Now this is what it's all about!!!
As Canton hockey coach Brian Shuman talked to his team after Saturday’s game, he pointed at “Matty” Marcone, the team’s manager.
“You know you’re practicing Monday, right?” he asked the senior student. “Do you also know you’re playing in the game Tuesday against Stoughton?”
“Yeah, I’ve got a lot of people texting me about that,” Marcone replied, causing his coach and Canton teammates to erupt in laughter.
Marcone, who has dyskeratosis congenita, a rare progressive bone marrow failure syndrome, has been the manager for Canton High School’s varsity hockey team the past four years, but has not been able to play in a game.
While he was diagnosed with the disorder in 2012, Marcone has a variety of other health issues and learning disabilities, Shuman said.
From the day Shuman met Marcone, he knew he wanted to get him into a game before he graduated.
“He’s the nicest young man and kindest soul I’ve ever met. The kids love him,” Shuman told The Enterprise.
So, on Tuesday night at 7:30, Marcone, with permission from his doctor, he put on the Bulldogs jersey and took to the ice in the game at Asiaf Arena in Brockton.
It was made possible through the sportsmanship of Stoughton High head coach Dan Mark.
“I was definitely on board with it,” Mark told The Enterprise. “It’s just a great gesture. My kids are really excited. We’re trying to make it a big deal.”
Marcone is affectionately known around Canton High School as “the mayor,” because everyone knows and loves him, Shuman said.
And when Marcone took to the ice, he did not disappoint.
He scored his first goal.
"It means a lot for me," he said. "I like playing with them and working with them. It felt good."
http://www.wcvb.com/sports/stoughton-hockey-team-displays-heartwarming-m...