Here’s a feel-good story: Mike Gapski has hit the ice with Chicago Blackhawks for over thirty years. He is the head athletic trainer for the Blackhawks and on December 16, he and the team celebrated his 2,500th National Hockey League game. The game was against the Arizona Coyotes and the Blackhawks won and soon after the celebration of trainer Mike Gapski began.
Gapinski is the longest-tenured active trainer in the NHL. Only Pete Demers, a retired Hockey Hall of Famer has worked more games as a trainer. He hit 2,632, all completed with the Los Angeles Kings.
The Chicago Blackhawks showed their appreciation for Gapski’s service to the team by presenting him with a brand new red and white Yamaha EX Sport. Gapski became emotional as he was being recognized by the players in such a special way. He walked across the ice and sat on the trailered machine, absolutely thrilled and honored to be part of an organization that doesn’t take him for granted. The team knows he loves life on the lake and will thoroughly enjoy his new PWC. He will get a lot of use of that Yamaha WaveRunner.
“That was pretty cool,” Blackhawks captain Jonathan Toews said of Monday’s spectacle. “I didn’t know a jet ski would make ‘Gapper emotional, but I think he likes life out at the lake in the summer. He likes to get out there, so it’s a nice little toy for him to enjoy and it’d be nice to see the big guy ripping around on that thing, getting some rays.”
SURPRISE GAPPER 🎉
Our gift to celebrate Mike Gapski’s 2,500th NHL game worked and 32+ years of service to the #Blackhawks pic.twitter.com/SV8TrXgtrx
— Chicago Blackhawks (@NHLBlackhawks) December 16, 2019
