A Hockey Fan Won An Unbelievable Prize—Then He Gave It Away
For many people, sports fandom is almost like a religion. When Boston native and hockey fan Mark Karolkiewicz saw that Coca-Cola, Shaw's Supermarkets, and the Boston Bruins had teamed up to make one lucky Bruins fan's dream come true, he entered the contest right away—and then kind of forgot about it.
"And then, a month or two later, I get an email and it's from Coke saying 'Congratulations!'," Mark told us. Because he had purchased a Coke from Shaw's in the New England area, Mark won a "Player for a Day Experience" with the Boston Bruins, an incredible offer for someone who had been a Bruins fan his whole life. So how did Mark celebrate his wish coming true? He decided to give the prize away, to his son, Eric.
Eric Karolkiewicz, also a die-hard Bruins fan (thanks to his dad), said: "This is something I've always dreamed about doing—being a Bruin. And it actually came true for a day!"
As part of the prize package, Eric signed a one day contract with the Bruins, got a personalized team jersey, and got to visit a team practice. Eric, his father, and two guests also received a private tour of TD Garden, had a meet and greet with Bruins Assistant coach Jay Pandolfo, got to sit on the bench during the pre-game warm-ups, and received 4 prime rink-side tickets to a game! Eric described the day as "an unbelievable experience," and it was all thanks to his dad's generosity.
These two Bruins fans got an opportunity of a lifetime, out of the blue! Even more importantly, they got to spend an amazing day together: father and son enjoying a wish come true.
This HooplaHa original video was produced by Richie Levinson, shot by Yura Makarov and Varya Rootwood, and edited by Varya Rootwood. To see more videos like this, visit our YouTube channel and our Facebook page.