CLEVELAND — “The kids are good at drawing,” said Max McCue, Cleveland Monsters player. “I’ll leave the designs up to them!"
On Thursday, hockey and healing came together at UH Rainbow Babies & Children’s for the annual design day with the Monsters.
Young patients at the hospital made skate skins for the hockey team.
Players will wear the designs right on top of their skates during Rainbow Babies & Children’s University Hospitals Day at an upcoming Monsters game.
Players joined them for a day of creativity, community and fun to help get their minds off medical stuff.
“I’m battling leukemia,” Bronx Miley, 9, told me Thursday at the event.
He said he is feeling great now, but Bronx has been through it and included a super special — and exciting — treatment milestone he and his mom, Jayvonna, are looking forward to.
“The basketball is for LeBron, Kobe, Steph Curry,” he said, pointing to his design. “Blue is my favorite color, and then I put my symbol, 'Brave Like Bronx,' and I put green, my other favorite color, and I put a bell because I'm ringing that bell next year!”
Bronx said he cannot wait to ring that bell on July 10, 2027.
The players tell me all the kids are so inspiring, and they can't wait to wear their skate skins.
"Just to know that they're having a good time and we're having a good time, it means a lot to us,” said James Malatesta, Cleveland Monsters.
All the kids are getting a picture of their skate skins, what they look like on the ice, and are invited to the Monsters game on Sunday, Jan. 24 to see their designs in action.
This is the fifth year the Cleveland Monsters and UH Rainbow Babies & Children’s have teamed up for a design day. Usually, it’s for an element on the jerseys. This is the first year they’ve teamed up for skate skins.
