Capitals give young fan unforgettable experience

MONTREAL -- When he left his house in Notre-Dame-de-Grâce, Quebec with his family Saturday morning, young Max Bergman thought he was simply going to attend a practice session for his favorite team, the Washington Capitals, at the Bell Centre.

That's basically how his day started, but there was more on the docket. Far more.

Just minutes after he stepped foot inside the Montreal Canadiens’ arena, the 14-year-old boy met his idol, Capitals captain Alex Ovechkin, as well as the rest of the team.

"It was really cool, I was so excited," Bergman said during an interview with LNH.com during the second intermission of the Washington’s game against Montreal Saturday night. "The Capitals surprised us. We saw them warming up in the hallway, then Tom Wilson came over to me to take me on a tour of the locker room and introduce me to all the guys.

"I gave Ovi a hug! He asked me if I wanted one of his sticks. He came back with a signed stick and the other guys signed the back of my jersey."

The surprises weren't done for young Max. Capitals coach Spencer Carbery then informed him that he was going to announce the starting lineup in the team's locker room later that night before attending the game against the Canadiens.

It was a rather intimidating challenge, Bergman said, but he handled it with class and confidence.

"It was a very special moment and Max did a heck of a job," Carbery said after his team's 4-3 win. "I could tell he was nervous, but he really handled it nicely. I'm proud of the way our players treated him. When he was done, everyone got up to give him a round of applause."

This magical day proved to be a healing experience for the Bergman family. In June 2022, Max was diagnosed with stage IV Hodgkin's lymphoma, then underwent chemotherapy and radiation treatments all the way through November.

"He did it all like a champion, he was incredible," proclaimed his mother Rebecca Sohmer, adding that her son had resumed playing hockey with the Notre-Dame-de-Grâce Cougars as soon as his treatments had finished, even before his hair had begun growing back.

Max is now in remission, but developed an autoimmune disease which prevents him from flying and had derailed the family's initial plans. They were originally supposed to fly to Washington to attend a Capitals game at the start of March. The "consolation prize" turned out to be just as memorable.

Max's love for the Capitals was already strong following their Stanley Cup championship in 2018, and it will only get stronger following this dream day. His sister Isabelle has already converted to a Washington fan, while his father Simon, his brother Alexandre and his mother remain faithful to the Canadiens… with one catch.

"We've become Alex Ovechkin fans, especially after the way he welcomed Max today," said his father. "The whole team was so generous with their time. He had a huge smile on his face all day long, it was truly magical. I think we're going to become fans!"

Max didn't know the exact way in which his wish would ultimately be granted, but he had it in his sights for a long, long time. It allowed him to look a little further towards the future during his most difficult moments.

"We have a photo of him in his hospital bed with a big Capitals blanket," noted Simon. "A doctor had given him a Caps jersey, and he had that in his room. He would think about this day, and it gave him something to aim for. It's a wonderful experience after everything he's gone through."

It was a wonderful experience for all the Capitals players, as well.

"Just seeing his face light up when he met the players, it's everything we could ask for," said Wilson. "He's a big fan and a brilliant young man. We wanted him to have a great night with us. It was fun for everyone: the players, Max, and his family."

Max went home with a ton of new items to add to his collection, dozens of photos to be framed and even more memories to cherish. The same could be said for his parents, brother and sister.

"We were with him the whole day, all the way to the locker room, but we didn't get a stick," Alexandre joked.

Sorry, Alexandre, but the stick was reserved for the first star of the night.