The Messiah Delivers Again

As most of you know, I am a sucker for the nice, heart-warming hockey stories. I feel that we pay hockey players (through our tickets, gear, etc.) to entertain us on the ice. That they give back to the community in any way is just icing on the cake. But it certainly does help endear the players to the fans: Adam Graves wasn't one of the the best hockey players, just one of the best human beings and that's why we love him in New York. Well, his old captain Mark Messier did a good thing himself last weekend. Thanks to the CBC's Bring Home the Stanley Cup contest Messier brought the Cup to Adam Bourque, a young man with a disability in PEI (click on the link for the guy's winning entry - it really is quite touching). While I am sure he was compensated for his participation, Mess certainly didn't need the money. He went so far as to tell the Canadian Press that “it’s an incredible experience for me. That’s what the Stanley Cup is really all about, when you see the number of people it touches.”

And it sounds like Mess showed how much he cared by making sure Adam had a good time. Of course, while they played a game of street hockey, Mess had to score a goal on the kid but if he wasn't so competitive, he wouldn't be Mark Messier.

It's a great story on the eve of the Stanley Cup Finals and yet more proof that hockey players are the classiest of all athletes. I love this sport.