Herald photo by Jamie Woodford Adam Henry (centre) looks at the limited edition 2011-12 uncut Hurricane Hockey Cards with his mom Terina (right), dad Randy and brother Christian during the team¹s annual Family Weekend.

Jamie Woodford and Katie May
Lethbridge Herald
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While many families are spending quality time with each other this Family Day, the holiday was especially meaningful for Lethbridge Hurricanes players and their parents who got a rare chance to visit during the team's annual Family Weekend.
Activities began Friday with a game against the Regina Pats where family members were saluted for their support of the Hurricanes. The players got the day off Saturday to spend with their families however they wanted, followed by a Sunday brunch and an afternoon skills competition.
For 17-year-old defenceman Adam Henry, the weekend was a welcome opportunity to see his parents and his brother in person.
"It's great. I was just in Brandon a couple weeks ago, it was nice to see them but I only got to see them for about 10, 15 minutes," he said. "It's really nice to have this weekend."
The Henry family stays connected with phone calls, daily text messages and the odd Skype session.
"We also are in constant communication with his billet family, and the billets are just fabulous. They really are part of our family now. That's been a huge plus," said Adam's mom, Terina.
Adam's dad Randy said he also enjoyed meeting other families who came to Lethbridge from all over Western Canada.
"It's nice to connect with some other people, and the players," he said. "You feel like you know the players, but they don't know you."
This was only the second time the family has been able to see Adam in Lethbridge, and the first time they got to see him play here. Terina said the 12-hour drive from Winnipeg to Lethbridge makes being apart difficult, but the weekend provided a "fabulous" opportunity to see her son.
"To see him play at home for one thing because we saw him play in Brandon and Regina, but that's completely different than being able to play at home and the whole arena is here for you," she said. "And just to see what he sees every day. See the town, the restaurants he goes to, and we're very fortunate that his billet family has really welcomed us into their home. It feels like we're at home with Adam."
Although his mother couldn't make the weekend, centre Nick Buonossisi, 19, got to spend some quality time with his dad.
"It feels good. We only get to do it once a year, so it's good to see all the families around because they spent a lot of time and put effort in on the off-season, and when we were little, so we just (want to) show our appreciation by giving them a brunch and seeing a couple of games," he said.
The B.C. native said his family stays in touch with text messages and after games phone calls. But phone calls can't deliver his mom's cooking, the one thing he misses most from living away. He added, "I miss my dog and my cat. My parents and my sister, my friends."
Buonossisi's dad Mike catches as many Hurricane games online as he can, but it's not the same as seeing it live, he said.
"You really, truly get an appreciation of how fast the game is when you're here live versus the Internet."
He said he would have liked to have seen more games during the weekend, but was relishing the quality time with his son.
"I love it. Being from B.C. and Nick in the eastern conference, we don't get to see as many games as we did before when Nick was in the B.C. division, so now it's a real treat that we can fly out . . . it's nice to see him," he said. "Texting and Skyping isn't the same as doing it live, so I'm loving the weekend."
When Swedish defenceman Albin Blomqvist walked into the Enmax Centre arena with his father for the first time last week, his teammates called out greetings and asked the recently injured player how he's doing.
"That's not that common in Sweden that people are that way . . . they're really so nice taking care of him," said his father, Niclas Blomqvist, who visited Albin from Sweden for the first time the week before Family Day.
"It's great to be able to come and see how he's doing."
Albin, who's been in Lethbridge living with a billet family for less than a year, had his sights set on moving to Canada for a while. He's the middle brother between two other serious hockey players and his family wasn't about to discourage him from his NHL dreams even if it meant moving across the globe.
"It's a big journey, not by distance, but just to take that step," Niclas said. "They're so determined, all three of them."
Albin is used to being away from home, but he said it's been great to catch up with his family face to face instead of just keeping in touch via Skype and Facebook.
"When I played in Sweden, I lived on my own since I was 16, so I'm kind of used to it. But it's different, you know, it's a different country and it's a different culture. You've got to try to fit into it," he said. "You always want to be close to your family and it's fun to show them what's like, where I live and what I do. It means a lot."
His father Niclas agreed.
"It's a big trip, so we look forward to it. Like Albin said, it's a different culture, a different kind of hockey style, and to see him adjust that well is so great."