Johan "Moose" Hedberg Goes to Jersey and Leaves Broken Hearts Behind
So Moose leaves and fans are sad. Some fans are down right broken hearted, and this time I'm not talking about 30+ year old women with crushes on him, I'm talking about the little kids! Moose had something for everyone. They guys loved him because he was an aggressive puck handling goalie that challenged skaters and guarded his crease like a junkyard dog. Women loved him for that reason, too, but also because he's gorgeous and about the nicest guy you could possibly ever meet.
Another loyal sect of the Moose fan base is little girls. Moose always makes time for his littlest fans taking countless pictures, giving sticks and talking to them. Of course the fact that they get to yell "Mooooooooooooooooooooooooose" when he walks by or plays helps. Moose has a house full of little girls at home, so I think he knows how to relate to them.
This is Rebecca. She went from saying "Oh no, do we have to watch hockey?" to "Hockey is on?? Great! Is Moose playing?" And you can see in the pic, she is fantastic sign maker, too! She was heartbroken upon hearing that Moose was leaving.
This is Mackenna. She is a HUGE Moose fan and has been since she was even younger than she is now. Any time Johan sees her he scoops her up and gives her a hug. When Mac heard the news she cried. :(
This is Sarah, better known as "Moose's friend." She and her sister, Abby bring signs to all of the games. Sarah has one that says "I'm Moose's friend" and "Moose is cooler than icecream." When he gave her his stick he made sure the larger boys near by didn't take it away. When Sarah heard Moose was going to New Jersey she renounced her loyalty to the Thrashers and started going "Let's go Devils."
Little girls aren't the only one who love the Moose. Had to add Lil' B! Ben is a super goalie extraordinaire! He plays goal and frequently plays in levels above his age range. Though his #1 guy is Kari Lehtonen, Moose helped fuel his little goalie fire.
From B's mom:
Several yeas ago then coach, Bob Hartley, took Lil' B out on the ice in his Kari Halloween costume and Moose was so transfixed on him....I knew he was special at that moment because of how he completely changed his whole demeanor to be kid-friendly.
Goalies can be scary in all their gear and you can see how he got down to B's level and talked to him. It was magic.
It's so obvious, everyone truly does love the Moose. He will always be a Thrasher!
7 comments:
I think I'm gonna cry...again......sniff sniff.....Mooooooose, change your mind!!!!!
Very sad to lose Moose. Sadder still (for me) to have lost Slava. The way he went out of ATL was terrible and unjust.
Goodspeed Moose (and Slava!).
I hate to see him go too, first Kari now Moose....I wish him all the best. My daughter was given a Moose stick at practice one time. It is a funny story, because she had asked for one from Jon Sim first, because he was already off the ice, he laughed and handed her Moose stick that he had picked up, and then she said, oh, that's even better!! Moose came over and laughed and signed it for her, he was a total class act and will be missed, along with all the other Thrashers that have come and gone!
Such a sweet post, V! I've never seen a player who was such a kid favorite. I know Rebecca will be excited to see her picture on here. Last night she told me, "But when Moose comes back to play against us, no one is allowed to boo him!" I told her I didn't think that would be a problem - we'll ALWAYS cheer for Moose!
so cute... is it the same Mackenna who's mom posted a while ago on the Thrashers board that when Moose hugged her, she said "the Moose snuggled me! he loves me!" or something like that?
That IS indeed the famous Mackenna! She is going to need an agent soon!
I feel so bad to the Moose fans. They only get to see their beloved goalie 2 times a year now.
But, at least I get to see him A LOT because I live in NJ.
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