San Jose Sharks defenseman Justin Braun will take a leave of absence after Game 2 of the Stanley Cup finals on Wednesday to attend the funeral of his father-in-law, former NHL player Tom Lysiak.
Lysiak, 63, died Monday, the same day that Braun played more than 18 minutes in Game 1 of the finals series against the Pittsburgh Penguins.
"It's a tough situation. To Justin's credit, he was business as usual," Sharks coach Peter DeBoer told reporters in Pittsburgh on Tuesday. "You feel for him. He went out there, he battled for us under tough circumstances."
Braun is married to Jessie Lysiak Braun, a former contestant on the "MasterChef" TV series. She tweeted confirmation of her father's death from leukemia.
It saddens me to the core of my being to write this post. My dad lost his battle with Leukemia today and has gone to be with the Lord now
— Jessie Lysiak Braun (@ChefJessieLB) May 30, 2016
Lysiak's funeral is in Atlanta.
Lysiak was the second overall pick in the 1973 draft, selected by the Atlanta Flames, and was second in rookie of the year voting to the New York Islanders' Denis Potvin.
Lysiak was a three-time All-Star with the Flames, led the team in scoring five times and was a team captain before being dealt to the Chicago Blackhawks in an eight-player trade in 1979. The number of players involved was an NHL record at the time.
