Puck luck: Sens fan goes extra mile to track down player's special memento
Puck that Fredrik Claesson netted for his 1st NHL goal disappeared in June
Puck luck goes both ways: sometimes you have it, sometimes you don't. Then, once in a while, you manage to get it back again.
Just ask Ottawa Senators defenceman Fredrik Claesson.
Claesson scored his first NHL goal against the Dallas Stars back on March 8, 2017. To commemorate the career milestone, the Senators created an elaborate, framed display containing a painting, photos, game sheets, Claesson's goal-scoring stick — and a puck. The puck.
It's a memory that you can't really put into words. It's a dream come true to score your first goal in the NHL.- Fredrik Claesson
But the special memento never reached its destination in Stockholm, Sweden, where Claesson's parents live.
The loss was a big disappointment for the 24-year-old and his family back home.
"My family has been looking forward to it all summer.... The painting was so beautiful and it's a memory that you can't really put into words. It's a dream come true to score your first goal in the NHL ... so I was super bummed about it. Hopefully I can see it again," Claesson said.
Hey, it worked for Tom Brady…<br> <br>Fredrik Claesson's first <a href="https://twitter.com/NHL">@NHL</a> goal puck was lost during shipping.<br><br>Help us find it! Great reward! Please RT! <a href="https://t.co/hFfBMWFcOb">pic.twitter.com/hFfBMWFcOb</a>
—@SenatorsEnter Peter Judd.
The tech industry logistics specialist — and major Sens fan — made it his personal mission to find the crate using his knowledge of the ins and outs of international shipping.
"I've gotten very good over the years at finding the right people to talk to," Judd is quoted saying on the Senators' website.
He found out that Claesson's parents had received a large package in the mail, but when they opened it they discovered it was a mirror mistakenly sent from the Netherlands. Judd followed that lead, but it brought him to a dead end.
Eventually Judd's persistence paid off, and he found the crate in France.
Claesson was ecstatic. "My dad sent me a picture of the crate and put the frame up on the wall. My parents celebrated with a bottle of champagne. They were so happy," he said Thursday.
Claesson will likely get to see the memento again in November when the Senators make a rare regular season trip to Sweden to play two games against the Colorado Avalanche.
According to the Senators, Claesson hasn't decided how he's going to reward Judd for recovering the keepsake.