So you doubted me when I said that hockey has the classiest athletes...
This is a story about the Chicago Blackhawks players foregoing an extra day with their families around Thanksgiving after a long road-trip, and taking 2 coach buses 110 miles north into rural Ontario to support their mourning GM, who's father passed away.
On the way back, they stopped into a local McDonald's, like my high school football team did on a return bus home from the North Fork of Long Island way back when, and signed autographs for the kids coincidentally trading cards of Jonathan Toews and Patrick Kane - while enjoying their Big Macs.
When I mentioned in my earlier post (Who am I and why do I love hockey?) that hockey has the highest level of sportsmanship, this is what I meant (it's mentioned in the Chicago Tribune article as well, in addition to the plethora of blogs/articles covering this act of kindness)!
These guys understand the value of loyalty and respect, and what it means to do the right thing. They sacrificed their own pleasure and relaxation to support their boss. It's a lesson we should all take to heart, because on top of loyalty, respect and sacrifice, it teaches selflessness and shows maturity.
I say this with no exaggeration: I have become a Blackhawks fan because of this.
I hope this is as inspiring for you as it is for me.
I hope what we are trying to achieve with this volunteer program together is also inspiring. Every child should learn these type of lessons in life - and hockey consistently proves to be a great medium to communicate just those values.