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Bruins make hockey dream come true for young fan through Make-A-Wish Foundation
"He hasn't had a smile on his face for so long. So it's nice to see the happiness come back."
Caelan Rawson-Turner has always felt at home between the pipes.
While most kids envision themselves as Cale Makar or Connor McDavid when they first etch their skates into the frozen sheet, Rawson-Turner embraced the role of being the last line of defense for his friends: a steadying presence in crunch time — and a conduit of positivity amid the barrage of pucks sailing his way in net.
The Plaistow, New Hampshire native first took to the ice at five years old — joining the learn-to-skate program with the Greater Haverhill Pentucket Youth Hockey Program and eventually settling out a role as a goalie for the HP Thunder U12 program.
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Amid the chaos usually spilling out around him near the crease, Rawson-Turner kept a smile on his face underneath his goalie mask.
Those same smiles remained etched on Rawson-Turner’s face on Saturday night at TD Garden — even if his days spent guarding the net have, unfortunately, come to a close.
Rawson-Turner, 12, was one of the three children welcomed as a guest of honor by the Bruins on Saturday night — with the trio signing official contracts with the Original Six franchise as part of a VIP experience run in conjunction with the Make-A-Wish Foundation.
The Make-A-Wish Foundation is a nonprofit that helps organize life-changing experiences and wishes for critically ill children between the ages of 2 1⁄2 and 18. Children who take part in the Make-A-Wish program can choose their wish from a variety of options — with Rawson-Turner opting to “Be a Bruin” as part of his wish.
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As part of Saturday’s events, Rawson-Turner — alongside fellow Make-A-Wish participants in seven-year-old Graeme Beauregard (Jupiter, FL) and 14-year-old Landan Marsh (Elmira, NY) — all signed contracts to join the Bruins as part of a ceremony with Bruins general manager Don Sweeney and Hockey Hall of Famer Johnny Bucyk.
“They travel all over from Jupiter to Elmira — it’s really what it’s all about,” Sweeney said. “There’s a smile on their faces and to come here and enjoy a game and experience like this, — you really have a tough time putting it in words, in all honesty. Because you’re enjoying your family and the brief respite it might bring.
“Talking to them about who their favorite players are — it’s so enjoyable to be a part of and it brings me back to when you’re playing and being in a situation like this — just knowing they’re going to come up and meet the guys after the game. … It’s a nice endeavor for everybody.”
For Caelan — who attended Saturday’s game with his parents, Ryan and Shelly — remaining involved in the game he loves remains a priority amid what has been a difficult couple of years.
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In 2023, Rawson-Turner was diagnosed with Pantothenate Kinase Associated Neurodegeneration (PKAN) — a rare genetic disorder caused by a dysfunction in the metabolic process of coenzyme-A, a critical compound that fuels numerous cellular functions.
As PKAN started to take its toll, Caelan first began to lose control of his arms. It has since progressed into impacting his speech, balance, and ability to grasp with his hands. This past November, Caelan had to give up goaltending as a result of his illness.
Each new day presents its share of trials and tribulations for Caelan as he navigates through PKAN. But Saturday stood a welcome sight for Caelan and his family.
“He’s been surprised at everything they’ve thrown at us,” Ryan said. “It’s been wild. We had a limo ride in.”
Along with receiving a police escort to TD Garden and the subsequent contract signing ceremony, Caelan, Graeme, and Landan were all able to fist-bump the Bruins’ players as they made their way on the ice — later taking in warmups at ice level from the penalty box.
Caelan, a netminder aficionado whose favorite Bruins player is Joonas Korpisalo, had an opportunity to meet Tuukka Rask twice during the lead-up to Saturday’s puck drop before taking in Boston’s game against the Tampa Bay Lightning from one of the suites at TD Garden.
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During the second intermission, all three of Caelan, Graeme, and Landan were paid a visit in the suite by Bruins defensemen Charlie McAvoy and Hampus Lindholm — who chatted with the trio and their families and posed for photos.
“I think the hockey players have the biggest hearts,” Ryan said. “[Caelan’s] got to meet a few of them over the years, and every time we meet them, they’re caring, they have a conversation with these kids. They don’t, you don’t feel like they’re in a hurry.
“They always seem to care. Especially like today, Charlie and them coming in, you know he’s coming in, having fun with the kids, and it’s a blast.”
It’s been a trying stretch as of late for Caelan and his family — with the release and joy that came with stopping pucks and denying breakaways unfortunately no longer tenable for the young netminder.
But draped in a black-and-gold sweater on Saturday, the smile that punctuated Caelan’s tenure in net was hard to miss for the newly-signed Bruin.
“From start to finish, it’s been incredible,” Shelly said. “As of November of this past year, he wasn’t able to play. So that’s why him still being a part of it — it just means so much.”
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