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Michal Kempny gives hockey stick to tiny Caps fan so he can have perfect Christmas gift for Mom

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A professional hockey stick costs hundreds of dollars. So when a player gives one away, it’s always a big deal.

Tuesday, Michal Kempny was asked for his twig by 11-year-old Will Altman at Capitals practice. Will wanted it for a special reason. Michal Kempny was his mom’s favorite hockey player and he wanted to give it to her as a Christmas present.

Kempny sweetly obliged.

Video

As Kempny was walking through the tunnel that goes through the bleachers of the Capitals practice rink, Will called out to him from the fence. His sister Claire videoed the interaction. Kempny had just put some extra time practicing on the complex’s second ice sheet.

“Kempny can I have a stick for my mom’s Christmas present?” Will said.

“What’s that?” Kempny responded.

“Can I have your stick for my mom’s Christmas present?” Will asked again.

“You want my stick?” Kempny said.

“For my mom’s Christmas present.”

“Okay, I’ll give you stick, but not this one, okay?” Kempny replied.

“Will was absolutely shocked Kempny said yes,” Claire said in an interview. “Kempny said to meet him on the other side of the rink and Will sprinted right over!”

As promised, Kempny grabbed a different stick and brought it out for Will to have. The two met at the metal fence that separates fans from the entrance of the player’s locker room.

Michal signed his name and then added a special inscription.

Happy Birthday Michelle. It seems as if Michal was confused about what the stick was for.

“We just went with it anyway,” Claire said. “Mom’s birthday was three weeks earlier on November 1 so it still worked!”

Later that day, Will brought the stick home. He surprised his mom while she worked on her computer. Between her job and being a caretaker for her ailing mother, Michelle was stressed and needed a pick-me-up.

“My mom didn’t seem to realize what was happening at first,” Claire said. “She just saw the stick but then we told her Kempny gave it to us specifically for her, and she read the bottom of the stick, she had the biggest smile on her face. She was like ‘how did you guys pull this off?’ It’s because we really have an amazing group of guys on this team.”

Kempny became Michelle’s new favorite player since Mike Knuble left the Capitals many years prior. She had always worn a Knuble Capitals shirsey to games, but was ready to retire it. On her birthday three weeks ago, Claire got mom a Kempny shirsey. Kempny signed it at a previous practice.

Now, mom has Kempny’s hockey stick and this video too.

What a family. What a gesture by Michal.

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