WATCH: Brady Tkachuk welcomes 7-year-old Daniel Maloney Make-A-Wish participant prior game against Penguins
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Brady Tkachuk and Daniel Maloney [Image Credit: NHL]
Prior to a 5-4 win against the Pittsburgh Penguins, Ottawa Senators captain Brady Tkachuk got his little charm skate on the ice scoring a net goal all on his own. The 7-year-old Make-A-Wish participant Daniel Maloney spent his entire day with the Senators especially following his idol Brady on his pregame warmups.
Brady even performed “The Worm” a bit after Maloney professionally showed him the way. His little warmups were even followed by other team players who were all smiles looking at him.
Maloney along with his sister Lily and their mother were present to enjoy the whole day thanks to the Foundation’s endeavor with the Children’s Hospital of Eastern Ontario. Both siblings underwent kidney transplants after being diagnosed with FSCG, a rare kidney disease.
Brady Tkachuk gives the OT win credit to 7-year-old Daniel Maloney
![Brady Tkachuk and Daniel Maloney [Image Credit: Sportsnet]](https://firstsportz.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/IMG_COM_20230120_2001_39_8301-1024x768.jpg "<strong>WATCH: Brady Tkachuk welcomes 7-year-old Daniel Maloney Make-A-Wish participant prior game against Penguins</strong> 1")
After practice, he collected hockey sticks from his favorite idol Brady Tkachuk while Shane Pinto put a tape grip on it for him to use. He even wore the Senators jersey with Brady’s No. 7 on his back and shook hands with GM Pierre Dorion, and coach D.J. Smith.
Prior to the game, he even got a stick from ‘The Next One’ Sidney Crosby and spoke with him for a few minutes. Brady described how his little presence lightened up their locker room and cheered everyone up. Their win was attributed to Maloney’s presence, as the Senators captain called him a lucky charm.
“He’s our lucky charm,” Tkachuk said after the game. “For us to have him, I had a blast. To meet him and meet his sister Lilly. To see how much fun he had in the morning then see him buzz around there for warmups. It was amazing. It put a smile on all our faces. I feel like he’s the reason we won tonight,” he said.
Brady shot the OT goal in Maloney’s honor as the whole arena crowd cheered on him irrespective of team preferences. The emotional OT win got Brady a career-high 4-point night, as the team try to catch a wild card berth. Coach D.J. Smith pampered the little boy by inviting him over to the player’s bench and even allowing him to take a seat at the media conference table.
When asked why Brady was his favorite player, he said “Because he’s really tall, and he’s giving me a stick”. Daniel got to have his own lap on the ice as Penguins and Senators fans watched him skate, fall down, get up, and score a puck in the net.
Pinto on the other hand was as delighted as the 7-year-old boy as he got to score against his idol Sidney Crosby. He said, “I didn’t have too much time to kind of enjoy it, but obviously it’s a really cool moment”. “He’s the reason I played hockey, so definitely a cool night for me.”
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