On Wednesday, Theo Koshenkov wasn’t a cancer patient – he was a hockey player. The 12-year-old East Brunswick native signed a one-day contract with the New Jersey Devils and got a front-row seat for the team’s morning skate in Newark.
“That was fun,” he said. “It’s like a hockey fan’s dream come true.”
Koshenkov said he enjoyed meeting players like Jack Hughes, and Executive Vice President of Hockey Operations Martin Brodeur – the Hall of Fame goaltender who backstopped the Devils to three Stanley Cups before Koshenkov was born.
“When you see a young kid like that going through phases of his life, that’s going to be a battle,” Brodeur said. “You just look in his face and see how happy he was. And for us, it’s something that’s really important to be able to give back in a moment of need like that.”
“He’s usually very cool and collected, but today I saw that break down,” said Diana Epelbaum, Theo’s mother. “The preteen thing broke down a little bit today because it was very cool to meet his heroes.”
Koshenkov and his family will be at Saturday’s game against the Washington Capitals. Koshenkov will be part of the ceremonial puck drop and will ride the Zamboni during one of the mid-period intermissions.
Ted Goldberg is a correspondent for NJ Spotlight News with nearly a decade of experience telling stories about a wide variety of topics.
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