Jake Allen thanks young fan for support during struggles (Video)
At his lowest point this season, St. Louis Blues goaltender Jake Allen seemed to have a tough time finding inspiration.
From Dec. 30 through Jan. 31 Allen went 1-5-0, held an .835 save percentage and was even left home for part of a road trip to give him a mental reset in late January.
Then on the last day of January, Scott Gilbert posted a letter on Twitter from his 5-year-old son Mason to Allen. The note read, “Dear Jake Allen, you are my favorite player. I hope you win tonight. I know you can do it. You’re a great goalie. Love, Mason. I’m five years old.”
@34jallen @StLouisBlues from one of your biggest fans…..#letsgoblues pic.twitter.com/KjekT3aWZK
— Scott (@11CoachG) January 31, 2017
From that point on, Allen’s game seemed to take off. He was named the NHL’s second star of the past week after posting a 3-0-0 record with a 1.00 goal-against average and .967 save percentage. Allen has gone 4-1-0 since Feb. 2 and posted a .953 save percentage over that span. On Monday, Mason was invited to Blues practice by the goaltender and got to meet Allen, who said the note helped him get through his tough stretch last month.
Mason's letter of encouragement to @34jallen worked and today, he got to meet his favorite player in person! #stlblues pic.twitter.com/NQ2gYxSPmR
— St. Louis Blues (@StLouisBlues) February 13, 2017
“He sent me a message there and I reached out to his dad and I asked for his address and got something in the mail for him,” Allen said according to NHL.com. “… That’s what it’s all about. Any time you can make a kid’s day, it’s a no-brainer. It doesn’t matter what the situation is, when it is, where it is. As soon as I saw him this morning, it put a smile on my face and a smile on his. I’m glad I got to speak to him after.”
Allen signed a stick for Mason and wrote his own special note. It said, “Dear Mason, Thanks for the message! It really helped me out! Your pal Jake Allen.”
Now Jake Allen is the one writing a note to Mason. #stlblues pic.twitter.com/5EHAEPcjLA
— St. Louis Blues (@StLouisBlues) February 13, 2017
“It’s pretty cool,” Allen said. “It shows probably what kind of parents he has, what kind of family he’s brought up in. It’s really impressive and I think that’s really important.
“I believed in myself. I’m glad he was on my side.”
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Josh Cooper is an editor for Puck Daddy on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at puckdaddyblog@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter! Follow @joshuacooper
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