After fielding several questions from members of the media like pros, Jayden and Kent joined their families to watch the Penguins practice. The boys then headed down to the locker room to get dressed in personalized stalls, and hit the ice themselves.
Once on the ice, Jayden and Kent got fist bumps from all the players before getting 1-on-1 time with a few of them, including Crosby.
“It was really cool meeting him, like I was shaking,” Jayden said.
While the Flick family lives in New Jersey, Jayden’s father Ryan is from Kittanning, so his love for the Penguins got passed down to his son. “Growing up near the area and being a Penguins fan my whole life, then by extension, (my family) became Penguins fans as well,” Ryan said. “It’s cool because I’ve been in love with the organization since I was a little boy, and to have that all validated with what they’ve done for our family, it makes it even more special.”
The Kennedy family lives outside of Toronto, but despite being in close proximity to the Maple Leafs, Kent has just always loved Crosby and Penguins.
“That was cool,” Kent said on meeting Sidney. “It was obviously awesome, I've watched him my whole life. So, it was honestly a dream come true.”
Once the boys got off the ice, they all hung out like teammates and talked about places to go to while they are in town, as the families will be taking in Wednesday’s matchup with Florida in Crosby’s suite – with Puttshack in the Strip District being a fan favorite.
“Kent goes bar down every time,” Crosby joked in the locker room. “He’s not going low, and I like that.”
That inspired Crosby’s message to Kent, which read, “Great to meet you! Keep going top shelf!” Crosby was also complimentary of Jayden’s skills on his note, writing, “Great meeting you! Nice shooting!”
The families watched from the front of the room while Kent and Jayden interacted with some of the guys at the back, including Drew O’Connor and Reilly Smith, who had stayed out there with the kids for quite a while. “Just trying to get better. Can’t get them off the ice!” Smith had joked as he walked off. Crosby then introduced himself to each family member and thanked them for being there, as their journeys haven’t been easy ones.
Jayden was diagnosed with Hodgkin's lymphoma, with his parents saying that life got "really weird, slow, and different."
"The only thing that he ever showed any kind of anger or any kind of emotions was because he couldn't play sports," said his mom Denise, which made getting on the ice incredibly special for Jayden.
Kent had a kidney transplant in 2019, "and there’s been lots of doctors visits and stuff like that, other minor surgeries along the way. But he’s doing really well now, and here we are,” Kent’s dad Mike said. “It’s great they do this for them. They’ve had a struggle growing up and have been through some hard times, so that’s pretty neat that they do this for them.”
Kent’s mom Melanie offered a similar sentiment, saying, “it's a pretty emotional day. He's gone through a lot to get here, too, so to have something really special like this means a lot. We thank the Make-A-Wish nation and the Pittsburgh Penguins.”
Dana Antkowiak, Director of Marketing and Communications of Make-A-Wish Greater Pennsylvania and West Virginia, said she appreciates how the Penguins always roll out the red carpet for these kids and their families.
“It's their day, their wish. I always think to myself, these kids could have gone to Disney World, they could have gone on a cruise, but no, they wanted to come and spend a day at practice with the Penguins,” said Cindy Himes, Penguins Director of Community/Alumni Relations.
“So, it's our responsibility at the Penguins Foundation and the Penguins in general to make sure that it is everything that the kids hope it will be, and luckily, every year it's been a tremendous success. The players and the coaches and our GMs have just embraced this day. It's one of our favorite days of the year, and I'm sure it is theirs as well.”
That was confirmed by Head Coach Mike Sullivan, who believes days like today put a lot into perspective.
“I think it's an incredible privilege that we have, given the positions that we're in and the jobs that we have playing in the NHL. I think we gain so much from the opportunity to interact with people like the kids and the families that came here today,” he said. “They're incredibly inspiring people, and that's been my experience. I think our players really value that opportunity… in a lot of ways, I think we get more out of it than the kids themselves that have an opportunity to interact with us. They're inspiring people.”
