[Dion]

Dennis Wideman broke into the NHL in 2005 with the St. Louis Blues. During his rookie season, he remembers, an 8-year-old boy would often run around the team's dressing room.

When his current team, the Calgary Flames, made that boy the No. 6 pick in the draft last June, the now-33-year-old Wideman immediately texted the kid's father -- and Wideman's former teammate -- Keith Tkachuk.

Oh, how the hockey world goes 'round and 'round.

The question was, would the Flames' veteran defenseman playfully torment Matthew Tkachuk like his old man did to a then-22-year-old Wideman?

"Keith Tkachuk was a pretty vocal guy, and he would definitely let you know if he didn't like something you were doing, that's for sure," Wideman said with a smile. So is Wideman now repaying the favor to the next-generation Tkachuk?

"A little bit,'' said Wideman, grinning again. "But he's playing well for us. We ride him a little bit just to keep him low. But he's a real good kid. There's not much you have to say to him.''

Matthew Tkachuk smiles at the thought that Wideman has been a teammate to both his dad and now him. What are the odds?

"It's crazy when you think about it like that," said Tkachuk, 19. "He's got some good stories about my dad. And I've got some good stories about Dennis, so maybe Wides will have a kid and I'll play with him.''

http://www.espn.com/nhl/story?id=185...edirected=true