I live in Frederick and work in Columbia, Maryland. That’s a 100-mile round trip every day. When I drove home from work on Monday night, my front left tire blew out as I entered the city. I coasted to the nearest Roy Rogers I could find, buried my sorrows under a starchy mound of Gold Rush Chicken sandwiches, and instagram’d a photo of my blown tire.

And I was barraged by Brooks Laich jokes.

Four years ago, after the Caps got eliminated from the playoffs by the Montreal Canadiens, Laich changed the flat tire of two Caps fans stranded on the shoulder of the Roosevelt Bridge. It earned him a nomination from Sports Illustrated as Sportsman of the Year for 2010. His deed was later honored with an RMNB t-shirt (obviously, just as prestigious).

Once I got home, I sat in my computer chair, dreading the cost of a new tire or four. A few minutes later, an email popped into my inbox. It read “@brookslaich favorited a Tweet you were mentioned in!”

That was the only thing that made me feel better all night.

So, no, Brooks Laich didn’t change my tire last night, but I’m pretty sure he would have if he were in Frederick.