Blackhawks' goal was surprise reunion for Aurora Marine
A suburban family got the VIP treatment Tuesday at the Chicago Blackhawks' practice as the team gave a salute to Marine Lance Cpl. George Handley, a 20-year-old stationed in Okinawa, Japan.
Emmitt and Brenda Handley, the proud parents from Aurora, brought their children and grandchildren to watch the team's hourlong morning skate, toured the team's locker room and then met many of the Hawks, including Captain Jonathan Toews.
And then George walked in, wearing a red Blackhawks jersey with his name on the back, shocking his family.
Tears of joy flowed.
Pride abounded.
“The (armed) forces, they're special people. They're our heroes. They really represent us — our country, our team — in a lot of great ways,” Blackhawks coach Joel Quenneville said. “He seemed like a real nice kid. It's a big thrill for us to get the chance to meet him.”
Handley was greeted with claps, hugs and kisses.
“Being overseas, we don't get a lot of opportunities to come home,” said Handley, who had not seen his family in seven months and wasn't scheduled to return to the Chicago area until 2012.
Until the Blackhawks stepped in, that is.
The team offered to fly a serviceman home for the holidays, so an essay contest was held and Handley was picked after writing an autobiography.
His flight from Okinawa with a stop at Tokyo's Narita Airport landed at O'Hare International Airport about 7:50 a.m. Tuesday.
“It's a great present, the best birthday and Christmas present that I ever had,” said Handley, who is scheduled to return to Japan on Jan. 2.
Hanley graduated from West Aurora High School in 2009, where he competed on the school's track and cross country teams.
“This is awesome,” said Handley, who added that his first stop after the practice was going to be at a local White Castle.
Handley hesitated to name his favorite Blackhawk but expressed gratitude to Jonathan Toews and Patrick Kane, who came up with the idea to fly a serviceman home for the holidays.
“I thought it was awesome,” Toews said. “Every game, I think it's cool to have (military) veterans and people who have served. For us to have a chance to meet those people, it's pretty awesome. But a firsthand experience like this is awesome. It was pretty amazing to see how excited they were.”
Even Emmitt Handley admitted he was shocked — and teary-eyed.
“It's wonderful to see him, especially since we didn't think we were going to see him anymore for a while,” Emmitt said. “I enjoyed it. It's a great Christmas present.
“We just thought we were coming over to check out the Blackhawks. I didn't expect (George) to come out. It made me cry a little bit. I was so excited.”
Added mom Brenda: “I was thinking about (George) Sunday when I was at church. When he came out that door (today), it was like, ‘Wow. He's here!'
Anthony Enrietto of the USO of Illinois said the Hawks hatched this plan last Thursday, so getting Handley in Chicago by Tuesday “is quite an impressive task,” he said.
Handley has never skated, though the team offered to let him skate. And his main connection to the sport is through his fantasy hockey team, though he doesn't have any Hawks on his team — at least not yet.
“Next year, when I pick my (fantasy) team, I'm going to pick them all just to see what happens,” said Handley, still smiling.