A Hockey Story For All
Posted 1:28 AM ET | Comments 0
Every year we come across a touching story about one of the fantastic players in our league reaching out, going the extra mile for their fans and those less fortunate. Just a few days ago Eklund brought attention to the Sedin twins donation, and at the Leafs vs. Sens game on Mar. 16, I got to see examples of how Sens players are helping kids with terminal diagnoses live their lives in happiness.
But today I was told a story that pulled at my heartstrings. I ended up watching the Leafs/Habs game at a friends, and another visitor there happened to be the strength coach for Montreal. I'd met him before, but didn't know what it would be like watching a game with someone so connected to the team. As the game went on everyone was sharing hockey stories, and one in particular came up
There was a terminally ill kid in a small town in Quebec. He had been diagnosed with anywhere from a week onward to live, and he had stopped talking for weeks, just lay in bed with tubes going in and out of him. But his life was cheering for the Canadiens. His favourite player was Maxim Lapierre, and his parents wrote to him asking if he would autograph a jersey if they sent one. Maxim did one better. He got a helicopter flight to the town, and brought a new jersey himself. He came in, and just started talking to the kid, asking him questions. He sat down beside him and took some pictures, and asked him what he had for dinner, and the kid pulls out a tube from his mouth and says "Pizza! I had Pizza!" - This was apparently the first time he had talked in weeks. Everyone was crying because he looked better than he had since the diagnosis. Maxim brought a smile and a lifechanging experience to an innocent kid and his family.
Before I heard this story, I did not like Lapierre, for his actions on the ice. I would trash talk him just like any other player I hate. But this made me realize, there are a lot of good guys in our league, more than there should be, and now I'm going to make sure to keep my judgement on players solely onto their play, because it means nothing about who they are as a person.
I know it was a long blog, but I think it's a story that needs to be heard. I'm a Leafs fan, but after that story, allegiances no longer mattered. It's a good thing to remember sometimes there are bigger things than the game we love
But today I was told a story that pulled at my heartstrings. I ended up watching the Leafs/Habs game at a friends, and another visitor there happened to be the strength coach for Montreal. I'd met him before, but didn't know what it would be like watching a game with someone so connected to the team. As the game went on everyone was sharing hockey stories, and one in particular came up
There was a terminally ill kid in a small town in Quebec. He had been diagnosed with anywhere from a week onward to live, and he had stopped talking for weeks, just lay in bed with tubes going in and out of him. But his life was cheering for the Canadiens. His favourite player was Maxim Lapierre, and his parents wrote to him asking if he would autograph a jersey if they sent one. Maxim did one better. He got a helicopter flight to the town, and brought a new jersey himself. He came in, and just started talking to the kid, asking him questions. He sat down beside him and took some pictures, and asked him what he had for dinner, and the kid pulls out a tube from his mouth and says "Pizza! I had Pizza!" - This was apparently the first time he had talked in weeks. Everyone was crying because he looked better than he had since the diagnosis. Maxim brought a smile and a lifechanging experience to an innocent kid and his family.
Before I heard this story, I did not like Lapierre, for his actions on the ice. I would trash talk him just like any other player I hate. But this made me realize, there are a lot of good guys in our league, more than there should be, and now I'm going to make sure to keep my judgement on players solely onto their play, because it means nothing about who they are as a person.
I know it was a long blog, but I think it's a story that needs to be heard. I'm a Leafs fan, but after that story, allegiances no longer mattered. It's a good thing to remember sometimes there are bigger things than the game we love