Inspirational young fist-bumping Bruins fan gets his own hockey card
In early November, nine-year-old Bruins fan Liam Fitzgerald captured the hearts of hockey fans when he fist-bumped each of Boston's players as they left the ice prior to a game against the Florida Panthers. And on Thursday, the inspirational youngster was back at a Bruins game to receive a huge honor: his own hockey card.
Fitzgerald (who was born with Down syndrome and beat a leukemia diagnosis made when he was four) received the honor courtesy of hockey card giant Upper Deck as part of its recognition of "heroic inspirations". He clearly was thrilled:
On Fitzgerald's hockey card, statistics listed include “cancer survivor,” “fist-bumping fan,” “International YouTube Sensation,” “Best Fan 2014 USA Today,” and “Top 15 Cutest Kids 2014.” His position: “#1 Fan.”
The Bruins were unable to pull out a victory against the Ducks, but they and Upper Deck get full marks for a thoughtful gesture to a deserving young man.