Intro for June 20, 2019

Dear Gossips,

The NHL Awards took place in Las Vegas last night, hosted by Kenan Thompson. St Louis Blues superfan Jon Hamm was there and he introduced Alex Trebek, who presented the Hart Memorial Trophy (the league’s MVP) to Nikita Kucherov. Alex, as you can see, looked great. Strong. Alex told PEOPLE a couple of weeks ago that, while he still has to go through more chemotherapy and radiation, he’s responding very well to cancer treatment and that some of his tumours have been reduced by as much as 50%. He received a standing ovation. It was a heartwarming moment. 

There were several other heartwarming moments. The Bill Masterson Memorial Trophy is awarded to a player who’s demonstrated perseverance and dedication on and off the ice. This year the recipient is Robin Lehner – here’s part of his acceptance speech: 

Robin wrote a piece for The Athletic last year about his bipolar diagnosis. As he says, he got help and he continues to do the work and he’s also working to support mental health awareness initiatives, in part by setting this kind of example on such a big stage. 

And then there’s Anderson Whitehead. Anderson’s favourite player is Carey Price. He first met Carey back in March:

Last night, Anderson and Carey were reunited. If you haven’t seen this yet, be ready for some emotion. Like a LOT of emotion. This boy is going to remember this kindness forever. 

To learn more about Hockey Fights Cancer and/or to make a contribution, please click here.

Yours in gossip,

Lainey 
 

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Photos:
Ethan Miller/ Dave Sandford/ Getty Images