No Coincidences

I met Thompson “Tommy” Smith in 2015 when I was told about an amazing guy that had founded this thriving hockey group called the Mallards. I then found out that this same fella had built Argus Event Staffing from the ground up, married a Bronco cheerleader, had a beautiful home and two great kids. And I also learned that this beloved man was battling an autoimmune disease that was threatening…

A big thank you to Becky Gartman for the awesome gift on Monday night. Becky captained our first ever women’s team at the “USA Hockey National Championships” in Tampa and came home with this awesome photo plaque of the inaugural squad! And in a “no coincidences” moment, our Lady Dawgs team took on the Lucky Pucks from Florida. The captain of the Lucky Pucks happened to be none other than…

It was a day of “no coincidences” at UCHeatlh as the stars aligned once again. Patrick continues progressing ahead of schedule and was at the hospital for a biopsy on his new heart when he heard the name “Sebastian Hitvig” called out. Patrick’s ears perked up and he made sure he connected with this “Sebastian” before he left. You see, this same Sebastian reached out to me just one day earlier…

Today is about Patrick “P-Daddy” Donnelly. This amazing young man was placed into my life about a year ago and has been my right hand man ever since. Patrick was 21 when he was diagnosed with congestive heart failure that nearly ended his life and required the insertion of a LVAD pump to allow his heart to continue beating. The LVAD was only a temporary fix as my friend has been awaiting a hear…

Prior to my epic birthday trip to Saskatchewan, I reached out to Dave Chamberlin to join me and Cindy on our journey to the north. We felt compelled as Dave had lost the love of his life, Karen, to pancreatic cancer just one month before. We knew Dave was hurting and felt it would be good to surround our friend with love. As we wrapped up our memorable two days in Saskatchewan we were jo…

No coincidences were in abundance today when I joined Les Borsheim at Craig Hospital as we visited two tremendous young men. Les, a bruising winger with the Colorado Eagles, was paralyzed in 2008 and spent three months at Craig himself. Today Les took on the role of counselor and friend as he shared his experiences with Ethan and Ashton as they both adjust to a new and unfamiliar life. E…

Rob Hamblin was a humble and private man. He was also a talented musician, gifted hockey player, and a friend to many. Two years ago Rob was diagnosed with brain cancer and fought hard and valiantly, finally saying goodbye on September 4th. Although I didn’t know Rob well he still chose Dawg Nation to honor in his name, this is something that always humbles me to the core. Now the “no coincid…

Patrick and I were on our way to Park Range Ranch for a powerful weekend of fly fishing with some of the Paralympic athletes. On the way up we decided to make a quick pit stop to quench our thirst. We pulled into a place called the Stockman Bar in Walden and settled in a booth. When the waitress (Jenny) came over she took our order and asked what brought us in. I shared that my brother was ho…

Much of our growth has been a product of connecting with NHLers (past and present) that provide us with instant credibility and notoriety. As we build our St Louis brand it’s important to for us to also connect with leaders in the St Louis hockey community. One of those leaders is Pat Maroon, a three time Stanley Cup champion and a St Louis native. Yesterday afternoon I was in a …

It was quite a day in Belleville, Illinois as the St Louis Dawgs hosted an amazing Cornhole event and lifted up yet another family! 10 year old Mason Venegoni is young goalie that recently underwent surgery to remove a brain tumor. The surgery was a difficult but successful one and this little goaltender is now on the road to recovery! Now the “no coincidences” part! Former St Louis…

It’s been a while since I posted a Cooper “Coop” Tippett update, and even longer since I’ve done a “no coincidences” post. So how about a two for one?! First off, Coop is progressing really well and is continuing on his road to recovery! His activity is still limited, but he’s walking and getting stronger every day. All great news! Now the no coincidences part. I played a little golf today wi…

Sometimes I just have to pinch myself and and say, “how in the world did this happen?”. Taking in game two of the Stanley Cup Finals with my honey was amazing, but hosting the guy that literally co-founded Apple is beyond fathomable. It’s truly unbelievable how many “no coincidences” had to happen for this ordinary guy to be rooting for my favorite team and spending the evening with one of the…