This will make your heart warm.
Brandon Schenll is a 9-year-old hockey player from Sunrise, Florida, and recently had his equipment stolen out of his mom’s trunk back on September 3rd in nearby Daina Beach after multiple cars were burglarized. Schnell's equipment came from the Panthers’ Learn to Play program that aims at growing the sport of ice hockey down in the Sunbelt.
Understandably so, young Brandon was distraught over having his gear stolen, so his father reached out to the Panthers to see if they could purchase a second set of gear. That’s when former Panthers tough guy and now vice president of business operations Shawn Thornton stepped up and showed off the humanitarian side of hockey by replacing Brandon’s equipment at no cost.
"It was a common sense thing," Thornton explained to NHL.com’s Pat Pickens. "We felt for him. He's very excited about hockey, and we didn't want him to go without [equipment]."'
The organization even invited Brandon down to the BB&T Center just so Thornton could personally hand over the pieces of equipment.
"He was a little speechless," said Thornton. "You could tell right away he is a polite young man. He was very appreciative. That's what makes it worth it."
Brandon is so serious about playing the sport that he even gave up his number one sport of baseball to solely focus on playing hockey on a full-time basis.
Programs and good deeds like this will help grow the game in Florida, and hopefully, give the team a positive PR boost as the team heads into another season.
"I didn't expect that at all," Brandon’s father, Brian, told NHL.com. "That's not why I was asking. When they did that, I was just blown away."
"The thing about the NHL and the Panthers, it's all about giving back and giving back to the community.”
Well done to everyone in the Panthers organization for stepping up and helping make a negative story into a positive one.
