LOVELAND, Colo. – Many of the fans in attendance at wednesday night’s Eagles vs. Rage special pre-season game showed up wearing the white or black Team Borsheim T-shirts designed and sold by Oklahoma City Blazer, Tyler Fleck. The shirts picture a stylized cross with wording that touts Strength and Protection plus Power and Good Fortune.
These sentiments are applicable in describing Les Borsheim. No one who played against him could deny his strength and the players who played with him know he would do anything to protect his teammates including showing his power by leveling any opposing player menacing one of his
Greg Pankewicz and Scott Wray shake hands after the game.
Good Fortune may not sound like the best description of a man who suffered a severe injury in a motorcycle accident, but Borsheim is alive and working towards recovery due to a whole lot of amazingly good fortune. To have the accident occur in an area with quick response emergency help and excellent medical teams allowed the right things to be done in the critical early hours after the injury.
Borsheim is being cared for and taught living skills at the world renowned Craig Rehabilitation Hospital in Denver, Colorado. Much of the cost for treatment are being raised by numerous fundraising efforts spanning North America and beyond. The hockey community is a family and they strive to care for their own. That is very much to Les Borsheim’s good fortune.
During the second intermission of the October 8th preseason game, Borsheim, his parent’s, Con and Margie, and his extremely supportive girlfriend, Kara, were recognized at the edge of the ice and presented with a check for $100,000 from the various fundraising efforts of the Eagles and Tyler Fleck’s website sales of T-shirts and Photos as well as outright monetary donations.
One of the Colorado Eagles strongest rivals, The Rocky Mountain Rage, honored Borsheim last night by agreeing to pay their own expenses to come to the Budweiser Events Center and play this game with the Eagles
Borsheim%2C his parents%2C and girlfriend are feted by the crowd.
At games end a boistrous partisan crowd gave the Rage a standing ovation to thank the players, coaches and staff of the in-state rivals. The grateful Eagles players cemented their thanks by lining up to shake each Rage player’s hand.
Although a hockey game was played the outcome was hardly significant (for the record, the Eagles won 6-3). What mattered most was seeing how this sport has brought so many diverse people together to provide this level of support to one of their own.
Contact the author at terry.sanford@prohockeynews.com
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