The other day, the Tribune posted a minor, if sad story: A teenager who rushed down to the ice after last week's Winter Classic to get a few high fives came up lucky. He got a game-used stick from Henrik Zetterberg, instead. In the hierarchy of unexpected souvenirs, it doesn't get any better than that.
What happened next was not so lucky. Someone outside the stadium, posing as a security guard, told the kid he had to give the stick up because it was a security concern, and that he could pick the stick up at the Wrigley customer relations office. Naturally, it wasn't there; the dude had stolen the stick and made off with it, and the teenager was left empty-handed.
After the Tribune's story ran, the Red Wings hooked the kid up with another stick, which was very nice, but today there might be hints of an even more just outcome: Puck Daddy has a letter from someone who purchased Zetterberg's stick from the creep in question, and after hearing about the stick's travails, is looking to get it back to the kid post haste:The bottom line, however is that Henrick gave that stick to Kalan not me. Maybe he would like to trade his new stick for an Official Game Used Winter Classic Stick. But if not, that's OK! Jon, would you help me get this stick back to its rightful owner. Hey Kalan, there are bad people, but the United States is filled with far more good ones. Enjoy your stick buddy and keep loving hockey.
That's the good stuff right there, some last-ten-minutes-of-It's-A-Wonderful-Life style heartwarming. A happy ending all around. Well, close enough. A Hawks win would have been nice, too.
