Dad Of Young Canadiens Fan Says Hockey Stick Gifted By Player Was 'Considered A Weapon'

A young Montreal Canadiens fan was given a stick by one of his favourite players, but it cost him a "fat lip" and an early night.

The young hockey fan, Hunter Beauparlant, was given the stick by Habs player Nick Suzuki during a Toronto Maple Leafs versus Canadiens game on April 10.

Hunter's father, Steven Beauparlant, told CTV News Toronto that his sons, who were attending an NHL game for the first time to celebrate birthdays, had made signs hoping to score a selfie with Suzuki.

Suzuki spotted the sign and came over to toss Hunter a puck.

"He grabs a puck off the ice and tosses it over the glass," said Steven. "And my son was kind of starstruck. He was just staring at it and he ate it right on the lips."

After Hunter's accident, Suzuki autographed the puck, posed for a photo, and even gave the little Habs fan his hockey stick.

"Thanks Nick for taking a selfie & making sure Hunter was ok after he didn’t catch the puck you tossed him," said Steven on Twitter, "He loves the stick, puck autograph & Fat Lip."

Steven said they continued to watch the game from their 300 level seats with the stick in the stands, but when they left to go to the washroom in the third period, staff let them know they would have to check the stick until the end of the game.

Steven said he asked if security could just escort them back to their seats but that the staff denied the request.

"I think my son was just over it," Steven told CTV News. "It was enough of a game and he didn't want to lose his stick, so we just said, 'Let's call it a night - that's it if we can't go back to our seats.'"

Steven later tweeted about the incident, writing, "They said it’s considered a weapon. Poor kid had a busted lip and didn’t wanna lose his stick so we went back to the hotel."

However, many misinterpreted Stevens's series of tweets to say that they were forced to leave the arena or lose the stick altogether.

"My tweet wasn't for any disrespect for any Leafs organization or staff members, everyone's got a job to do, I understand that."

A spokesperson for MLSE told Narcity that "with 10 minutes remaining in the game, a fan was notified by security as he was walking in the concourse with a hockey stick, that due to fan safety protocols, MLSE’s fan services would assist them to check the stick until the end of the game as it poses a safety hazard for other fans. While the fan, in this case, did not want to check the stick, and instead made their own decision to leave the game."

While the family did end up leaving the game early, getting a selfie and a stick from one of your hockey heroes isn't a bad way to celebrate a birthday.

The official Montreal Canadiens Twitter account even reached out to Steven, offering to send him and Hunter a Nick Suzuki jersey in response to his series of tweets.

This isn't the only wild story going down in the world of hockey. Recently, Justin Bieber was booed at his recent Montreal concert after hyping up the Maple Leafs.

Canadians sure do take their hockey seriously!

Narcity reached out to Suzuki for comment, but he did not respond in time for publication.

This article's cover image was used for illustrative purposes only.