Pavelski tabs Sharks honoree to take face-off against Crosby

Hayden Bradley thought he was going to be dropping the ceremonial first puck just before the San Jose Sharks played the Pittsburgh Penguins on Saturday.

Instead, he found himself nose-to-nose with Sidney Crosby.
The 15-year-old, a lifelong hockey player attending the game through the Make-A-Wish Foundation, got to lace up some skates, don a customized Sharks sweater and take a face-off against an all-time great.
Bradley was born with a heart defect called pulmonary atresia, where one of the heart valves does not develop at all, and spent much of his very young life in intensive care.
Last spring, Bradley had to have open heart surgery to fix his valve. During his recovery, his family escaped the North Bay fires despite the devastation to the area, which included his high school, Cardinal Newman in Santa Rosa.
Bradley was signed to a 3-day contract with the Sharks this week. First assignment: A team visit to Kaiser Permanente Medical Center's pediatric cancer unit.

Next up was skating at Sharks practice. And the kid showed some skills with a slick beind-the-back pass.

The young defenseman, also met the media.

Saturday night, of course, was game night. And that meant reading the lineup and skating out on the ice with the squad.

It wasn't until after Bradley had skated through the Shark Head and participated in warmups that team captain Joe Pavelski sent him out to take the ceremonial face-off against Crosby. Making the moment all the more special was that Hayden's younger brothers Kellen, 13 and Bryce, 11, dropped the puck together.
During the second period, he learned how to bang the drum from Sharkie, the team mascot. Then he watched the Sharks 2-1 win from a suite.

Afterward, there was no doubt who would get his first NHL game puck.