Andrew Hammond is one step closer to being ready for a new NHL season. He revealed his new goalie mask via Twitter yesterday, showing off a helmet that creatively checks off all the boxes for a guy nicknamed “The Hamburglar.”
A closer look, however, will reveal the mask’s most meaningful feature: a butterfly and the initials “JP”, a tribute to 15-year-old Jonathan Pitre.
The mask designer, Jason Bartziokas, posted the following photo of the back of Hammond’s helmet to Instagram with the caption “Jonathan Pitre. An inspiration to us all.”
Pitre suffers from Epidermolysis bullosa, a rare and incredibly painful genetic skin disease. Children with this condition are often known as “butterfly children” because of their extremely fragile skin.
“I wanted him to feel special and let him know how much he has inspired me, the fans of Ottawa, and the entire hockey world,” Hammond told The Ottawa Citizen. “I think Senators fans attached themselves to Jonathan and his story because he teaches us all a lesson: a reminder that we are only given this one chance at life — and we have to enjoy the moments we have.”
The Senators first met the then-14-year-old hockey fan when general manager Bryan Murray invited him to the rink to watch a game with the team’s scouting staff.
“I’m done with the dream of trying to play sports,” Pitre told the Citizen back in November. “I knew I’d never be able to play sports, but I tried to have hope that I would. Now I know what’s reality. But I still would like to do something in sports. I’d like to be a scout, or a sportscaster on Sportsnet, you know, one of the commentators.”
Pitre’s hockey dreams didn’t stop there. In January, the Senators invited him back for another game — this time, with the chance to call the Senators-Canadiens game from the broadcast booth.
You can read The Ottawa Citizen’s full feature on Pitre here.
