Bo Horvat’s hockey stick returns to B.C. brothers after it was lost on a Christmas Eve flight
A special hockey stick is being returned to two Nanaimo brothers after it was lost on a flight from Alberta on Christmas Eve.
The day before, Canucks captain Bo Horvat handed his hockey stick to 13-year-old Marshall and 11-year-old Linden Erwin during a game in Edmonton.
But after the family’s Flair Airlines flight landed in Abbotsford, BC, they were disappointed to find the cane wasn’t in their luggage.
“When we got to the airport and the cane wasn’t there, it was pretty heartbreaking for us,” said her mother, Janelle Staite.
“We went to customer service and filled out a Flair lost luggage report.”
On Boxing Day, Staite approached the Canucks and Horvat and asked for a Christmas miracle — and she got one.
The team informed her that they would be sending a new stick, and the team’s captain himself later sent them a surprising video message.
marshall and linden, @BoHorvat heard your story and will make sure that a new stick comes your way.
Thank you great #Canucks– are fans! https://t.co/qAEsnOJYB8 pic.twitter.com/JYAxPCCsmh
– @Canucks
But on Dec. 31, Staite said she received a call from the airport saying the cane had been found.
“[The staff] offered to ship it to us in Nanaimo,” said Staite.
“My son Linden was reluctant to let him travel any further and luckily my in-laws live in the Fraser Valley and were kind enough to drive over there on New Year’s Eve and get the cane.”
Linden said he was very happy when the airline found him, and Marshall said he was relieved the cane wasn’t stolen or broken.
“The fact that the Canucks came forward and Bo personalized something for the guys … I think it’s really a testament to a lot of nice people and a lot of great organizations out there,” Staite said.
The old hockey stick was found, but the Vancouver Canucks said they would send the Erwin brothers a new stick anyway. (Janelle Staite)
A spokesman for the Canucks told CBC in an email that the team is still sending the second hockey stick to the brothers.
“What a great way to ring in the new year knowing that what was such a high point for the boys at Christmas could end on a high note for the new year,” Staite said, adding that this ” “created” an exciting story for them when they return to school.
In a statement, a spokesman for Flair said the airline is glad the NHL stick is reunited with the family and is confident it will be found.
Staite said the sticks will officially be back in the boys’ hands this week and the prized possessions will be mounted on their wall.
