Laine plays the hero for birthday boy

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This article was published 13/01/2017 (3186 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Lucas Bydak had a bummer of a birthday party last Saturday after watching his favourite hockey player go down in a heap and get helped off the ice.

But Patrik Laine showed up at his house five days later and the youngster knew his hero was feeling better.

Lucas, who turned eight on Tuesday, got just about the best belated birthday surprise ever when the 18-year-old Winnipeg Jets all-star forward, his girlfriend and his mother dropped by for a visit.

“Honestly, I didn’t know,” Lucas said Friday.

“Patrik Laine’s mom comes knocking on the door with presents and says, ‘Do you want to come see Patrik?’ My mom (Nicole Berube) goes crazy and she says, ‘Yes!’ We went outside. He was in the car with his girlfriend. They weren’t sure if we were home.”

Laine, who has some free time while he’s out of the lineup recovering from a concussion, learned through social media Lucas was celebrating his birthday. 

It seems on Christmas Day, the boy’s uncle Marc tweeted out a letter Lucas sent to Laine, wishing him a Merry Christmas and inviting him to his party last Saturday afternoon. The uncle also included “worth a shot” in the tweet.

The Finnish rookie sensation couldn’t make it to the party because he was on the ice playing the Sabres in Buffalo, where — as Lucas and every other member of Jets Nation is painfully aware — he got knocked out of the game after a head-on collision with defenceman Jake McCabe. 

He’s been out of the lineup since.

While Laine’s teammates were headed to Arizona for Friday’s game with the Coyotes, he and his “entourage” made their way to the family’s home in south St. Vital to meet Lucas and deliver some special gifts, including a signed puck and picture and some of his favourite Finnish chocolate.

The Grade 2 École Christine-Lespérance pupil was stunned.

“It was really fun seeing him. Mind blowing… he’s my biggest hero, so that’s the best part,” Lucas said. 

Laine’s mother, Tuija, who is living in Winnipeg with her son while the young NHL all-star gets accustomed to his new home, caught wind of the initial Twitter chatter and reached out to the family. Nicole responded with her family’s get-well-soon wishes to Patrik, who has 21 goals and 16 assists so far and is considered a leading candidate for the Calder Trophy, which goes to the league’s top rookie.

Lucas and his friends had the Buffalo game on the TV during his birthday party and saw Laine get hurt.

“I saw the hit. I was really sad,” Lucas said. “I was crying about it later when I heard he had a concussion.”

There definitely were no tears during Thursday’s 10-minute visit. 

“I said the first words and it was, ‘Are you all right?’ I wasn’t really thinking about myself,” said Lucas, who plays hockey for the Greendell Falcons White.

“He said, ‘Happy birthday’ and asked me how old I was. I asked him if he was going to the All-Star Game and he said, ‘Maybe.’ He asked me what position I play and I said, ‘I’m a centre.’”

Nicole said she’s still awed by the kindness shown by the teen star.

“When I talked to his mom by email, she said they were very happy to get in touch with us and that Patrik wanted Lucas to know that he was away in Buffalo and he couldn’t make the birthday party, so he apologized for that,” she said.

“He knew how important it was to Lucas. She said he’d like to send something to Lucas, so she wanted our address and that was it. We went back and forth by email, and then we were blown away when they came to the door. It’s unbelievable.

“What he said to us was his hero is (Washington superstar Alex) Ovechkin and it wasn’t that long ago that he idolized him and he still does. And he thought that in Lucas, he saw himself and how important it was to meet his hero. It’s not just about the game, it’s about everything else, the responsibility of being a superstar in the NHL world.

“As a mom — and I said this to Patrik’s mom — I couldn’t even put into words how appreciative I was that they came. And she knows. She’s a mom. She gets it. It’s just wonderful. And I know they are really happy in Winnipeg. They feel this is their second home.”

jason.bell@freepress.mb.ca

Twitter: @WFPJasonBell

My nephews note to Patrik Laine...Worth a shot #nhljets @NHLJets #GoJetsGo @PatrikLaine29 pic.twitter.com/04e57v1rZT

— Marco (@marcopolo_1979) December 25, 2016

Special delivery by a special hockey player for a special nephew! @PatrikLaine29 wasn't able to make his party but this will do �� #GoJetsGo pic.twitter.com/4wLAHPm1IZ

— Marco (@marcopolo_1979) January 13, 2017

Meet and greet,signed jersey,chocolates from Finland and a signed picture from @PatrikLaine29 @nhljets #BestDayEver and a #VeryJealousUncle pic.twitter.com/sqqkH23ASB

— Marco (@marcopolo_1979) January 13, 2017