Calgary Flames New Player Travis Hamonic: Off-Ice Hero

The Calgary Flames brought defenceman Travis Hamonic for his on-ice abilities. But he’s also a hero off the ice for a lot of people.

The Calgary Flames acquired defenceman Travis Hamonic from the New York Islanders in a trade on the second day of the draft on June 24th. Hamonic was the missing piece to the top-four Flames puzzle. They have Mark Giordano and Dougie Hamilton as a dynamic first pairing duo. Then they have T.J. Brodie who struggled this past season with finding the right partner for him.

It seemed as though Dennis Wideman was somewhat of an anchor for Brodie and the Flames needed a replacement. So they traded for D Michael Stone in February and it somewhat sparked a ten-game win streak for the Flames.

But the season ended and nobody quite new if Stone was the perfect solution for the Flames top-four problem. So when the Flames acquired Hamonic, it made Flames fans ecstatic. But his on-ice abilities isn’t the only reason that Flames fans should be excited.

In case you haven’t heard, when Hamonic was just ten years old, his father unfortunately passed away. And when he got that shot at the NHL level, he used that sadness and turned it into something wonderful. Before every game, Hamonic invites a child who has lost one or both of their parents to meet him and also gives them tickets to the game. He talks with them and offers them some support, along with his email address to some of the older kids if they ever want to talk. Something Travis wishes he had when he was a kid.

Via NHL.com:

"“Grief is something that in 2017 is not discussed as much as other things. Quite frankly, it’s a huge factor in a lot of people’s lives,” Hamonic said. “There are lot of people doing unbelievable work, and I just happened to have a situation so close to my heart that I felt I was best able to recognize an opportunity to do something.”“I struggled with it when I was younger,” Hamonic said. “As you get older, it’s not cool to talk about your emotions and what you have to go through, I think just knowing that it’s OK, whatever you’re feeling is normal.”“I know that being a guy and being sad and dealing with your emotions is not always the most common thing to do publicly,” Hamonic said. “I think it’s pretty important if we can try to discuss grief and the process of it and let everyone know that what happens in your own personal life is completely normal.”"

This year, he was the recipient of the NHL’s Foundation Award for all the work he does in the community. This is awarded annually to the player “who applies the core values of (ice) hockey—commitment, perseverance and teamwork—to enrich the lives of people in his community.”

Coincidentally enough, Calgary Flames captain Mark Giordano won the award last season. And just the other day, Gio also won ESPN’s Muhammad Ali Sports Humanitarian Award, also for all the work Gio and his wife Lauren do for the community. The first person to call him and congratulate him? Travis Hamonic. Gio was also a nominee for this year’s Foundation Award as well, but Hamonic had him beat.

Here is the full video Hamonic did with E:60 (warning – you might need some tissues):

Looks like he’s going to fit in just right here in Calgary.

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