Yep, you read that right. And no, the Vancouver Canucks weren’t nominated for a Grammy. But they are associated at the 2022 Musial Awards, the award ceremony named after Baseball Legend and Hall of Famer Stan Musial. These awards are handed out to people who have shown commendable sportsmanship and demonstrated acts of class and character throughout the year.
Last year, a woman named Nadia Popovici was enjoying the season opener for the Seattle Kraken against their west coast rivals, the Vancouver Canucks. This was the first game at Climate Pledge Arena, and the atmosphere was electric for NHL’s newest expansion team. Nadia got some of the best seats in the house and was sitting so close she could see the players and trainers on the visiting team’s bench. Nadia was sitting so close that she, a pre-medical major at the time, noticed an unusual mole on the back of Brian Hamilton’s neck, one of the Canucks equipment staff.
Popovici was debating if she should say anything to the training staff or even how she would be able to do that. But her gut feeling told her to do something about it, and she typed on her phone. “The mole on the back of your neck is possibly cancerous. Please go see a doctor!”
Brian saw the message but wasn’t sure if it was for him or someone else. Nevertheless, he took it to heart and got the mole looked at as soon as possible. One thing led to another, and the mole ended up being cancerous, but thanks to Nadia’s quick thinking and medical instincts, Brian was able to remove the cancerous mole through plastic surgery before it spread any further.
The culmination of an incredible story. Brian Hamilton of the @Canucks presents @SeattleKraken fan Nadia Popovici with her #MusialAward. @NHL pic.twitter.com/LRSYC7sNnq
— Musial Awards (@MusialAwards) November 20, 2022
Brian has since and continues to thank Nadia for saving his life. Popovici was presented with a 2022 Musial Award because of her incredible showing of intelligence, integrity, and kindness that led to saving somebody’s life. And that somebody’s life is a big part of the Canucks organization. As a Vancouverite, and Canucks fan, thank you, Nadia, for showing us how great humanity can be.