Coupled with the support coming from jersey

[fly]

The support came in the Jason Trusnik Authentic Jersey form of calls and texts. A call from Keith Tkachuk. Another one from Shane Doan, extra special for a kid who started playing hockey in the Coyotes practice facility at 6 years old.

Patrick Kane reached out. So did countless others.

A 16-year-old Auston Matthews had just broken his leg. He was hundreds of miles from the Arizona home where he grew up, away from home the first time in his life to pursue his hockey dream -- a pursuit that would eventually take him much, much farther away.

He was at the hospital recovering from the break to his left femur that happened in just his second career game with the U.S. National Development Team Program.

There was a moment in this hospital room when Auston's father, Brian, could sense his son needed time alone. He needed some space. So, Brian went downstairs and grabbed a bite to eat.
http://www.panthersshopnfl.com/Authentic-Kelvin-Benjamin-Jersey
When he returned to the hospital room, the frustration from a bad break -- suffered during a knee-on-knee hit -- had been replaced by determination. His son, with his left leg immobilized by pins, was already up on crutches.

He saw a fire in Auston's eyes that hadn't been there previously.

"A lot of kids take for granted they're just bulletproof," Brian Matthews said. "It's not until something like that happens, you respect the blessings of life."

Coupled with the support coming from a hometown star like Doan and other American hockey royalty, this was the moment Brian looks back at and can say he started to realize something special was happening with his son.

Tkachuk, we now know, orchestrated some of the calls of support. His son Matthew played with Auston, and Tkachuk knew the devastation that can come with a serious injury early in the development cycle.

The hockey community jumped to action. Longtime Coyotes equipment manager Stan Wilson quickly relayed a message from Tkachuk to Doan to make a call. Tkachuk reached out to others and the messages started coming.

"Phone calls, texts -- the list was enormous," Brian said.
http://www.panthersshopnfl.com/Authentic-Luke-Kuechly-Jersey
Said Tkachuk: "I just wanted to let him know it wasn't the end of the world."