Hometown star Ryan Johansen took home the MVP honors following yesterday’s NHL All-Star Game in Columbus, but anyone who labored through watching the game knows that he probably shouldn’t have. There was a strong case to be made for a few others – including John Tavares, who scored a record-tying four goals in the game, or Jakub Voracek, who had a record-tying six points – but many would agree that the best case for MVP might have been Chris Sutter.
Chris, the 21-year old son of Los Angeles Kings coach Darryl Sutter, has Down Syndrome, but – as we’ve seen several times in the past – it has never hindered his ability to love the game of hockey.
During the ASG game on Sunday, Chris got the opportunity to join his father behind the bench of Team Foligno and coach up some of the league’s best talent. It became clear pretty quickly that the apple does not fall far from the tree:
Like Father, Like Son pic.twitter.com/Eru2jbNIUJ
— The Royal Half (@theroyalhalf) January 26, 2015
A lot of people love to complain about All-Star Games and the lack of effort and competition that usually come with them, but seeing something like this is a pretty great reminder of what they’re really all about – bringing some of the world’s best talent together to have a good time, and creating some really special moments that might not otherwise be provided in a traditional, competitive hockey setting.
About Pete Blackburn