THOMPSON'S STATION, Tenn. (WTVF) — You might call one nine-year-old from Thompson's Station a human search engine when it comes to the Nashville Predators.
Owen Chase knows a lot, thanks to his collection of hockey cards. Imagine how it would feel for this hockey historian if these cards were ever misplaced in a crowd of nearly 20,000 people?
Well, that was Owen's reality.
He brought this card collection to a Predators game in late December. He went to the Gnashville Fun Zone and at some point, he put his cards down.
Shortly after, he walked away — without the cards.
"I was pretty nervous that first time I lost my cards," Owen said. "I'm like, 'Hey dad, where are my cards? Do you have 'em?' He's like, 'no.'"
Owen's card collection was somewhere amongst a sea of like-minded fans, which basically prompted an arena-wide search and checking with the Predators' security staff.
"They said they didn't have 'em. They checked, they checked everywhere, they checked every drawer," Owen said.
The family got in touch with the Preds security staff to see if they could help. They tell me that officer, Fred Jones, was instrumental in helping to track down the cards.
The cards somehow ended up at a guest services booth. How they got there, though, is a mystery. Perhaps a fan found them, realized they must have belonged to someone, and brought them to guest services so the family could potentially claim them.
What was so unexpected, though, is what the Preds also provided with the return of the cards.
"They gave me a roster," Owen said. "Uh there was a puck! I don't know who it was. It was Ryan O'Reilly I think?"
The puck was signed. All of this was given to him in a Predator's Christmas stocking.
Owen rarely misses a Predators game. The family is thankful Mr. Jones helped to bring the cards back to Owen.
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In this time of NIL deals and transfer portals, this is a refreshing story about the best of college athletics. A must watch for all young athletes with big dreams. I already showed my boys, and I can tell you Jack has some new fans!
-Carrie Sharp
