Pietrangelo helps young hockey player realize his dream

ST. LOUIS - Last November, Mick Deaver's dream of becoming an NHL hockey player came to a screeching halt.
While playing in a tournament in New Jersey for the Boston Bandits of the United States Premier Hockey League, the 18-year-old from Columbia, MO lost his balance as he was carrying the puck up the ice. As he fell forward, his chin collided with the knee of an opposing player, snapping his head back and breaking the C5 vertebrae in his neck.

"Initially, when you run into someone or something, you have that black out moment, but when I landed on the ice, I looked down and felt like my feet were still in the air, but they were flat on the ice," Deaver told KRCG TV in Columbia in June. "Everything was numb and tingling like pins and needles. I remember the kid (I fell into) at my feet holding his knee, but I remember I couldn't move at all."
Deaver spent months in a New Jersey hospital. He was conscious and awake, but he could only move his shoulders. Two surgeries and more than a year later, Deaver is now able to stand and move his feet with the help of a walker.

On Tuesday, the Blues invited Deaver and his best friend to the game against the Tampa Bay Lightning. They arrived at Scottrade Center thinking they would be walking through the turnstiles like everyone else, but instead were greeted by Alex Pietrangelo, who gave them a tour of the Blues locker room. Once inside, Deaver was presented with a No. 29 Blues jersey with his name on it.
"That was really special. I never thought something like that would ever happen," he told stlouisblues.com. "I thought we were just getting regular tickets and sitting where we were going to sit. I couldn't think of anything like this. It's very nice of the Blues to do this.
"Walking into the Blues locker room, that was awesome. It was a definitely a dream come true."
"It changes the way you look at the game when you see a kid go through an injury like that," Pietrangelo said. "But he's resilient, and it seems like he's doing all right. Seeing a kid like that in good spirits, it certainly makes it a better feeling on our part if we can put a smile on his face."