how they reacted to the roller coaster ride. When Wade turned on his cell phone after the game, he had 35 new text messages.

"One of my friends was watching the game as he was fixing his truck in his garage, and he said he tore apart his garage," Wade said, laughing. "Most people said they felt like they played the game, too."

Anyone who couldn't get through to him tried calling his parents.

"We probably heard from 15, 20 people," Phyllis said. "And those were only the ones who could get through."

She said the most bizarre call they got was from a former teammate of Wade who now lives in Las Vegas.

With the Islanders given off today, Wade drove back to his Connecticut home last night to celebrate with his wife and five-week-old son. He spent the entire drive on his cell phone. "I'm not going to lie to you," Wade said. "This has been pretty crazy. It's pretty fun to take it in."

That also goes for the people back home in Invermere. This town is so small -- check out this Webcam of downtown -- that when Wade's parents leave the house they almost always bump into someone they know. And everyone these days wants to talk about Wade.

"You can't go anywhere," Phyllis said. "It takes you 10 minutes to do anything."

The local elementary school even has a billboard up promoting Wade, which is courtesy of his best friend's mother-in-law, who is a teacher at the school. When someone from a small town makes it big, it doesn't matter how thin your connection is to him. You celebrate it.

When the Islanders open their first-round series in top-seeded Buffalo on Thursday, Wade's parents will be back in their familiar spots in their home, watching the television and staying silent. But before then, they need to recover from yesterday. Phyllis said, "I took today off."

Wade also said he needs to recover. He is enjoying the ride, but realizes the Islanders won't be putting up a banner for finishing in eighth place. So soon the celebrating will cease. Said Wade, "Tonight I'm going to give myself a bit of a reality check."

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If only Bernie Williams got past the fact that the Yankees wouldn't guarantee him a roster spot, he'd probably be in pinstripes right now. Instead, as the Yankees turn to minor-leaguer Kevin Thompson to replace the injured Hideki Matsui, Bernie is focusing on his music.

The longtime Yankee finally came out of hiding Saturday, showing up at the Beacon Theater to play a few songs with the Allman Brothers. Here's a video clip of Bernie on stage, thanks to someone in the crowd, via YouTube, of course.

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Jim Baumbach's column, which appears only on Newsday.com, is posted by noon Monday through Friday. You can e-mail him at jim.baumbach@newsday.com.