Blues grant Make-a-Wish for Charlie

In 2018, Charlie - a hockey player - was diagnosed with Ewing sarcoma, a rare cancer that forms in the tissues around the bones.
Back then, his wish was to spend time with the Blues coaching staff and go behind the scenes during a practice and gameday.
On Wednesday and Thursday, his Make-A-Wish was granted.

Charlie began his experience by joining Berube, Craig MacTavish and the rest of the staff at a coaches' meeting. They reviewed film and examined statistics and analytics before preparing for the day.

Charlie then followed Berube to the locker room, where he met with the team and sat in on their meeting before practice.

Watching from the bench, Charlie was excited to gear up and take the ice in real Blues goalie gear once practice ended. Pavel Buchnevich first had to make sure Charlie had quick-enough hands, tossing him a puck from the ice - as any goalie would, he caught it.

A rare opportunity for a young goalie - taking shots from NHL players - Charlie had no problem showing off his skills on the ice at Enterprise Center.

"I thought it was a great time with Charlie," said Berube at a media session Charlie observed as part of the gameday routine. "He's a great person, I think he really enjoyed himself. Myself, the coaching staff and the team - we had a great time, we loved to bring him in."

Charlie had the opportunity to read the starting lineups to the team before they took the ice on Tuesday against the Flames and was dressed in a typical coach's suit and tie.

When it was game time on Thursday, Charlie joined goaltender coach David Alexander up in the coaches' box for the first period as the Blues took on the Flames. He then took a seat with Chris Kerber and Joey Vitale in their 101 ESPN broadcast booth as they called the second period, then did a live interview with Andy Strickland on Bally Sports Midwest.

"For him to be able to come in our room and see how we run things and how we do things - and for him to go on the ice and take a few shots from some NHL players - I think Charlie had a great time. It's a dream; we really enjoy that," said Berube.