When Christy Gibbs, a Chicago-area second grade teacher, tweeted a good luck message to Blackhawks star Patrick Kane on behalf of her class, she certainly was not expecting a response.

But that is exactly what happened Wednesday when Gibbs and her students received a video greeting from the U.S. Olympic hockey team member, thanking the class for their cheering him on.

"Hopefully we can bring back the gold medal," Kane said in the video from Sochi.

Gibbs told the Herald her students were "very excited and very surprised" by the message from Kane, who also signed a hockey stick for each student. The students also received Olympic jackets, an Olympic mascot toy and a McDonald's gift card.

One of Gibbs' students told NBC Chicago she was particularly excited by the signed hockey stick and that she plans to "hold it and wish him good luck" when she watches him play.

Thanks to Kane and co.'s Wednesday win over the Czech Republic, the U.S. hockey team is in the semifinal and will face off with Canada in a rematch of the 2010 gold-medal showdown on Friday.