

Former, follicly-privileged referee Kerry Fraser, with whom I rode the press elevator before the Flyers-Penguins game on Saturday (his hair is as spectacular up-close as it looks on TV), wrote about his experience at said game in his most recent column for TSN. In it, he described the scene at the Wells Fargo Center, the loudness of Flyers fans… and an exchange he witnessed between a “blue collar” Flyers fan (that should narrow it down…) and a young girl with cancer.

Go ahead, Kerry: [TSN]

Here's a must-share story I witnessed firsthand at the game which demonstrates the true heart of a hockey fan. At the end of the first period, a 32-year-old unemployed iron worker from the Atlantic City Union exited the complimentary seat he was given and was about to enter the concourse area.

Wearing the "Giroux" captain's jersey the fan purchased that very morning in hopes of getting it signed by his favourite player someday was a dead giveaway as to his team loyalty. This hockey fan was about to walk past a mother and her little girl (age 5) when he noticed that the child was wearing a surgical mask over her mouth.

The absence of hair on her little head along with her look was an indication that the child was a cancer patient. The blue collar fan then paused and asked the little girl if she was a Claude Giroux fan? As the child nodded he removed the brand new Giroux jersey, handed it to the little girl and said, "You are an angel and I would like to give this jersey to you."

The little girl beamed with excitement and commented to her mother that the jersey had the new "C" on the front. The good Samaritan Flyers fan simply walked away with a tear in his eye. The name of the fan is being withheld at his request because like most acts of kindness, he did not want to bring attention to himself. I felt the need to bring attention to the act of one terrific hockey fan and human being.