4 Make-A-Wish kids sign 1-day contracts, join Pittsburgh Penguins in practice
The trade deadline may have already passed, but Wednesday, the Pittsburgh Penguins added some new and very special players to the room.
Through Make-A-Wish, four players signed one-day contracts and became members of the Penguins.
For Chayce, Luke, Logan, and Gibsonia’s own Dominic, this was about so much more than getting to be a Penguin for the day.
“He’s been counting down the days. It’s just so special for us to be able to see him so excited and enjoy a day,” said Michelle Lettrich, Dominic’s mother.
Dominic is currently undergoing treatment for stage four neuroblastoma.
“Last year, I think he spent over 70 days, either in a hotel or hospital in New York. So to get the chance to just come out and just be a kid, I think he really appreciates that,” said Joe Lettrich, Dominic’s father.
The smiles from both the kids and the players were radiant as they signed their contracts, sat down and chatted with their new teammates and even got out on the ice for practice.
“I know it’s a huge thrill for our guys,” said Penguins head coach Mike Sullivan. “They look forward to this opportunity. You know, it’s certainly a privilege from our standpoint to meet these kids and see them in the experience and how much joy that they get from from interacting with our players.”
It was a truly unbelievable experience for the players, just as much as it is for the kids.
“The joy that they have, you know, being around all of us and experiencing this,” said Penguins captain Sidney Crosby. “This is a place that we get to come to every day, that we probably take for granted, for them to come in here and see them be wide eyed and so impressed by everything. Yeah, I think it’s just something that keeps things in perspective.”
When the new players were asked which of their new teammates they were looking forward to meeting the most, there was only one answer: Sidney Crosby.
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