Community Moment | Trading hockey cards for smiles
Last November, Julius Sumpf had the chance to do something for the first time in his life: trade hockey cards.
Since Tim Horton’s restaurants are a rarity in his native Germany, the Moncton Wildcats’ number 26 enjoyed a unique experience, along with a few teammates, at one of the famous chain’s establishments in Salisbury, near Moncton.
“It was really fun to share these moments with the guys, but also with all the youngsters who were there. I’ve never had the chance to exchange hockey cards before. It was something new for me,” he said.
“That’s one of the reasons why I wanted to take part in this event. I absolutely wanted to live this experience with the young kids. We don’t really have hockey cards in Germany!”
The centerman managed to land a Sidney Crosby card, which made him very happy.
“I must’ve come home with at least a hundred cards. I ended up with lots of duplicates that I couldn’t exchange. I then pulled out a card worth $100 and gave it to one of the kids!”, laughed the 19-year-old.
He took part in the activity with teammates Connor Trenholm, Oscar Plandowski and Etienne Morin. Julius Sumpf said he had a lot of fun with all the budding collectors.
“When I was young, I used to go to a lot of hockey games and all those players were my idols. I think it’s important to meet young people and spend time with them. They’ll remember it for the rest of their lives!” he explained.
“I come from a small town near Munich where everyone knows each other. It’s like a big family. I knew many of the players on our professional team. Now, I want to give our young fans a chance to get to know us better too.”
Wildcats’ General Manager Ritchie Thibeau also took part in the hockey card trades. Unsurprisingly, he very much enjoyed his day.
“I’m trying to collect the entire series too. I’m still a few cards short,” he laughed. “The guys love this kind of event. They didn’t hesitate to chat with the youngsters and exchange cards with them. Through this kind of activity, we want our guys to learn to take responsibility,” he explained.
“We want them to realize how lucky they are to be here, and to be playing hockey at such a high level. They are inspirations for all these young kids”, he added.
The following week, another group also visited a Moncton-based Tim Horton’s restaurant. This time, it was to decorate Christmas cookies, one smile at a time.
