It was the chance of a lifetime for a young Ottawa boy undergoing aggressive cancer treatment.
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In a photo posted by Ottawa Fire Services to X, firefighter Bryan Giffen and his son Grayson posed with Pittsburgh Penguins captain Sidney Crosby after Saturday's morning skate before taking on the Ottawa Senators at the Canadian Tire Centre.
It's a moment that 13-year-old Grayson will never forget.
"He was so nice. He signed my jersey, he signed my dad's jersey and he's a really nice guy," Giffen said.
The family invited to watch the morning skate, but never expected to meet the NHL star.
"It was super awesome to see the smile on his face. Grayson doesn't get very many good days, it's more like good minutes that he has in a day," said Bryan Giffen.
"To be able to get him out to see Sid and the Penguins, his favorite team was super exciting."
It's a moment of happiness during a trying time of aggressive cancer treatment.
"He was super excited and a little bit blindsided by it in the best way, so it was really exciting for him to have that opportunity to meet somebody who he's been so enthralled with for so long," said Chelsea Giffen, Grayson's mother.
Grayson was diagnosed with non-Hodgkin cell lymphoma, a rare type of cancer last July. He's going through nine months of aggressive chemotherapy. His family is fundraising to cover the costs through a GoFundMe.
"For treatment, it's really trying on families and just if there's any resources and stuff out there for families, there's so many people that are struggling," said Bryan Giffen. "It would be great to find more resources."
Grayson was also gifted tickets to Saturday's game. He was too sick to stay the whole time, but will cherish the moment.
"All these people are reaching out and offering just good wishes and kind words. And that is really deeply, impactful to us as a family. Just to feel so surrounded by love in a time that is impossible," said Chelsea Giffen.
Crosby, 37, is one of the Canada's most storied hockey players, winning three Stanley Cups and scoring his 600th NHL goal last month.
