Teammates of slain teen get gift from Leafs

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This article was published 01/04/2018 (2717 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

TORONTO — Family members and teammates of young Toronto-area hockey player Roy Pejcinovski who, along with his mother and sister, was slain earlier this month, received some very special attention from the Toronto Maple Leafs on Saturday.

The Don Mills Flyers AAA bantam squad was invited to tour the Leafs dressing room prior to the morning skates at Air Canada Centre ice ahead of Toronto’s matchup with the Winnipeg Jets.

They met several Leafs players and head coach Mike Babcock, and forwards Mark Scheifele, Brandon Tanev and Shawn Matthias emerged from the Jets locker room to sign some autographs.

Winnipeg assistant-coach Todd Woodcroft, who hails from the Toronto area, helped run a Flyers practice once the pros were finished.

The grieving father of the two children, Vas Pejcinovski, was among the invited guests.

“What would you say to the dad who just lost his kids?” Babcock asked reporters. “You know, I don’t know. I can’t even imagine something that would wound you worse, tear your heart out, probably never recover.

“All I can say, all I did say, was our thoughts and prayers are with them.”

Roy Pejcinovski, 15, was the star goalie for the Don Mills team. He died along with mother, Krassimira, and 13-year-old sister, Venallia, on March 14.

The Pejcinovski Family Memorial Fund had reached $180,000 as of Thursday. Leafs forward Mitch Marner, who played with the Flyers in 2012-13, has been a driving force on social media to beef up fundraising efforts.

Cory Fenn, 29, who was in a relationship with Krassimira Pejcinovski, has been charged with three counts of second-degree murder.

jason.bell@freepress.mb.ca

Twitter: @WFPJasonBell