2 boys meet Pittsburgh Penguins, join team through Make-A-Wish
Two Pittsburgh Penguins fans briefly joined the hockey team Monday when they signed special one-day contracts at the UPMC Lemieux Sports Complex in Cranberry Township.
Jayden Flick and Kent Kennedy, from Make-A-Wish chapters in New Jersey and Toronto respectively, met some of the players they admire on Monday morning before leaving with signed sticks from Sidney Crosby, who both boys listed as their favorite player.
“I think we all have people we looked up to and continue to look up to even now, and you need people like that. So to be able to provide that, I think it’s inspiring for me, and it's something that I don't take for granted. I think that’s important,” Crosby said in a news release.
“For us as guys here, the organization — to be able to do some cool things and create some great experiences and memories, that’s the goal ... it’s really fun as a player to be part of that.”
The two boys enjoyed breakfast before a news conference and then received fist bumps from players, including Crosby, before hitting the ice.
“It was really cool meeting him, like I was shaking,” Jayden said of his encounter with Crosby.
His family resides in New Jersey, but his father, Ryan, is from Kittanning. Jayden has been battling Hodgkin's lymphoma.
“Growing up near the area and being a Penguins fan my whole life, then by extension, (my family) became Penguins fans as well,” Ryan said. “It’s cool because I’ve been in love with the organization since I was a little boy, and to have that all validated with what they’ve done for our family, it makes it even more special.”
Kent’s family lives near Toronto, Canada. His love for the Penguins grew on its own.
“That was cool,” Kent said of Crosby. “It was obviously awesome, I've watched him my whole life. So, it was honestly a dream come true.”
Kent had a kidney transplant in 2019, his father, Mike, said Monday.
“There’s been lots of doctors visits and stuff like that, other minor surgeries along the way. But he’s doing really well now, and here we are,” Mike Kennedy said.
