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PHOTOS BY Getty Images O n A u g . 6 , 2 0 1 4 , d a y s b e f o r e Boeser was set to compete with the U.S. Under-18 Select Team at the Hlinka Memorial Cup half a world away in the Czech Republic, he was informed that Aleya had died in a rollover car accident. Boeser's friend, Cole Borchardt, was also severely injured in the crash. "We chatted with him right away to see where he was at," Plante recalled. " We talked to his mom to see what they wanted to do. I'm sure in some ways he was a bit in shock. There's no handbook on how to handle that. We just tried to care for him, like we would do with any kid. " He d i d n 't m a k e i t a b o u t h i m . From a hockey perspective, during the games, you'd never know. He was able to shut it off and play with a lot of emotion." B R O C K B O E S E R USAHOCKEYMAGAZINE.COM NHL Preview Memorial Cup and watched him throughout his youth hockey career in Minnesota. "He's a special kid, and a fun player to watch." Rattle off Boeser 's NHL stats and accomplishments to him—All- Star Game MVP, Calder Trophy finalist, 98 goals and 210 points in 253 NHL games — and you're met with a small smile and shake of the head. "It's pretty cool, but that's not what it's about," he said. "We have yet to win the ultimate goal, the Stanley Cup, so until then, the rest is just building toward that." Significance Of The 6 Hockey players are identified by their numbers on the ice. Boeser's No. 6 uniform identifies more than just himself. It represents a deep connection to those close to him. First, there's Boeser 's father, Duke, who wore No. 6 when he played hockey in high school. In 2010, Duke was diagnosed with Parkinson's Disease. In 2012, a car accident left him with a brain inju- ry. Since 2017 he has been battling lung cancer, and in 2020 he suffered a massive heart attack where his heart stopped twice. Duke is back at the family's Burnsville home with Boeser's mom, Laurie, and a full- time caregiver. " I t ' s t o u g h . We s t a r t e d t o n o t i c e m o r e declines, and it's been a slow process," said Boeser, whose dad announced him as a starter for his NHL debut against t h e M i n n e s o t a Wild on March 25, 2017. He scored his first NHL goal in the same game, a 4-2 win. " B u t s e e i n g everything my dad's gone through, I don't know how someone can go through so much and still be trucking along and laughing and smiling. It's just cool to see that. And my mom, everything she has to do taking care of him. It's a lot. Not many people can do it, but she's a really strong woman." No. 6 was also worn by Boeser's childhood friend, Ty Aleya. 26 Playing in the Pacific Northwest, Brock Boeser may not get the attention of those players competing in East Coast markets, but the Burnsville, Minn., native has accomplished quite a lot in his four full seasons with the Vancouver Canucks. I always tell little kids to make sure they work hard and have fun and just build friendships. I still hang out with my friends that I played hockey with as a kid every single weekend. They're friendships that last a lifetime." W O R D S O F W I S D O M