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Detroit Red Wings coach Derek Lalonde, August 7, 2024 in Detroit.
During pre-game warmups at hockey stadiums, it’s common to see signs asking players to get a puck. Usually, this refers to a first game, a birthday, or a trip from far, far away.
Jake Hutchison and his wife Emily had an experience so unique and charming that it was a memory for the ages. The 27-year-olds moved to Calgary, Alberta, from Windsor, Ontario, where Jake inherited his father’s love of the Detroit Red Wings. Love knows no bounds, and when the Wings were in Calgary last season to play the Flames, the two got tickets to the game – and came up with an idea when they asked Dylan Larkin.
He brought a sign that read, “Larks, a puck of yours = firstborn named Dylan.” (Her sign was addressed to Moritz Seider: “Mo, I’ll trade you a (drawing of a stick) for my fiancé” and contained a couple of hearts.)
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“When we were warming up, we were screaming like crazy,” Jake said. “We were so excited. Larkin came running up, looked at the sign, smiled and then threw me a puck.”
“I almost lost my mind.”
Jake said he and Emily moved to Calgary last year “because I had a job opportunity” – he works in police – but “I’ve lived in Windsor almost my whole life. My dad always took me to Wings games at Joe’s.”
“That’s where the love for the Wings came from. Now when they’re here, we make sure to get tickets. This year they played right before my birthday, so my wife got me tickets to the game. At that point, we knew we were expecting a kid, and we thought it would be cool to make some signs and see what comes out of it.”
The two arrived early to the game and positioned themselves right against the glass in the Wings’ ice area. “I think some of his teammates saw it and laughed, and then he came over towards the end of warm-ups,” Jake said. “He was in our corner, laughing and throwing the puck.”
Maverick Dylan Hutchison was born on August 13. The plan, his father said, was to frame the puck so Maverick Dylan would have a keepsake that would match the great story he could one day tell about his middle name. The couple had already agreed on Maverick as the boy’s first name, but were still looking for a middle name when inspiration struck.
“I’ve been a Wings fan my whole life,” Jake said. “My dad was a Wings fan growing up, so I was brought into it. When the Wings signed Larkin, I followed him when he played college hockey. I just like the way he plays. He’s a good leader. I just like him a lot.”
Contact Helene St. James at [email protected]Follow her on Twitter @helenestjamesRead more on the Detroit Red Wings and sign up for our Red Wings NewsletterHer books “On the Clock: Behind the Scenes with the Detroit Red Wings at the NHL Draft” and “The Big 50: The Men and Moments that made the Detroit Red Wings” are available from Amazon, Barnes & Noble and Triumph Books. Personalized copies are available via email.
