A tale of two Blake Wheelers: Young fan meets Winnipeg Jet who shares his name
Winnipeg Jet Blake Wheeler took notice of a young fan this weekend who shares a distinct similarity to him – his name.
Eleven-year-old Blake Wheeler, who is from Missouri, got an acknowledgment from his hockey hero on Sunday when the Jets took on the St. Louis Blues.
Blake’s admiration for the Winnipeg Jets began when he started playing hockey at the age of five and learned someone on the team had his exact name.
After years of cheering on the team, the younger Blake came face-to-face with Wheeler at Sunday’s game in St. Louis, when the hockey pro spotted Blake’s sign and came over to share a few words.
Blake said it was a “pretty cool” experience for him to interact with Wheeler, adding that he dons Wheeler’s same number – 26 – when he plays hockey.
Blake Wheeler, 11, wearing #26, which is the same number as his favourite hockey player, Blake Wheeler. (Source: Cortney Wheeler)
“I’ve seen him in St. Louis multiple times and I’m hoping to see him in Winnipeg,” Blake said in an interview on Monday.
Cortney Wheeler, Blake’s mom, didn’t know who the hockey player was when she was naming her son.
She said it wasn’t until her son was about four years old that she learned of Wheeler.
“Ever since then, we’ve all been Jets fans… [Blake’s] whole room is Winnipeg Jets and he’s got all the outfits and everything like that,” she said.
The family members are such big fans that when they go to professional hockey games, they make an effort to specifically see the Blues play the Jets.
Cortney added that Blake watches videos of the Jets every day on YouTube, and that his dream is to be like Wheeler when he gets older.
“He wants to be on the top. He wants to be a Winnipeg Jet one day. That’s his goal,” Cortney said.
An interaction between the two Blake Wheelers. (Source: Cortney Wheeler)
Despite being from Missouri, Blake does not consider himself a fan of the St. Louis Blues and prefers to cheer on Winnipeg and New York.
“I like to follow the Jets and the Rangers. Those are my two favourite teams,” he said.
The family is hoping to visit Winnipeg one day, and would love to come during a White Out.
- With files from CTV’s Devon McKendrick.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Quebec nurse had to clean up after husband's death in Montreal hospital
On a night she should have been mourning, a nurse from Quebec's Laurentians region says she was forced to clean up her husband after he died at a hospital in Montreal.
Northern Ont. lawyer who abandoned clients in child protection cases disbarred
A North Bay, Ont., lawyer who abandoned 15 clients – many of them child protection cases – has lost his licence to practise law.
Bank of Canada officials split on when to start cutting interest rates
Members of the Bank of Canada's governing council were split on how long the central bank should wait before it starts cutting interest rates when they met earlier this month.
Maple Leafs fall to Bruins in Game 3, trail series 2-1
Brad Marchand scored twice, including the winner in the third period, and added an assist as the Boston Bruins downed the Toronto Maple Leafs 4-2 to take a 2-1 lead in their first-round playoff series Wednesday
Cuban government apologizes to Montreal-area family after delivering wrong body
Cuba's foreign affairs minister has apologized to a Montreal-area family after they were sent the wrong body following the death of a loved one.
'It was instant karma': Viral video captures failed theft attempt in Nanaimo, B.C.
Mounties in Nanaimo, B.C., say two late-night revellers are lucky their allegedly drunken antics weren't reported to police after security cameras captured the men trying to steal a heavy sign from a downtown business.
What is changing about Canada's capital gains tax and how does it impact me?
The federal government's proposed change to capital gains taxation is expected to increase taxes on investments and mainly affect wealthy Canadians and businesses. Here's what you need to know about the move.
New Indigenous loan guarantee program a 'really big deal,' Freeland says at Toronto conference
Canada's Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland was among the 1,700 delegates attending the two-day First Nations Major Projects Coalition (FNMPC) conference that concluded Tuesday in Toronto.
'Life was not fair to him': Daughter of N.B. man exonerated of murder remembers him as a kind soul
The daughter of a New Brunswick man recently exonerated from murder, is remembering her father as somebody who, despite a wrongful conviction, never became bitter or angry.