QMJHL player scores emotional game-winner after mother's passing

The loss of a loved one is one of the toughest things someone can go through. For Cape Breton Screaming Eagles captain Declan Smith, that news came earlier this month.

On December 1st, his mother, Rachel, passed away from cancer. After stepping away from the team for two games to mourn the loss, Smith returned to the lineup on Friday night.

In his first match back, something special happened.

Smith’s marker late in the third period wound up being the game winner. In an extremely emotional moment for the 20-year old, his response channeled all that he was feeling.

The point to the sky, obviously for his mother, provided an extremely touching moment in the Screaming Eagles’ win over the Acadie-Bathurst Titan.

Following the contest, while the team’s leader was being interviewed near centre ice, his teammates waited for him to finish to offer a show of support during this trying time.

It it truly great to see the sport of hockey providing an escape from the sometimes harsh realities of life.