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no ... "well, he did fracture his skull" jokes please
Rees Degenhardt fractured his skull in a freakish accident this year, but the 10-year-old centre is striving to be back playing hockey next year.
For the young Canucks fan from Sylvan Lake, Alta., looking forward to meeting his hero Alex Burrows is just the inspiration he needed.
Rees was injured when he fell from an embankment while riding an ATV, his mother Christa Degen-hardt says.
After spending time in four hospitals, in August an operation to stop fluid leaking from his brain was deemed successful.
But life still looked bleak for Rees. In October he had to watch his siblings, including sister Grace, lace up skates for another hockey season while he sat in the stands.
"Hockey has been snatched from him due to the injury," Christa Degenhardt said in an interview on Monday.
But things started to turn for the better when the Make-A-Wish Foundation of Northern Alberta granted his wish.
Rees will travel to Vancouver this week, get a tour of Rogers Arena on Thursday and meet Burrows after the Canucks play the Ottawa Senators on Sunday.
"Hockey is a love and passion for Rees . . . he's a fanatic," Christa Degenhardt said. "He was saying, 'I just want to be a normal kid and play hockey.' There was a lot of frustration and tears.
"But since he found out about this trip it's really giving him the inspiration with his recovery."
Rees and his siblings make up the third generation of Canucks fans in the family, which has refused to switch allegiance to the Flames or Oilers since moving to Alberta from B.C. about a decade ago.
"We're raising the kids right," Christa Degenhardt said with a laugh, when asked if the family faces any flack for the Canucks allegiance. "It's each to their own up here."
Rees likes the skilled and scrappy playing style of Burrows, and shares some of his never-give-up characteristics, his mother says.
The doctors gave Rees clearance to skate with his helmet on in October, but not participate in any contact sports for at least six months. If all goes well, he'll be able to rejoin his team next fall.
Read more: Meeting Alex is a wish come true
Rees Degenhardt fractured his skull in a freakish accident this year, but the 10-year-old centre is striving to be back playing hockey next year.
For the young Canucks fan from Sylvan Lake, Alta., looking forward to meeting his hero Alex Burrows is just the inspiration he needed.
Rees was injured when he fell from an embankment while riding an ATV, his mother Christa Degen-hardt says.
After spending time in four hospitals, in August an operation to stop fluid leaking from his brain was deemed successful.
But life still looked bleak for Rees. In October he had to watch his siblings, including sister Grace, lace up skates for another hockey season while he sat in the stands.
"Hockey has been snatched from him due to the injury," Christa Degenhardt said in an interview on Monday.
But things started to turn for the better when the Make-A-Wish Foundation of Northern Alberta granted his wish.
Rees will travel to Vancouver this week, get a tour of Rogers Arena on Thursday and meet Burrows after the Canucks play the Ottawa Senators on Sunday.
"Hockey is a love and passion for Rees . . . he's a fanatic," Christa Degenhardt said. "He was saying, 'I just want to be a normal kid and play hockey.' There was a lot of frustration and tears.
"But since he found out about this trip it's really giving him the inspiration with his recovery."
Rees and his siblings make up the third generation of Canucks fans in the family, which has refused to switch allegiance to the Flames or Oilers since moving to Alberta from B.C. about a decade ago.
"We're raising the kids right," Christa Degenhardt said with a laugh, when asked if the family faces any flack for the Canucks allegiance. "It's each to their own up here."
Rees likes the skilled and scrappy playing style of Burrows, and shares some of his never-give-up characteristics, his mother says.
The doctors gave Rees clearance to skate with his helmet on in October, but not participate in any contact sports for at least six months. If all goes well, he'll be able to rejoin his team next fall.
Read more: Meeting Alex is a wish come true
