When their son, Tyrone, was 12, Paul and Fiona Bronte made a decision that would redefine their lives.

They emptied much of their retirement savings and eventually downsized their Melbourne family home so Tyrone and his brother, Declan, could chase a sport that barely existed in Australia. It was an improbable bet: that one day, in a country where ice time is scarce and professional paths are almost nonexistent, one of them might carve out a hockey career.

“I don’t think I realized just how much they sacrificed until I got older,” Tyrone Bronte told NHL.com International. “They’re just so unselfish. They gave up everything that they could get from having us at home, from saving money, no questions asked. They just said, ‘Go over there, go to North America, go live your life.’”

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