Loyalty
Proves True
As if the
Montreal Canadiens and Ottawa Senators series did not have enough drama
involved in it, a Montreal elementary school made headlines last Thursday. Maple
Grove elementary school gave their students the option to have a Montreal
Canadiens themed day by letting them wear a Canadiens jersey instead of the
regular school uniform to celebrate the start of the NHL playoffs. As the
season decided, the Montreal Canadiens were set to take on the Ottawa Senators
in the Quarterfinals.
One
student at Maple Grove Elementary had a different experience than all the other
children at the school. From this, came the chance of a lifetime.
11
year old Keila Penner
chose to wear something a little unusual in the city of Montreal. Instead of a jersey
with the Montreal Canadiens crest on it, Keila decided to support her favorite
team: the Ottawa Senators. Once she arrived, the school then gave Keila the
option to either change into a white t-shirt, or go home for the day.
Keila stuck true to her team and chose to go home.
Upon hearing this, Senators owner Eugene Melnyk contacted
the Penner family and invited them to take in Tuesday night’s game in Ottawa in
his personal suite! A limo arrived at their house and drove them to Scotiabank
place, the home of the Sens.
Boy, what a game did she see! Ottawa rallied late in the
third, and tied the game with twenty three seconds left to send the
game into overtime! Kyle Turris notched the game winner to send Keila and the
rest of the Ottawa faithful home happy! The Senators now lead the series 3
games to 1 with Game 5 tonight in Montreal at 7pm.
Keila Penner at Game 4 of the 2013 NHL Eastern
Conference Quarterfinals between the Senators and the Canadiens! Courtesy of http://www.journaldemontreal.com/2013/05/08/la-rivalite-a-lecole-primaire
My Take
To Eugene
Melnyk and the entire Ottawa Senators, I praise you! You made a dream come true
for a young hockey fan after being bullied by her school. No one should have
the right to tell a child that she cannot support her favorite hockey team when
everyone else in that school is!
To
Keila Penner, way to stay loyal and true to your team! When I first heard this
story I was in awe of how strong an 11 year old was to tell her school that she
would rather LEAVE school then take off her Sens sweater. I think back to when
I was a young kid and I believe I would have done the same thing Keila did. You
could not find me without my Flyers jersey nearby! Also, it was great to see
that her father supported her decision to stick true to her team. Keila teaches
us to stay proud of where you come from and what sports team you support, no
matter where you live!
My
Personal Story
I
am speaking from personal experience with this story I am about to tell. On
April 25th, 2013 I went to the Wells Fargo Center and witnessed the
Philadelphia Flyers last home game of the season. They were taking on one of
their division rivals, the New York Islanders. As I was walking out of the
stadium with a bunch of my coworkers, I saw a group of Islander fans. I went
over to them and wished them and their team best of luck in the playoffs. One
of the guys in the group looked at me and stuck out his hand and said, “Thank
you so much for saying that! You are the only nice Flyers fan I met tonight!” I
looked back at him and laughed and said, “Hey, we aren’t all bad!”
That
is just a small example of how sports can bring people together. From then, I talked
with this young man for a few minutes and found out that he was a Medical
student at the University of Pennsylvania. This was his first time taking in an
Islanders game in Philadelphia as he is from Long Island. I wished him the best
of luck on his finals and told him to have a good night.
It’s
these little interactions with people every day that impact the world. I hope
that I helped change his mind on the perception of Philadelphia sports fans and
how “mean” we are.
Side note - The “Philadelphia Sports fan perception”
may be the next story I write for this blog!
Just
a Thought
I
am only 19 years old; I know I have a lot to learn. But I believe that people
need to become kinder to each other. Because at the end of the day, hockey can
be simplified into one word; game. A fantastic game at that, that brings people
together, makes friendships, and unites cities. Hockey and sports in general
bring so many great learning experiences into to one’s life.
Though,
the game of life is much more important. Treat others with respect and respect
the game of hockey and those involved with it.
Links to Keila Penner articles where I
found information regarding this story.
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