A Dream Come True For Sean

We take a moment to step away from analysis of crimes for a moment, to share with you, our readers, an uplifting story with a happy ending.

Sean Patrick, 9, adores his older brothers.  They are in their 20's, and either in college or careers, and have 'rock star' status, so that when they visit, Sean can't take his eyes off of them.

When his older brothers were his age, they loved hockey; in particular, the New York Rangers, and have lived a life of memories from 1994 when the Rangers won the prized Stanley Cup.  Sean has watched video after video of all the players from the '94 team, with Mark Messier, Brian Leetch, Adam Graves, and Mike Richter his heroes.  If his brothers talked about a particular play or game, Sean, from all the video, is right there with them, knows the game or reference.  

Sean plays ice hockey, but when not on the ice, he is often found in his room, with a small plastic hockey stick yelling "Messier scores!" without realizing that we can hear him downstairs.  The youthful exuberance has yet to give way to the dreaded but inevitable self conscious  embarrassment of teen years.  If he is not at his imaginary hockey, he has his "hockey guys" out, in a small plastic rink, matching team against team, with the Rangers always winning.  He reads hockey books, collects hockey cards, and will, every so often, talk in his sleep.  It's got to be something about hockey.  During the winter months, he is in the backyard, after school and on weekends, from morning until night, in his home ice rink.

It is not easy being a New York fan in the midst of Boston Bruin country, but Sean does well.  "We like Tim Thomas, right, Dad?  He is a good guy, right, Dad?"   "Yes, son, he is a good guy."  Sean won't dare root against his beloved Rangers, but he was glad for his Bruin friends, even if they do rib him about his jersey.

But this Fall, for the first time, he is playing tackle football.  He thinks it will help prepare him for hockey.

This past summer, he became upset when a friend said, "what is this?" when he picked up Sean's cardboard and tin foil Stanley Cup model, eventually dropping it, and denting the cardboard shape.  Sean has a picture of a jubilent Mark Messier holding up Lord Stanley's famous prize and would often, when thinking that no one was watching, would hold up the cardboard and tinfoil cup, laughing and shaking it, just like Mark Messier.

Last night, he went to a football game held at the University of Maine, but it was while there that a text was sent to all of his football teammates saying "to all hockey fans, come to Bangor International Airport, for a special treat and don't delay."

Sean's sister, also a hockey fan, and her boyfriend drove quickly to the airport to find a crowd there, but did not know what to expect.  "All coaches come forward!" was the order.  Sean looks up to his sister's boyfriend because he is a former football player and has been advising Sean in his new sport.  With unusual boldness, the normally reserved young man grabbed Sean's hand and stepped forward as a "coach" since he "coaches" Sean with lots of great tips.  As they made their way through the crowd, there it was:

                                                            The Stanley Cup!

Sean was breathless.  He could not believe his eyes!   (Sean to the right of the Cup, blue hat)

His mind, like a well oiled machine, immediately went back to those videos of watching his heroes from the 1994 New York Rangers, and, at first with fear and trepidation, dared to touch it.  He touched Lord Stanley's Cup!  He was the only Hyatt to ever see the real Stanley Cup, and now...

but then he thought, "No.  This is not enough.  What did Gretzsky do?  What did Mess do?  What do they all do??!!"

He kissed the Cup!    

This was met with astonishment among the young hockey players who were now emboldened by Sean's act of youthful defiance to his normally polite and somewhat reserved personality!

He kissed the Cup!

Now, others, in sheer stunning admiration for Sean's boldness, leaned in and dared to also kiss the Cup.

For as long as he lives, he will cherish this moment.  He will cherish that his sister, who did not know the meaning of the text, made the fateful decision to leave the football game and travel to Bangor International Airport, and come face to face with Team sports most coveted trophy.  The tinfoil and card board cup is nothing, now, compared to the imagery in his boyish imagination.

                                       Sean will never forget this night.

If by a twist of fate, his beloved Rangers ever lift the Cup, he will say "I know that Cup!  I know that Cup!  I KISSED THE CUP!" and will repeat this story to his children and to his children's children.

Is he now fated to play professionally?  His brothers were good, but competition is fierce.

Oh well, he will, however, keep on reading, keep on playing, and continue to grow to manhood.  Perhaps by the time he tells this story to his grandchildren, it will have grown in magnitude and scope and they will need Statement Analysis to know if Grampie Sean is spinning a yarn, chewing his cabbage twice, or is telling the truth.

Time will tell.

For now, a little boy sleeps well, his head full of dreams of tomorrow.  When he went to bed last night, he feared that it was all a dream, so he placed his baseball cap next to his bed and told himself, "If I wake up and this hat is right here next to me, I will know it was all real."

It was, Sean, it was real.  The blue baseball cap above the smiling blue Irish eyes, is Sean's, and it is his proof that it really happened.

The next morning he called his brothers..."you won't believe what I did last night..."

A happy ending is nice to have, once in a while.