Practically on cue, one-year-old Aleksandr Tarasenko triumphantly raises his arms and smiles after hearing the word that Blues fans associate with his famous father.
"Goal!" Vladimir Tarasenko and his stepson, Mark, 10, yell as they raise their arms in an impromptu goal celebration.
Most parents can tell you exactly where they were the first time they saw their child take a few steps. Vladimir and Yana Tarasenko are no different.
Tarasenko lights up when he describes the moment he first saw his baby walk in his spacious basement, but he gets even more animated when he recalls the first time Aleksandr raised his arms to celebrate a "goal" call.
Vladimir, Mark and Aleksandr were playing together when Aleksandr saw them celebrate a goal and mimicked their reactions. Vladimir, who has scored 145 goals over his five seasons with the Blues, was so excited about his baby's goal celebration that he immediately called Yana so that she could also see him raise his arms in triumph.
Tarasenko is taking advantage of his time at home this offseason. He enjoys spending time with Yana, Mark and Aleksandr as he tries to catch up on everything he missed while playing for Russia at last summer's World Cup and with the Blues throughout the season.
Considering the Blues reached the 2016 Western Conference finals, Tarasenko hasn't had much time away from hockey over the past three years. He played in the world championships after the Blues were eliminated in the 2015 playoffs. He then led the Blues to their first Western Conference finals in 15 years in 2016, putting them within two victories of the Stanley Cup Final.
His life was changed forever when Yana gave birth to Aleksandr on May 17, 2016, a few hours before Tarasenko rushed to Scottrade Center for Game 2 of the Western Conference finals against the Sharks. Four months later, he was on the Russian national team for the World Cup of Hockey.
He was asked to join his national team again this May for the world championships after the Blues were eliminated by the Predators, but he passed to let his body recover and to spend time with his family in St. Louis.
Tarasenko, who was raised by his paternal grandparents in Russia while his dad played professional hockey, doesn't want to have any regrets as a father.
"My dad wasn't there because he was playing," he said. "I know now how hard it was for him to not see the family. Just somehow sometimes in your life you put your priorities (in order) and decide what kind of stays in front of you, and some things go to the side.
"My family is the most important thing for me. I'm enjoying my time here. ... I always enjoy my time at home. A lot of people say we have a good atmosphere in my house. That's why I want to stay here and hang out and enjoy my family."
Although the Blues' turbulent season ended two rounds short of the Stanley Cup Final, Tarasenko has had the most fulfilling time of his personal life since his baby was born a year ago.
Four months after the baby was born, Tarasenko accomplished one of the biggest goals he set as a child by scoring for his national team with his paternal grandfather and namesake in this stands at the World Cup in Toronto.
Then in October he convinced his grandfather Vladimir to visit St. Louis for the first time to watch him play at Scottrade Center. The elder Tarasenko finally saw how far his grandson has come, figuratively and literally, since he raised him in a two-room apartment in Yaroslavl, Russia.
Tarasenko grew up in a modest apartment with one bedroom, a small living room, a kitchen and one bathroom. Now, his palatial home's basement, which has a miniature hockey rink, could easily fit inside Tarasenko's childhood apartment.
"Here (in America) a lot of people can live in a nice house," he says. "In Russia the houses are usually outside of the city. If you want to have a good house and good life in Russia you have to be rich to keep it."
There are times when Tarasenko counts his blessings from his outdoor patio near the pool.
"Sometimes I'll sit outside and we'll look at the house and remember how we had a one-bedroom apartment," said Tarasenko, who had always lived in apartments until he bought his spacious home in the St. Louis suburbs in December 2015. "We look at this house and it's a pretty long way (from his childhood apartment), but we believe the best years (are still to) come."
As he finishes that statement, Tarasenko smiles and nods toward Mark and Aleksandr to leave no doubt why he thinks the future's so bright for him and Yana.
"This is the stuff that every hockey player as a man goes to reach," he said.
Tarasenko has steadily improved his English since his NHL debut on Jan. 19, 2013. Now he helps Mark and Yana with their English.
He is also a proud hockey dad now. Mark began his youth hockey career as a forward this year before transitioning to goaltender.
A proud Tarasenko nudged Mark recently at his home and asked him to show a pair of visitors his extreme flexibility. Mark then bent his knees and managed to rotate his legs out to the side at an angle that seemed to defy the joints.
Tarasenko's appearances at the Olympics, world championships, World Cup and the NHL playoffs didn't prepare him for the stress of watching one's own child play.
"I think he's nervous a lot," Yana said with a chuckle. "He feels like maybe he's on the ice."
Tarasenko finds it much more difficult to sit through a 36-minute youth game when his son is the one trying to stop goals instead of score them. He doesn't envy other parents with goalies.
He notes that the forwards' parents at least get some breaks when their kids' lines are off the ice.
"When he's a goalie, you're just on him all game for three periods," he says. "It's pretty hard."
Russian goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky, the Columbus Blue Jackets' superstar who led the NHL in save percentage this past season, recently sent Mark a set of goalie pads and gloves. Mark uses them when he practices stopping his stepdad's shots in the basement.
Like most young athletes, Mark still dreads making mistakes on the ice. He says it can be scary at times, but he garners strength from Tarasenko.
"If I make any mistakes, I know that he can help me with them," Mark said.
Mark's team will play in the semifinals of their current season's playoff round June 4. He recently asked his Tarasenko if he'll be scared during the semifinal.
"I'm going to be nervous," Tarasenko said. "But there's nothing to be scared about. There are two options: You're going to win or you're going to end your season, so we will cheer hard."
Tarasenko is definitely cheering a lot this offseason. He has reason to raise his own hands in triumph as Mark grows as a hockey player and Aleksandr surpasses new milestones often.
Tarasenko credits Yana, Mark and Aleksandr with helping him cope with what he describes as the most difficult and tiring year of his career. He is using the offseason to show his gratitude for their support and love.
"If I want my kids to be like me and Yana, we need to give them as much as we can," he said. "We can't take this time back. The same as in hockey. If we lose this year, we can't take it back and replay it again. It's the same with the kids. If you lose a year or lose a week, you can't take it back anymore."
As little Aleksandr has learned, every goal and milestone must be celebrated.
