Crosby, Penguins give hockey equipment to kid who lost his in fire

CRANBERRY, Pa. --Pittsburgh Penguins practices are normally closed to the public during the Stanley Cup Playoffs.

The Penguins made an exception Friday when they hosted the Tauch family, whose home in Upper St. Clair, Pennsylvania, was badly damaged in a fire Sunday. They were allowed to enter the curtained-off rink at UPMC Lemieux Sports Complex and sit in the stands before Pittsburgh captain Sidney Crosby gave 7-year-old Bennett Tauch new hockey equipment following practice.
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Crosby said he simply wanted to replace the gear Bennett lost in the fire.
"He had an unfortunate accident and lost his equipment," Crosby said. "So [I] just gave him some new equipment today and he seemed pretty happy. He lost a lot. He was pretty upset about losing his equipment, so I think he's happy to have it back."
Bennett's father, Mike, told the Penguins website, "It's overwhelming. We appreciate everything. To see the smile on his face is amazing."
Bennett is a member of Crosby's Little Penguins Learn to Play Hockey program.
In addition to Crosby, Bennett met forwards Evgeni Malkin and Patric Hornqvist, and defenseman Kris Letang.
The fire began at about 3:30 a.m. Sunday and burned throughout the house, reports said. It left minimal damage to the exterior.

Bennett, his parents and his three siblings escaped unharmed.
"It's good just to step away and let the kids see this," Mike Tauch told the Penguins website. "Even for my wife and I, it's very good. It's something we'll never forget."