For one night, there was no bigger star in Nationwide Arena than Blake Mompher.
Whether he was on the concourse trick-or-treating pregame, riding the Zamboni during the second intermission or meeting with Blue Jackets players postgame, the 10-year-old from Delaware drew plenty of attention and support wherever he went Saturday night.
Of course, it was hard to miss him during the Blue Jackets' game against the New York Islanders, as Mompher’s wheelchair had been converted into a Zamboni costume for Hockey Halloween thanks to a lot of cardboard and some hard work from his father, Aric.
Mompher was born with spina bifida, a neurological condition from birth where the neural tube does not close all the way, resulting in damage to the spinal cord and nerves.
As a result, Mompher must use his wheelchair to get around, but the family has made the most of it the past few years with a variety of costumes that have gone viral. This time around, the youngster’s love of the Blue Jackets made a Zamboni the winning idea, much to the delight of everyone who saw him at the arena.
“(The support) is really cool,” Aric said. “The Fifth Line is just great. Everybody has been supportive. Just to see the fans and everybody come up to him and high-five him and fist-bump him, it’s been really good. And it’s also helped him come out of his shell because he’s not the typical 10-year-old. He’s spent a lot of time in the hospital. It can be really hard for him to open up, so everybody was really welcoming, and it’s been an incredible night.”
Blake was in Nationwide Arena from the start of the Hockey Halloween celebration, first taking pictures with his family by the cannon before traveling around the concourse to stop at each trick-or-treat station. During the second intermission, “Zamboni Blake” became Zamboni rider Blake as he met the CBJ ice crew and then was whisked around the ice on the ice resurfacing machine.
There were plenty of meet-and-greets as well, as Blake got to spend time postgame with his favorite player, Boone Jenner, and received a game-used stick from the CBJ captain. Blake also got to meet Blue Jackets mascot Stinger as well as chat with a number of players who stopped to see him after the game.
It’s not the first time Blake has drawn interest for his Halloween costumes, as the Mompher family has gone all out the past few years. Previous costumes have turned Blake into a school bus, a weather forecaster sitting at a desk, a box of macaroni and cheese, and an order of French fries, but this year, it was clear the costume had to be Blue Jackets themed.
“We knew it was going to be something hockey related because the last several months, he’s been very, very on board with hockey – very obsessed, wants to watch all the videos, all the games, learn anything he can,” his mother, Megan, said. “He knows all the players' numbers. So we knew it was going to be something hockey related, and we started thinking, ‘What can we make him that moves?’ And then we thought of the Zamboni.”
At the end of the night, Blake said he had a great time, but with one caveat – the Blue Jackets were shut out, 2-0, and he didn’t get to hear the celebratory CBJ goal cannon.
