Jeff Christian is back in Memphis, Tenn., with his wife, Dorie, and 8-year-old daughter Ryan, who is recovering from recent cancer surgery.
The Missouri Mavericks captain, assistant coach and team leader did the impossible the past three weeks, balancing the needs of his immediate family with the needs of his Mavericks family – and he did it with the flair of a true professional.
On the ice, Christian played a key role in the Mavs’ last 15 games. The first-year Central Hockey League squad was 10-3-2 against some of the best teams in the league, and on Sunday – with Christian getting an assist – they topped Wichita 5-2 to clinch a playoff berth.
The 20-year hockey veteran would not practice with his team during the week, so he could be with Ryan, who is a patient at St. Jude’s Hospital with a rare form of cancer.
Daddy delicately balanced his time away from Dorie and Ryan, and that dedication brought tears to the eyes of his teammates.
“We love the guy,” forward Jeff MacDermid said. “He’s our inspiration.”
On Saturday, the Mavericks held an auction to help raise funds for the Christian family.
Dorie, a work-at-home mother/lawyer, is not able to work while in Memphis and the medical bills from Children’s Mercy Hospital were spiraling out of control.
The almost-final results from the auction are in – and they are staggering.
“We aren’t quite finished totaling all the numbers,” Mavs general manager Brent Thiessen said Tuesday morning, “but right now, we’re at $56,000.”
Excuse me?
“Isn’t that amazing?” Thiessen asked. “Everything was donated – I think it’s the greatest success story of the season. Jeff manages to fly back to the Events Center to play on weekends, while spending the week with his daughter. … Do you realize the impact that made on our team?
“And we have a lot of young guys on the team. Guys who haven’t even thought about starting a family – and they’re playing their heart out for Jeff, each other and our great fans.”
Coach Scott Hillman’s wife, Dalyn, worked the auction tables along with my wife, Stacy, and some Mavericks personnel. There were over 200 items up for grabs – ranging from signed sports memorabilia and skating lessons to a weekend in Branson and a party at Tim’s Pizza.
“People were coming up and handing me $20 bills,” my wife said, after the Saturday night auction. “It was pretty amazing. Those people were giving from the heart.”
Now that the Mavs have clinched their playoff spot, Christian is back in Memphis.
“But I’ll be back for the playoffs,” he told me Sunday in Wichita, Kan., where the Mavs earned that playoff berth. “Do you think I’d miss the playoffs?”
Well, not really.
I’ve never met a guy like Christian. He pulled off the impossible by leading a team with six rookies to the CHL promised land.
“Jeff is our leader – and by leader, I mean the one guy everyone in this locker room looks up to,” goaltender Gerry Festa said after his brilliant performance in the net in Saturday’s 4-3 shootout win over top-rated Odessa. “How does a guy do what he’s been doing? He spends the week in Memphis, then comes back and scores a goal and gets a couple of assists every game.”
Hillman made sure that Christian was the first player the Mavs signed – way back when the team had no name, no players and fans had no idea of the storybook tale that was about to unfold.
“You talk about a pro’s pro – that’s Jeff Christian,” Hillman said. “Do we make the playoffs without Jeff? Well, it’s unlikely. He never complained, he never made any excuses, he just played hard and made us a better team every time he stepped on the ice.”
And he became a fan favorite, from his first public appearance at a now defunct bar and grill last summer to that stirring moment when he skated onto the ice last Saturday to pick up some of the hundreds of hats fans tossed at the Events Center to honor Ryan.
“I about lost it emotionally,” Christian said. “When the fans did that, I just felt like I had to go out and thank them. Please, let the fans know how much Dorie, Ryan and I appreciate them.
“Someday, we’re going to thank them. I don’t know how, but someday, we will.”
Jeff, don’t worry about that. You’ve already thanked us a hundred times over.
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Jeff Christian is back in Memphis, Tenn., with his wife, Dorie, and 8-year-old daughter Ryan, who is recovering from recent cancer surgery.
The Missouri Mavericks captain, assistant coach and team leader did the impossible the past three weeks, balancing the needs of his immediate family with the needs of his Mavericks family – and he did it with the flair of a true professional.
On the ice, Christian played a key role in the Mavs’ last 15 games. The first-year Central Hockey League squad was 10-3-2 against some of the best teams in the league, and on Sunday – with Christian getting an assist – they topped Wichita 5-2 to clinch a playoff berth.
The 20-year hockey veteran would not practice with his team during the week, so he could be with Ryan, who is a patient at St. Jude’s Hospital with a rare form of cancer.
Daddy delicately balanced his time away from Dorie and Ryan, and that dedication brought tears to the eyes of his teammates.
“We love the guy,” forward Jeff MacDermid said. “He’s our inspiration.”
On Saturday, the Mavericks held an auction to help raise funds for the Christian family.
Dorie, a work-at-home mother/lawyer, is not able to work while in Memphis and the medical bills from Children’s Mercy Hospital were spiraling out of control.
The almost-final results from the auction are in – and they are staggering.
“We aren’t quite finished totaling all the numbers,” Mavs general manager Brent Thiessen said Tuesday morning, “but right now, we’re at $56,000.”
Excuse me?
“Isn’t that amazing?” Thiessen asked. “Everything was donated – I think it’s the greatest success story of the season. Jeff manages to fly back to the Events Center to play on weekends, while spending the week with his daughter. … Do you realize the impact that made on our team?
“And we have a lot of young guys on the team. Guys who haven’t even thought about starting a family – and they’re playing their heart out for Jeff, each other and our great fans.”
Coach Scott Hillman’s wife, Dalyn, worked the auction tables along with my wife, Stacy, and some Mavericks personnel. There were over 200 items up for grabs – ranging from signed sports memorabilia and skating lessons to a weekend in Branson and a party at Tim’s Pizza.
“People were coming up and handing me $20 bills,” my wife said, after the Saturday night auction. “It was pretty amazing. Those people were giving from the heart.”
Now that the Mavs have clinched their playoff spot, Christian is back in Memphis.
“But I’ll be back for the playoffs,” he told me Sunday in Wichita, Kan., where the Mavs earned that playoff berth. “Do you think I’d miss the playoffs?”
Well, not really.
I’ve never met a guy like Christian. He pulled off the impossible by leading a team with six rookies to the CHL promised land.
“Jeff is our leader – and by leader, I mean the one guy everyone in this locker room looks up to,” goaltender Gerry Festa said after his brilliant performance in the net in Saturday’s 4-3 shootout win over top-rated Odessa. “How does a guy do what he’s been doing? He spends the week in Memphis, then comes back and scores a goal and gets a couple of assists every game.”
Hillman made sure that Christian was the first player the Mavs signed – way back when the team had no name, no players and fans had no idea of the storybook tale that was about to unfold.
“You talk about a pro’s pro – that’s Jeff Christian,” Hillman said. “Do we make the playoffs without Jeff? Well, it’s unlikely. He never complained, he never made any excuses, he just played hard and made us a better team every time he stepped on the ice.”
And he became a fan favorite, from his first public appearance at a now defunct bar and grill last summer to that stirring moment when he skated onto the ice last Saturday to pick up some of the hundreds of hats fans tossed at the Events Center to honor Ryan.
“I about lost it emotionally,” Christian said. “When the fans did that, I just felt like I had to go out and thank them. Please, let the fans know how much Dorie, Ryan and I appreciate them.
“Someday, we’re going to thank them. I don’t know how, but someday, we will.”
Jeff, don’t worry about that. You’ve already thanked us a hundred times over.
