A surprise father/son rivalry in the Western Final between the Avalanche and Oilers!

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Jeff Drouin
May 30, 2022 (5:49 PM)

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For any member of an NHL organization, the playoffs are a family affair. We saw this recently during the series between the Flames and Oilers, when the Tkachuk family (Brady actually gave quite a show) was on hand in Calgary to cheer on Matthew.

With the Western and Eastern Conference Finals set to begin shortly, however, one family will have some heartbreaking choices to make. The Manson family will see two of their members, Josh and Dave, face off in their next series. Josh Manson, who is a defenseman for the Colorado Avalanche, will face his father Dave Manson in the Western finals as he is an assistant coach with the Edmonton Oilers.

Before game six of the series between the Avalanche and the Blues, the father made a request of his son:

"He reached out and said, 'Go win this game so I can come see my granddaughter. That's number one on his list. He wants to come to Colorado to see my daughter, his granddaughter. That was the most important thing." - Josh Manson

"This is our first granddaughter and our only grandchild. It's exciting any time you can get the opportunity to see her, hopefully, and that's what came to mind. She is an important part of our family." - Dave Manson

It's a pretty happy coincidence for the father and son duo, and what makes it even more special is that it took a lot of fortune to make it happen in the first place. Not only did the Edmonton Oilers and Colorado Avalanche have to win two series to get to this point, but Dave Manson didn't even start the season with the Oilers.

Manson was promoted from the American Hockey League's Bakersfield Condors to Oilers head coach Jay Woodcroft on February 10 following the decision to fire former Oilers head coach Dave Tippett. Josh was traded to the Avalanche in March, just days before the trade deadline.

The family rivalry will begin on Tuesday when the Avalanche and Oilers play the first game of the Western Association Finals.