Blues hold heartfelt tribute to young fan on Hockey Fights Cancer Night
Ari Dougan, who passed away last month at age 11, honored in St. Louis
ByNHL.com @NHLdotcom
Scottrade Center went dark but there were thousands of specks of light all around. It was a fitting tribute to a young girl who lit up a room no matter where she went.
Arianna Dougan, known affectionately as "Ari," a young Blues fan who lost her battle with cancer in November, was honored on Hockey Fights Cancer Night in St. Louis on Friday.
Dougan had struck up a friendship with Vladimir Tarasenko during last season, with the Blues forward eventually taking her on one of the team's road trips back in April . The 11-year-old with the colorful jacket had become a team staple as she battled neuroblastoma, a disease that affects nerve cells and can spread throughout the body in a child. On Friday, fans lit up the arena for the pregame ceremony in which Dougan's family dropped the ceremonial first puck. Appropriately, Tarasenko took the faceoff. Prior to the puck drop, the Blues wore customized purple Hockey Fights Cancer jerseys with special shiny and glittery numbers that surely would have been a favorite of the colorful Dougan. The jerseys will be auctioned off with the proceeds going toward cancer research.
After the puck drop, fans chanted "Ari! Ari!" as her family made their way off the ice. The video board showed a picture of a smiling Dougan. Three words accompanied Dougan's picture, the same ones that were afeatured on the purple jerseys: Spread Ari's Light.
