SJ Sharks sign new player - Make A Wish Foundation story

I thought this was a pretty awesome thing for the Sharks to do. Basically, Sam is a huge Sharks fan and has a potentially deadly heart disorder. Make A Wish and the Sharks teamed up to let Sam sign a one day contract, hang out with the players, and skate onto the ice during a home game earlier this week.

http://www.nhl.com/ice/news.htm?id=710231

I knew I was a Sharks fan for a reason. Nicely done.

A huge reason I like hockey so much. Generally most NHL players are decent people and gentlemen as a whole.
When was the last time you heard of a NHL player getting jammed up on a homicide, drug deal, steroids, rape, paternity suit or the like?
Sure you get a very occasional DUI, DV or similar but nothing like the wholesale thugs and felons that are rampant and sadly celebrated in other sports.
Hockey players are a different breed for a few reasons. Most come from solid family structures, good educations and college degrees. Hockey is still a "Gentlemans" game, with etiquette and discipline. Most NHL'rs realize it is a blessing and a privilege to play at the level they do. The league will not tolerate the criminal activities like other sports will and have a code of conduct for the players that is enforced.
I worked with the Grizzlies when they were here and the Av's the first year they were here and I got the chance to chat casually with a few players. Only one sticks in my mind as an arrogant, self righteous prick and that was Claude LeMieux. Sakic Roy, Foote, Forsberg, Belfour, Ricci and even the Great One, Gretzky were all gentlemen and would always say hi if I was in the equipment room. Eddie Belfore of the Blackhawks was a great guy. I was stitching up his pad after it ripped and he sat there in his long john's cracking jokes, talking about Harleys and generally bullshitting, awesome dude that would be a riot to have burgers and beers with.
They are ambassadors of the game.
Classy move Sharks!

A buddy of mine was at that game and told me the place was insane when he came out, and not a dry eye in the arena.
+1 Sharks

Watched this on TV the other day, pretty moving... +1 to the NHL

Quote:

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Originally Posted by BPTactical

A huge reason I like hockey so much. Generally most NHL players are decent people and gentlemen as a whole.
When was the last time you heard of a NHL player getting jammed up on a homicide, drug deal, steroids, rape, paternity suit or the like?
Sure you get a very occasional DUI, DV or similar but nothing like the wholesale thugs and felons that are rampant and sadly celebrated in other sports.
Hockey players are a different breed for a few reasons. Most come from solid family structures, good educations and college degrees. Hockey is still a "Gentlemans" game, with etiquette and discipline. Most NHL'rs realize it is a blessing and a privilege to play at the level they do. The league will not tolerate the criminal activities like other sports will and have a code of conduct for the players that is enforced.
I worked with the Grizzlies when they were here and the Av's the first year they were here and I got the chance to chat casually with a few players. Only one sticks in my mind as an arrogant, self righteous prick and that was Claude LeMieux. Sakic Roy, Foote, Forsberg, Belfour, Ricci and even the Great One, Gretzky were all gentlemen and would always say hi if I was in the equipment room. Eddie Belfore of the Blackhawks was a great guy. I was stitching up his pad after it ripped and he sat there in his long john's cracking jokes, talking about Harleys and generally bullshitting, awesome dude that would be a riot to have burgers and beers with.
They are ambassadors of the game.
Classy move Sharks!

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That's because of the costs involved in raising kids that play hockey. Most are coming out of upper middle class families that are still intact and instill some values on their kids. Even as a Red Wings fan I have huge respect for most Avs players and what they have done in this community (except Claude Lemieux, I'll never be able to tolerate him). When my wife's oldest was battling lymphoma the Avs brought us in and put us in a suite along with another family that had a sick kid and we watched the game fully catered and Paul Stastny was on IR rehabbing an injury so he stayed the whole game talking to the kids and signing anything they wanted.