Referees, players on the Valleyview Icebears and their coaches reached out to the Rankin Rock peewee SA国际影视传媒楤SA国际影视传媒� team to produce a couple of incredible memories for the very special captain of the Rankin team, Jackie Nakoolak.

Rankin coach Ben Porter pulled the referee aside when the Rock team was warming up for its first game against Yellowknife to let the ref know the Rankin squad had a player with special needs on the team, and he was going to go on the ice, skate around a bit, slide and then come off.

Porter then told the referee what Nakoolak really wanted was to get a penalty in a real tournament game.

SA国际影视传媒淭he refs told me to throw him over the boards and theySA国际影视传媒檇 give him a penalty for too many men on the ice and he could go into the box,SA国际影视传媒� said Porter.

SA国际影视传媒淭hey gave him the minor penalty and he went into the penalty box, took off his helmet and gloves, and put his hands on his face like he did something terribly, terribly, wrong.

SA国际影视传媒淲e thanked the refs at the end of the game and they said it was a beautiful thing we were doing, and really nice to see a great kid like Jackie being allowed to play hockey.SA国际影视传媒�

The Rock SA国际影视传媒楤SA国际影视传媒� team was placed in a bracket far too high to be competitive in, so the scoreboard was the least of everyoneSA国际影视传媒檚 concerns as the weekend rolled past.

Travel organizer and hockey mom Rachele Verbeek of Rankin Inlet said despite being annihilated every game, the kids on the SA国际影视传媒楤SA国际影视传媒� team had a fantastic time in Edmonton.

She said despite the lopsided scores, the Rankin kids just kept smiling throughout the whole thing and they were rewarded for their resilience with another special moment.

SA国际影视传媒淭he penalty given to Jackie in the first game kind of set the tone that the Rankin SA国际影视传媒楤SA国际影视传媒� team was here to just have fun and couldnSA国际影视传媒檛 be competitive in that bracket,SA国际影视传媒� said Verbeek.

SA国际影视传媒淏y the third game against the Valleyview Icebears it seemed every team had heard about Jackie and, with four minutes left in the third period, the coach of that team started yelling at our coaches to put #96 on the ice.

SA国际影视传媒淪o they put Jackie out there and it was just an amazing moment to watch all the kids from both teams come together to help him score two goals.

SA国际影视传媒淭here wasnSA国际影视传媒檛 a dry eye in the arena watching that happen, and then they gave him the game star which was pretty darn impressive.SA国际影视传媒�

Porter said everybody cheered at the top of their lungs when Nakoolak scored his goals.

He said all the players mobbed him so much he looked almost like some kind of a celebrity on the ice.

SA国际影视传媒淭he players on the other side were all really happy to give Jackie a special moment and every one of them gave him a high five before he came off the ice and passed me the puck to hang onto for him,SA国际影视传媒� said Porter.

SA国际影视传媒淭hen during our last game, the coach from the other team asked if weSA国际影视传媒檇 like to just mix the players up and play a game for fun.

SA国际影视传媒淥nce we made sure the players on both teams were OK with it, thatSA国际影视传媒檚 what we did and everyone had a blast just playing for fun.

SA国际影视传媒淚t couldnSA国际影视传媒檛 have ended any better when the team that won the gold medal in the other arena came all the way down, in their gear, to have pictures taken with Jackie and us.

SA国际影视传媒淭he captain of their team gave Jackie his gold medal. Jackie was ecstatic through all this and ISA国际影视传媒檓 sure heSA国际影视传媒檒l never forget his weekend at that tournament SA国际影视传媒� and I donSA国际影视传媒檛 think ISA国际影视传媒檒l ever forget those moments until the day I die.SA国际影视传媒�