Washington Capitals
On Monday, Washington Capitals Center Lars Eller and the team welcomed 12-year old Liam Reigel to MedStar Capitals Iceplex for practice in coordination with Make-A-Wish Mid-Atlantic, which grants children with extreme illnesses and health conditions once-in-a-lifetime experiences while they go through their recovery process.
Liam, who at 12-years old was diagnosed with a brain tumor at the end of 2022 and although he had previously attended team practices at MedStar, none were like the experience he had on Monday.
Big day for Liam, who had his wish granted by the #Caps via Make-A-Wish Mid-Atlantic. Liam, a 12 year old from Eldersburg, Md., has a brain tumor and wanted to meet Lars Eller, who is his favorite player. pic.twitter.com/68H2b2RrmL
— Tarik El-Bashir (@Tarik_ElBashir) February 20, 2023
Liam, who is from Eldersburg, Maryland, was introduced to the team by Eller, who is his favorite player, and given a signed Capitals jersey. Once on the ice, Liam was given pointers by Lars on the best way to score on goaltender Darcy Kuemper, a moment that was called by Caps television play-by-play announcer Joe Beninati and one that their young guest will remember for a long time to come.
Getting your first goal in the bigs called by @JoeBpXp AND then celebrating with your favorite team after…
LET’S GO, LIAM‼️#ALLCAPS | @WishMidAtlantic pic.twitter.com/1T68r4FVc4
— Washington Capitals (@Capitals) February 20, 2023
Reigel, who received a Cameo message from Eller following his diagnosis, will also be in attendance on Tuesday for the first of the Capitals’ three-game homestand against the Detroit Red Wings; Head Coach Peter Laviolette will hand starting lineup duties over to Liam, who will also watch the team’s warmups from behind the bench.
What a joy it was to have Liam from @WishMidAtlantic at practice today!
Liam, diagnosed with a brain tumor at 12 years old, got to meet his favorite player Lars Eller and then joined the team on the ice. He’ll be at tomorrow’s game as well. ❤️#ALLCAPS pic.twitter.com/SfbEAft76A
— Washington Capitals (@Capitals) February 20, 2023
While going through something many can only imagine, Liam’s smile while on the ice on Monday gave no indication of the battle he is fighting. A reminder once again, that hockey is more than a game.
By Michael Fleetwood