I know, I know... The Canucks are a contentious point around these parts but I wanted to post something that happened this weekend that really hits you in the feels. Despite an absolute tire fire of a rebuilding(ish) season there can always be a few bright spots to look forward to.
For those not as obsessed with hockey as I am, allow me to give you some back story. Brock Boeser was drafted 23rd OA in 2015 out of the USHL (more or less the American Junior A tier) and played his first season last year with the Fighting Sioux at the University of North Dakota. He proceeded to post a rookie season of 27 goals 33 assists for a total of 60 points. His remarkable season put him in the echelon of former NoDak players like Jonathan Toews, Zach Parise, and Kyle Okposo -- the latter two being his most common NHL comparables. After an emotional elimination game against Boston University (that went to 2 overtimes) he flew back to Grand Forks, signed his ELC and joined the team in Minneapolis to make his debut in his hometown.
While his on ice performance is massively impressive, Brock's off ice character and path to the NHL are even more inspiring. Last April a super fan of the Fighting Sioux who has down syndrome made a twitter account to ask Brock to take her to prom. Her mother asked her to delete the account to avoid any mockery (because not everyone in this world has moral decency) but Boeser found her contact information and happily escorted the young woman to her Senior prom complete with a matching corsage in the UND green.
Now for the onion slicing moment: Boeser's father was diagnosed with Parkinson's disease which rendered him unable to work in his painting business after 31 years. It was incredibly important to both his parents that he get at least 2 years of university education before going pro. Despite a lot of debate about burning a year of his ELC for a lost season this year the real reason came out. Brock wanted to help his family out financially as they had been struggling as of late with his mother working 2-3 jobs at a time as the sole earner. He made his debut Saturday and scored his first NHL goal in his first game (assisted by the amazing Horvat).
Prior to the game the Canucks invited his parents to announce the starting lineup in the dressing room. Click through to the tweet if you want to feel all warm and fuzzy on the inside:
Duke and Laurie Boeser read the Canucks starting line-up Saturday.
Disclaimer: Acquire lots of tissues beforehand.
For those not as obsessed with hockey as I am, allow me to give you some back story. Brock Boeser was drafted 23rd OA in 2015 out of the USHL (more or less the American Junior A tier) and played his first season last year with the Fighting Sioux at the University of North Dakota. He proceeded to post a rookie season of 27 goals 33 assists for a total of 60 points. His remarkable season put him in the echelon of former NoDak players like Jonathan Toews, Zach Parise, and Kyle Okposo -- the latter two being his most common NHL comparables. After an emotional elimination game against Boston University (that went to 2 overtimes) he flew back to Grand Forks, signed his ELC and joined the team in Minneapolis to make his debut in his hometown.
While his on ice performance is massively impressive, Brock's off ice character and path to the NHL are even more inspiring. Last April a super fan of the Fighting Sioux who has down syndrome made a twitter account to ask Brock to take her to prom. Her mother asked her to delete the account to avoid any mockery (because not everyone in this world has moral decency) but Boeser found her contact information and happily escorted the young woman to her Senior prom complete with a matching corsage in the UND green.
Now for the onion slicing moment: Boeser's father was diagnosed with Parkinson's disease which rendered him unable to work in his painting business after 31 years. It was incredibly important to both his parents that he get at least 2 years of university education before going pro. Despite a lot of debate about burning a year of his ELC for a lost season this year the real reason came out. Brock wanted to help his family out financially as they had been struggling as of late with his mother working 2-3 jobs at a time as the sole earner. He made his debut Saturday and scored his first NHL goal in his first game (assisted by the amazing Horvat).
Prior to the game the Canucks invited his parents to announce the starting lineup in the dressing room. Click through to the tweet if you want to feel all warm and fuzzy on the inside:
Duke and Laurie Boeser read the Canucks starting line-up Saturday.
Disclaimer: Acquire lots of tissues beforehand.
