Jason Spezza proves once again that he's a true gem; makes good on a promise from December
Veteran forward Jason Spezza had already endeared himself to Leafs Nation the instant he agreed to sign a 1-year contract with the Buds back in 2019, coming back to his hometown of Toronto in an attempt to help the Leafs break the curse.
Obviously, the curse has yet to be broken, but Spezza has continued to propagate the love that Leafs Nation has for him and two years later, he's still here and still working for the league's minimum salary, trucking along like the good soldier that he is and never leaving any man behind.
You'd be hard pressed to find anyone that doesn't like Jason Spezza, save maybe Neal Pionk and the Winnipeg Jets, but I digress.
Spezza, an all around good guy, showed just how wonderful of a human being he was on Saturday ahead of their game against the Vancouver Canucks on the Western road swing when he pointed to a fan before the game and made sure to give him one of his sticks.
This was no ordinary gift, however. TSN's Mark Masters asked Spezza about the gesture on Thursday, ahead of the Leafs' matchup against the Pittsburgh Pengiuns, and the 38-year-old revealed that there was a bit of a story behind it.
Spezza revealed that a Leafs fan had attended a practice back in December and had asked Spezza if he had an extra stick that he would be willing to give him. Spezza had told the young man that he did not bring many sticks with him to practice, because he was suspended at the time and not skating with the main group, but that if he was at UBC Arena the next day for practice, Spezza would bring him an extra one. Then COVID-19 hit, forcing the postponement of several games and a lengthy delay in getting back to Vancouver to play the make-up game.
Vintage, being the good guy that he is, saw the kid on Saturday and instantly remembered him -- even after two months -- and called over to the trainer and asked him to bring the kid one of his sticks and absolutely made his night.
I'm not going to lie.. I'm a little envious of Spezza's four daughters who get to grow up with a dad like that! Never stop being you, Spezz!
