Saros to Honor Four Members of Preds Family With Special Hockey Fights Cancer Mask

When Willy Daunic received a text message a few weeks back that said, in part, “This is Juuse,” the Predators television play-by-play announcer wasn’t sure what to think.

“I was like, well, I don’t know any other Juuses,” Daunic laughed.

But as Daunic soon realized, the Preds goaltender was reaching out for a very special reason.

The Predators will hold one of two annual Hockey Fights Cancer nights when they host the Colorado Avalanche on Saturday at Bridgestone Arena, and Saros will be sporting one rather unique piece of equipment - an item that might just bring Daunic to tears.

Finding someone who hasn’t been affected by cancer in some way isn’t easy, and over the past few years, the Predators organization has seen those hardships firsthand.

Beloved Preds Locker Room Attendant, Craig “Partner” Baugh; Shelia Crisp, wife of famed Preds broadcaster, Terry Crisp; and Lexi Rogers, daughter of Predators Head Equipment Manager, Pete Rogers, have all fought their own battles with cancer in recent memory.

Additionally, Daunic’s wife, Erin, sadly lost her fight this past summer, but not before a courageous bout of her own.

Now, Nashville’s netminder will honor all four with a custom goalie mask, featuring four different portraits, one each of Baugh, Crisp, Rogers and Daunic.

The custom headgear was all Saros’s idea, and after reaching out to family members of the affected individuals, the Finn let his mask painter, David Gunnarsson - known as DaveArt - do the rest.

The result is a stunning lavender Hockey Fights Cancer mask with four special touches to create one poignant piece the goaltender couldn’t be prouder to wear.

“Unfortunately, so many people have had to go through that battle,” Saros said following Wednesday’s practice when he wore the mask for the first time. “Unfortunately, we lost Erin this summer to that battle, which was very sad news to hear. So, I reached out to those people, and I asked if I could give a little honor. I thought this would be a good way to do that.”

Daunic had seen the mask before Wednesday’s skate, but witnessing Saros don it on the ice for the first time was a moment the broadcaster won’t ever forget.

“I just was frozen in my tracks reading my phone, just with emotion and appreciation that he would think about that,” Daunic said of the initial text correspondence with Saros. “He laid out the whole vision of what he wanted to do, and he said, ‘Will you send me a picture? I just want to stand up for the four.’ He called them family members who have been affected in the Predators family with cancer. And I just thought, ‘What an amazing gesture.’ I think of Juuse, as you're announcing the goalie, right? But it's impossible not to see him as a human being. What a classy, classy guy.”

Daunic, who will have his children, Evy and Mahoney, in attendance on Saturday night, knows the evening will be emotional. The Predators broadcast, he says, plans to show a tribute to his late wife, as well as plenty of other moving Hockey Fights Cancer content.

While Daunic says he and his family are still very much going through the process of losing a wife and mother, he could not be more grateful for the support they’ve received from the Predators and the Nashville community as a whole.

And now, thanks to a goalie mask, Erin will be honored in a way that is uniquely Smashville.

“I just can't say enough,” Daunic said. “It's hard to put words on it, but I just think of the family that the Predators are… There’s always been an element of class that is admirable with the Predators. But Juuse, he embodies that so much for him to think beyond himself.”

Saros’ mask, as well as special Hockey Fights Cancer jerseys signed by Preds players, will be up for silent auction through the Nashville Predators Foundation. Fans may bid by texting PREDS to 76278, and that’s just the start of the ways to support the cause on Saturday night.

“They're all great people, and Erin was so nice and always brought so much joy to every room she walked into,” Saros said. “I feel like that's the least I could do to show my support.”