Ultimate good guy Bryan Bickell hinted retirement due to MS on Friday and made it official on Saturday morning. This didn’t leave much time for the Carolina Hurricanes to plan for a party. That seems to be just fine because what they did was extremely better.
On Saturday morning, Bryan and wife Amanda were guests of honor at the 2017 Walk MS held outside the Hurricane’s arena. As Bickell was addressing the crowd, he received a surprise. The whole Carolina Hurricanes team showed up wearing “Bickell Brave” t-shirts.
[WATCH] @bbicks29 made plans to participate in this morning's #WalkMS, but he didn't expect his teammates to all show up. #BickellBrave pic.twitter.com/zy2emeM9nZ
— Carolina Hurricanes (@NHLCanes) April 8, 2017
They didn’t stop there. In an act of solidarity, the team all donned helmets bearing Bickell’s number 29 for pre-game warmups. No doubt they would have given him the jersey treatment had he made the announcement earlier.
All #Canes are wearing No. 29 on their helmets in honor of @bbicks29. #BickellBrave #Redvolution pic.twitter.com/Axb1OetOPv
— Carolina Hurricanes (@NHLCanes) April 8, 2017
As touched as he probably was by the gestures, there was still one more moment for Bickell to have.
In his final NHL game on Sunday night against the Philadelphia Flyers, regulation ended in a 3-3 tie. Hurricanes coach Bill Peters chose Bickell to shoot first in the shootout.
Bicks had a good shot through his career but he is far from a shootout specialist. He actually only had one attempt in his career and missed.
In dramatic fashion, he sniped the snap shot for a goal! The Hurricanes ended up winning and Bickell’s last shot as an NHL player was a goal.
I’m sure he would have preferred to have a longer career but this is a fantastic way to go out. He will always be remembered for his hard work on the ice, with charity and fighting MS to return to hockey.
You can get involved with the Bryan and Amanda Bickell Foundation here. Or, you can donate to his Walk MS team here. All are great choices and we can’t wait to see Bicks back in Chicago for “One More Shift.”
#BickellBrave: Watch @bbicks29 score the first goal in the shootout in his last @NHL game! pic.twitter.com/LhZr0AHIF7
— Carolina Hurricanes (@NHLCanes) April 10, 2017
