Two young fans from Make-A-Wish came to watch Pittsburgh’s game against Seattle and had a fantastic time, but the best was yet to come.
“Last night at the game was like a dream come true, and all I kept thinking was, wait until tomorrow. Like, if you think this is great, wait until you meet the team tomorrow!” said Cindy Himes, Director of Community/Alumni Relations at the Penguins Foundation.
Before Wednesday’s practice, Penguins President of Hockey Operations and GM Kyle Dubas officially ‘signed’ Connor Lafave, 12, and Henry Bennewies, 9 – both from Ontario – to special one-day contracts.
“Both have terrific energy,” Dubas said with a smile. “Connor's more focused and determined, Henry's a little bit more outgoing, but both have great energy, both have great potential. The phase that we're going in with our organization, it's all about finding good young people.”
After answering some questions from the media while the ink dried – during which it was revealed that Henry's favorite goal celebration is the bow and arrow – it was time for the boys to get to work with their new teammates. They’d gotten to meet everyone during breakfast in the locker room.
“Henry and Connor have an awesome all day,” Bryan Rust said. “They've been in here with smiles on their face. They're just kind of soaking it all in, and was fun to be out there on the ice with them and see them score some goals and have a little fun.”