Chery, who was born with Cerebral Palsy, was also in attendance in Tuscaloosa, spending the week interning with the Alabama training staff. Watching practice on the field one day, he was introduced to Eakins, and an instant friendship was formed.
As the two got to know one another, Eakins was struck by Chery's outlook on life. Here was a kid who, despite an early prognosis that he would likely never walk, was a living embodiment of one of Eakins' guiding principles - "Win Today."
"I pride myself on doing my best in everything I do," Chery said. "I want to be perfect, even though I know it's not possible. I want to win every day. I want to win at everything I do. You can't do that without trying your best."
"We talk a lot about "Win Today" here. We're trying to check off wins all day, not only from a hockey point of view but a life point of view," Eakins said. "That young man has an incredible amount of challenges but he goes into every day with an incredible attitude. Every day is a great day. He's basically winning every day."
Chery told the coach about how he manages a condition that limits his mobility on his left side, and prevents him from building typical leg strength, outlining his weekly workout routine and how mental dedication drives him through the tough days.
"I could be sad that I can't walk as well as you," Chery said. "I could be sad that I don't have this or that, but what does that do for me? That doesn't benefit me. It would be just me sulking in something I can't control. So you have to take what you got and work with it and build on it. Look forward and take one step ahead every day."
So Eakins presented Chery with a special opportunity, an invitation to shadow the Ducks coaches at #FlyTogether Fan Camp at Great Park Ice in September. Chery spent the day watching and learning, eager to take in as many aspects of the hockey operations and management processes as he could. He chatted with Ducks players going through morning workouts, sat in on a pre-practice video meeting, discussed practice plans and drills with Ducks assistant coaches and eventually watched the open scrimmage in the stands alongside Eakins.