A five-year-old boy from Sarnia, who made headlines for his Zamboni costume, has a few signed mementos to add to his collection after he recently met Edmonton Oilers captain Connor McDavid.
Easton had his picture go viral last year, with a nod from the NHL for his Halloween costume.
Easton's dad, DJ Oetting, said CIBC organized a meet-and-greet with McDavid while the Oilers were in Toronto for a game against the Leafs on March 11.
"I don't think he fully understood the situation, what actually happened, but he was pretty excited about it," said Oetting.
Five-year-old Easton Oetting meets Edmonton Oilers star Connor McDavid. March 2023. (Photo courtesy of CIBC)
"For me, I was on cloud nine! It was just exciting to see the smile on [Easton's] face. You could tell at one point, he was getting a little bit overwhelmed by all of the cameras and the audio crew that was there filming the whole thing, but Connor sat down with him and talked to him, making him feel a little more comfortable. It was pretty cool to see!"
Easton has duplication syndrome which impacts his speech and walking abilities.
The young Oilers fan previously met McDavid virtually in November 2022 when CIBC organized a video chat.
"Even that, we were just over the moon," Oetting said. "We ended up showing him Easton in his costume in the living room."
After meeting McDavid in-person, the Sarnia fans were able to watch Saturday's game where the Oilers fell to the Leafs 7-4.
"Even though they didn't win, we were still pretty excited to be there. We had a great time!"
Oetting said Easton shares his admiration for McDavid as most of his jerseys have the hockey captain's name on them.
"He loves them," Oetting chuckled. "Every morning he wakes up and asks for his jersey."