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How Penguins' Kindel gave young fan a sense of belonging in hockey
Eric Francis @EricFrancis
January 22, 2026 - 8:08am
CALGARY — Sidney Crosby gave her a puck.
Ben Kindel gave her a sense of belonging.
And that’s why 11‑year‑old Katherine Haskey stood at the glass in a Penguins jersey two days in a row, waiting for the 18-year-old Penguins rookie who has done so much to make her feel like she truly fits in this game.
Crosby’s gesture at Tuesday’s practice was appreciated, but not nearly as much as the tap on the glass Kindel gave her while she stood rinkside before Wednesday’s game at the Dome with a sign anointing her his No. 1 fan.
“Crosby is just ‘the puck guy’ to her,” laughed her mom, Tanis.
“She doesn’t care about any of the other guys, except that one guy.”
That guy is Kindel, the Hitmen alum whose meteoric rise to the NHL has been matched only by the depth of his bond with a young girl proud to call him a friend.
He sees her as a hockey player, not a diagnosis.
Katherine has Down syndrome, and it was four years ago that she first summoned the courage to join the Heros program, a volunteer-driven charity that gives kids with cognitive and physical challenges a chance to play the game, learn life skills and give them a community to call their own.
Sensory challenges make new things hard for her, so it took six weeks just to get her onto the ice when she started.
Now she’s the first one at the rink every week.
A big reason for that transformation is Kindel and his former Hitmen teammates, who’ve done wonders to make her feel seen, safe, and valued.
Kevin Hodgson, who runs the Heros program and billeted Kindel during his two seasons with the Hitmen, has watched the relationship evolve up close.
“Seventeen thousand people are there to see Sid, and she’s only there to see No. 81,” said Hodgson before Wednesday’s 4-1 Penguins win.
“He’ll tap the glass in warmup, like he always does, and she’s good the rest of the game.”
That tap is their ritual. Their signal. Their reminder that no matter how big the stage gets, some connections stay simple.
“She’s there for Ben,” added Hodgson. “He has her back, so this is how she has his.”
Kindel’s rise to the NHL hasn’t changed a thing about how he treats Katherine.
Twenty minutes after being drafted 11th overall last summer, the talented middleman met up with Hodgson and his wife and said, “I have to send Katherine a video.”
He did. And she watched it over and over.
Few in the hockey world, including Kindel, believed he could crack the Penguins’ opening night roster, which is why he showed up at camp with just one suit and enough clothes for a short camp.
With eight goals and 20 points, he sits top-10 amongst NHL rookies despite being the NHL’s youngest forward, and one of only three 2025 draft picks in the league.
No one has ranked higher in Katherine’s eyes, especially after the Christmas surprise she received.
“It took until early November until they started selling Kindel jerseys, and Ben called me and said he’d like to send one for Katherine for Christmas,” said Hodgson.
“It’s all Ben.”
Actually, two jerseys arrived: one for her wall, one to wear. Both No. 81.
On the back, he wrote: To Katherine; my favourite hockey player.
“It just showed up,” Tanis said, still shaking her head.
“You hear of these guys doing things like this, but you never think it will happen to your kid.”
Katherine wears No. 11 in her own games, honouring the number Kindel wore with the Hitmen. She’s already hoping to change it to 81 next season.
“She typically wears hearing protection, but she wanted them off for her picture with him because she felt safe with him,” said Hodgson
That’s not a small thing. That’s trust.
And it’s why Hodgson believes stories like this matter.
“There are enough stories about how players get it wrong,” he said.
“So we have to talk about it when they get it right.”
Kindel, he says, gets it right.
Every time.
“It makes Katherine and her family feel they belong,” Hodgson said. “He makes her feel like she’s valued and important, and when a family sees that, it strengthens them.”
Then he added the line that best captures the heart of this story:
“Ben doesn’t define her by her disability, he defines her as a hockey player.”
Kindel’s character isn’t limited to his relationship with Katherine.
“He came over for dinner last night and afterwards he did the dishes with me like he always did,” said Hodgson.
“Then he whipped my wife (Kristie) in cards, and chirped her like he always did. There’s no doubt he’ll wear a letter on that team, will probably be a captain, and will still be the same person 15 years from now. He sits next to Crosby in the locker room and picks up everything from him.”
Kindel, for his part, deflects every bit of praise.
“I can’t be more grateful for them,” he said of the Hodgsons. “They’re unbelievable people, just how selfless they are, not just with billeting me, but also in the community with their Heros program. It’s very special to have them as part of my life.”
He’s grateful he met Katherine through them.
“Katherine has been in my billet house’s life for a long time. My older billet brother, Sean (Tschigerl) was very good friends with her. Once he moved out, I kind of tried to take over, and she’s now part of my life as well.
