Whether it’s because of trades, veteran acquisitions or availability, it is not unusual for young hockey players to change the numbers on their backs early in their careers.
But it is rare when players offer to replace sweaters that fans have bought with new ones that reflect the changes.
Dallas Stars forward Antoine Roussel wore No. 60 last season after being called up from the AHL in February. But the Stars management decided they wanted to see their guys wear lower numbers in the upcoming season, so the forward opted to choose No. 21, the date of his birth, which was available after Loui Eriksson was traded to the Bruins this summer.
The 24-year-old may not have the fan base of Sidney Crosby, but for those who did buy his No. 60 jersey last season, Roussel generously will cover the expenses for fans to buy the new one.
“I saw a couple people last year that bought my jersey with 60,” said Roussel from his home in Quebec on Friday. “I told them I’m going to keep the number, so I kind of felt bad for them because they trusted me and I felt like I let them down. I felt like it’s fair to do that.”
According to Yahoo! Sports, fans can leave their information, along with their home or away No. 60 jerseys, at the front desk in the Stars’ executive offices, and they will be contacted at some point to receive their new No. 21 sweater.
Check out the tweet below of Roussel’s charitable offer.
[tweet https://twitter.com/Rous_ant/status/363043705202413568 align=’center’%5D
Thumbnail photo via Twitter/@Shady
