St. Louis Cardinals: Carter Hutton Gets Gift from Musial Family
The St. Louis Blues and the Chicago Blackhawks played their Winter Classic game in Busch Stadium yesterday. Blues goalie Carter Hutton paid homage to several St. Louis Cardinals greats, earning him a special gift.
For hockey fans, the Winter Classic is an absolute treat. It is a time to watch an NHL game outdoors, playing in different ballparks around the country. These games hearken back to the early days, when these players were kids playing pickup hockey on the local pond. The experience alone can make these games memorable for anyone in attendance.
These games are special for the players as well. They get a chance to play in a different environment, and get to have a unique experience during the grind of the regular season. It is also a time where players can pay homage to other greats in the city, as Blues goals Carter Hutton did with the St. Louis Cardinals.
With their game in Busch Stadium, it was the perfect opportunity. As such, his goalie mask featured several Cardinals greats, including Ozzie Smith performing his trademark backflip, and Stan Musial against his iconic number 6. It was truly a sight to behold.
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Musial’s family thought so as well. In fact, after seeing the mask that Hutton had designed for the game, they sent him a special gift as a thank you. Now, Hutton has his own autographed Stan Musial baseball, a keepsake from his family to say thank you for honoring a legend.
Even across different sports, icons capture the imagination. Baseball fans can delight in the performances of the greats of any other sport, as players like Michael Jordan (in basketball), Wayne Gretzky, and Walter Payton captured the imagination of sports fans, even if they were not interested in the particular sport. Musial, one of the greatest players in baseball history, had that same ability.
Although Hutton did not play in the game, the Blues sent the home crowd home with a 4-1 victory. Jake Allen saved 22 of 23 shots, after struggling in his previous four outings. Meanwhile, it looks like the Blues could have their best chance to bring a Stanley Cup to St. Louis for the first time in franchise history. Then Hutton could add that year to the list of Cardinals World Series victories on the back of his mask.
The greats of game have an ability to transcend sports. St. Louis Cardinals legend Stan Musial was certainly one of those players, as Carter Hutton could attest.
