Penguins "sign" two young players through Make-A-Wish
CRANBERRY TOWNSHIP, Pa. (KDKA) -- The Penguins signed two young athletes to the team on Monday morning at the Lemieux Sports Complex.
Both Jayden Flick and Kent Kennedy are Pens fans from Make-A-Wish chapters in New Jersey and Toronto, Canada, and they joined the team for a day, which included meet and greets with players, watching a full practice and even suiting up for a shoot around.
These two newest "players" couldn't have been more thrilled to be joining the team and to be getting out on the ice with their idols.
"I'm really excited," said Jayden. "When we first got here, I was nervous because I was meeting the players, but after meeting all them, they are really nice and the nervousness kind of went down."
"I don't think many kids get to say they were skating with the Penguins or any NHL team really," said Kent. "But I'm really excited to get the new twig out and see what she can do really."
These young Penguins have been through a lot in the last few years. Kent has had kidney trouble since he was born and recently underwent a transplant and Jayden has been battling Hodgkin's lymphoma.
But for this dynamic duo, Monday wasn't about their illness or recent struggles. It was about having a once-in-a-lifetime chance to meet and play with their heroes, which left both them and their parents speechless.
Both families told KDKA-TV that at the moment, both of these young men are doing well healthwise and that days like Monday just help with the healing process.