A recent Minnesota Wild game had a few tears and a happy ending — all before the puck dropped.
While the Wild warmed up for their match against the Edmonton Oilers Oct. 22, three young fans — Emily Wiltzius, and brothers Brayden and Logan McCann — looked on in hopes of catching a puck. As warm-up continued and his hands remained empty, 7-year-old Logan began to get worried, then teary, before breaking out in sobs, his hand pressed against the glass.
It's the kind of pathos that would thaw even the hardest heart.
Noticing the three kids, Wild winger Mats Zuccarello skated nearby to toss some pucks over the glass. Sandwiched between his 8-year-old brother Brayden and 11-year-old Emily, Logan's chances of catching one were slim.
What ensued was the sweetest, most polite game of "hot potato" ever.
Emily, who didn't know the boys, caught the first puck and handed it to Brayden. Brayden caught the second puck and handed it to Emily. Emily then handed that puck to a teary-eyed Logan, who clutched it in his hands in awe before turning to Emily to whisper a heartfelt, "thank you."
All of it was caught on video and shared by the NHL on Twitter. Naturally, it went viral.
When Wild player Jason Zucker and his wife, Carly, saw the clip, they set out to find the kids. In a tweet shared by hundreds of people, Carly wrote: "Oh my my … calling all twitter friends: help us find out who these sweet kiddos are! They deserve ALL the pucks. Message me if you have any info!"
