Here’s one of those feel-good stories everyone says they love in public but mock privately.
Jordyn Leopold, the 11-year-old daughter of defenseman Jordan Leopold, wrote an impassioned plea for her father to return to the Minnesota Wild and it wound up in the hands of a local radio station.
Real whiny stuff, right? Especially considering her dad has a cool job as an NHL player. Growing up I thought my dad’s job was making my mom cry. Hell, he spent 40-plus hours a week doing it, how was I supposed to know there was no money in family dysfunction?
Lo and behold, the Wild yesterday announced they’d made a deal to bring the older Leopold back to town.
Now, they say this letter had nothing to do with the move but let’s be real: we all know a cheap public relations win when we see one.
Also riding the sap train is the Columbus Blue Jackets, who were on the other end of the deal.
“The deal was done already when we saw it, almost simultaneously I guess, but that’s a touching letter. He’s a great pro. We wanted to do the right thing with Jordan Leopold. That’s what we had talked about the whole time, we knew that his family was in Minnesota. There is a human side, believe it or not, to our business. I think that it’s great that he can go home, join his family. I see that letter and it’s really touching.”
Keep this story in mind when your favorite team is in contention for a great player around the trade deadline, as well as how easy it is to replicate a child’s handwriting.
Hint, hint.
[H/T: KFAN]