Elgin is the Inspiration

Amidst all the hype of the Ottawa Senators making it to the Stanley Cup Finals, there has been one story that has gripped peoples’ hearts and brought tears to everyone’s eyes.

It’s the story of one of the Sens’ biggest fans: Little Elgin-Alexander Fraser.

Like thousands of people, I first was introduced to three-year-old Elgin a few months ago when the Ottawa Citizen featured a story on his participation at a Senators practice. The front-page photo was of an adorable, chubby-cheeked little boy grasped tightly in the arms of one of his heroes, Mike Fisher. Both Elgin and Mike seemed to have a twinkle in their eyes, and huge smiles on their faces.

Getting to practice with Fisher and the Sens was a dream come true for Elgin, who suffered from neuroblastoma, a rare terminal cancer that he was diagnosed with at the tender age of nine months. Elgin was in remission until this past January, when the cancer returned, and his family was told his time was limited.

That was when friends of Elgin’s family who had ties to Sens defenceman Chris Phillips and his wife Erin introduced them, and Elgin was immediately welcomed into the Senators family.

Last Wednesday night, Elgin attended Game 4 at Scotiabank place with his parents and baby sister, even though he was very weak and growing increasingly sick. On Thursday, Mike Fisher visited him at his home in Carleton Place, where they played cars and watched a movie. On Friday, doctors told Elgin’s parents one of his lungs had collapsed and he likely wouldn’t make it through the weekend.

On Saturday, with the Sens on the road in Buffalo and trying to close out the series, Elgin was at home with his family and friends watching the game. According to the story the Citizen ran this week, once Elgin grew too weary to keep his eyes open, his parents whispered the play-by-play in his ears. Several hours after the Sens defeated Buffalo to advance to the Stanley Cup finals for the first time in franchise history, Elgin-Alexander Fraser closed his eyes one last time and peacefully left this Earth.

His parents believe that Elgin fought to stay alive until he was sure that his heroes were going to play for the Cup.

Today, while the City of Ottawa was hosting a pep rally for the Senators at City Hall, both Mike Fisher and Chris Phillips were in Carleton Place acting as pallbearers at little Elgin’s funeral.

Fisher, Phillips, and the rest of the Senators organization have had Elgin’s family in their hearts since the little boy passed away, and one has to think that if they needed any more inspiration to win the Cup, this would be it. Knowing that Elgin will be watching and cheering from above has to give them an even greater desire to win it for him.

I know that I’ll be thinking of Elgin on Monday night when the Sens take the ice for the first game of the Stanley Cup Finals against the Anaheim Ducks. I’m sure they will be too, and so will many of the fans who have heard Elgin’s story and prayed for him and his family since the Citizen first ran that story several months back.

I’m sure they’ll do him proud.

GO SENS GO!!