The Ruck twins can’t stave off their massive grins as they hang up the phone.
“That’s the most stressful thing I’ve done,” says one of the Ruck twins. “That’s crazy,” says his brother.
The two newly drafted Pittsburgh Penguins Markus and Liam Ruck from Osoyoos, B.C., had just spoken with hockey legend and team captain Sidney Crosby, as seen in a video posted by the team on X.
At the draft last week in Buffalo, N.Y., the Penguins selected Liam in the first round with the 22nd pick, then Markus in the second round at 39th.
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Their parents, Derek and Nina Ruck, spoke with CBC’s Radio West host Sarah Penton about raising the twins and how the draft went.
The Rucks said their sons, who both play for the Medicine Hat Tigers in the WHL, have almost always played on the same team, only playing apart at camps.
Nina Ruck said the two grew up playing hockey all the time, whether it was mini-sticks or shooting pucks.
“Our garage is no longer a garage; it’s a shooting area,” Nina Ruck said.
“They definitely support one another,” she added. “When one’s down, the other one picks the other one up.”
This interview has been edited for length and clarity.
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When did you first realize that hockey was more than just for fun with Markus and Liam?
Derek: It’s always been a passion for them. We don’t really care about the stats and the points and how well they’re doing, as long as they’re having a passion for it, and they love the game.
Yes, there’s been times where we’re proud of their accomplishments, but we’ve always just told them [to] just have fun with it and we’ll keep supporting you.
What were they like as young players?
Nina: They were just loving it. So even when we went to watch a game, let alone play a game, they would always take everything in.
They would watch every play, and then once they got on the ice and they had their opportunity, they just worked really hard and gave it their all every step of the way.
It’s been amazing just to watch them grow up together and be competitive against one another and then live their dream.
What’s it like for you to watch your boys play together?
Derek: We’re so proud to watch them grow up. It feels like yesterday they were on the backyard rink as two-year-olds.
It’s gone so fast, and I wish I could turn back the clock a little bit. But watching them play with passion and doing it together — it’s amazing.
They call themselves “mirror twins” — what does that mean?
Nina: They actually do everything opposite. One throws right, the other throws left. One shoots right, one shoots left. Their hair swirls opposite directions. So everything they do is actually opposite, yet they’re identical.
Derek: They’re essentially one person.
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How did you guys celebrate when they got drafted?
Nina: It was actually a little bit difficult because we were celebrating with Liam, and we had to do a whole bunch of work with that.
And then Liam was actually amazing. He kind of knew that his brother wanted to go about the same time. He just said, let’s get something to eat, and we’ll go back to the room, and we’ll celebrate when we’re all together. So we waited.
Was it stressful not knowing what’s going to happen with Markus?
Nina: We didn’t get much sleep. We just worried. We didn’t want him to worry. We thought, wow, this is just a privilege just to be here.
But I think just the stress of him not knowing if he was going to be with his brother right away, and what, how far he was going to have to wait.
That was a little bit stressful for him. But it all worked out. So it was amazing to celebrate on Saturday.
How much of a support has the community been for your family?
Nina: The boys’ stitching in their draft suits says: “It takes a village.” Grandparents have had to take them to the rinks, cousins have supported them, aunties and uncles have looked after them as well.
It truly takes a village because, living in a small town, we were always driving. It took the support of all our family members to get them where they are today.
