Young St. Louis Blues fan, 11, gets her moment with Stanley Cup after team's win
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A young St. Louis Blues superfan, who was the team’s source of inspiration in its journey to the Stanley Cup trophy, joined the players on the ice during the championship celebration Wednesday.
Laila Anderson, 11, who is battling a life-threatening autoimmune disease that only a handful of other children in the world have, got her moment with the Cup in Boston after the team surprised her by flying her out to watch the deciding game.
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As the team passed around the trophy, Blues defenseman Colton Parayko knelt down and let Laila kiss the trophy and celebrate.
“She is so special, everything about her,” Parayko told reporters after the game, according to USA Today. “She is such a warrior. She perseveres through everything. She is going through such a battle. I was happy to be with her today for this moment. It was special to me.”
Laila’s travel was limited during the season because of her battle with hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis but was cleared to attend Game 4 of the Western Conference Finals and returned to the Enterprise Center to watch the Blues in Games 4 and 6, according to ESPN.
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Laila knew it was the Blues’ year probably more than anyone. According to ESPN, she predicted it was going to be Blues center Ryan O’Reilly who was going to score the first goal. And when he did, she aptly told her mother: “I called it.”
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O’Reilly’s goal helped set the pace to the Blues’ 4-1 win over the Boston Bruins. It’s St. Louis’ first-ever Stanley Cup trophy.
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The Associated Press contributed to this report.