Former Columbus Blue Jackets forward Jordan Leopold was just as surprised as the rest of the hockey world when his daughter Jordyn’s letter to the Minnesota Wild went viral.
Though the handwritten letter was never actually sent, Leopold’s wife posted it online to share it with family and friends back in January, not expecting it would become viral when news broke about Leopold being acquired by the Wild.
In fact, they even considered taking it down prior to trade deadline.
In the letter, Jordyn asked the Wild to trade for her dad, a member of the Columbus Blue Jackets, saying he was “very lonely without his family.” She also wrote, “I am lost without my dad and so is my mom, my two sisters and my brother.”
Though the whole family is overwhelmed by how quickly the story spread — “My daughter definitely doesn’t know what to think,” Leopold told reporters — the feel-good story is a much-needed reminder that hockey trades are about more than big returns and cap hits.
“My family has always wanted me to come home, and said it’s time,” Leopold explained. “And here I am.”
Not only did the now-famous note pull at the heartstrings of hockey fans in Minnesota and beyond, it also touched Minnesota Wild head coach Mike Yeo.
“You really want to play for something bigger — not just for money or for a new contract,” Yeo told reporters. “I know that absolutely, 100 percent, he’s playing for something bigger.”
As for a comment from the young writer herself?
“She’s at school today.”
