鈥淟ast night, we honoured those who have bravely faced cancer and stood with them as #HockeyFightsCancer,鈥� wrote the Vancouver Canucks social media team on Thursday, Nov. 30, the day after a home game against the Anaheim Ducks.

8-year-old Weston Ireton, a local athlete that plays for the Port Hardy Hawks who was diagnosed with leukemia when he was just two-years-old, was one of a handful of cancer survivors who were invited to attend the Canucks versus Ducks game on Wednesday night, getting to hit the ice with the teams.

Weston and his family arrived at the arena around 6 p.m., where he went down to the dressing room with the Canucks handlers and put on his Hawks gear for the game that was scheduled to start at 7 p.m.

Adam Ireton and his wife Kristen weren鈥檛 with their son on the ice, they were watching the game from the stands.

It was 鈥渢otally overwhelming,鈥� Adam said while describing the experience of getting to see Weston on the ice at Rogers Arena. There were 鈥渓ots of happy tears.鈥�

Weston was the first one to leave the tunnel and join the hockey clubs for the the pre-event puck drop ceremony.

Adam said Weston was 鈥減retty nervous to start, he wasn鈥檛 sure what he was going to have to do, he thought he might have to go out there and actually skate a warm up with the Canucks, but once we talked him through it he was pretty excited to be out there with the other kids.鈥�

As for how he ended up being invited to the game, Adam said Weston鈥檚 oncologist Rod Rassekh is 鈥渁 really big Canucks fan, so he invited Weston to participate when he found out about the event in early October.鈥�

This is Weston鈥檚 first season getting to play organized hockey, and he鈥檚 been loving the experience so far.

鈥淗e wanted to learn how to skate first, so he went through a 鈥榣earn to skate鈥� program last year,鈥� said Adam. 鈥淗e actually quit that halfway through the season because he鈥檇 learned enough, so this is now his first year playing.鈥�

Weston鈥檚 older brother Beckett plays for the U11 North Island Eagles rep team, and he was one of Weston鈥檚 earliest inspirations to pick up the sport.

鈥淗e鈥檚 been watching Beckett play for years now, so he鈥檚 been really excited to get in there and follow in his footsteps,鈥� laughed Adam. 鈥淲eston is only playing half ice right now because he鈥檚 U9, but he thinks he鈥檚 a goal scorer, so that鈥檚 his plan.鈥�

As for Weston鈥檚 battle with cancer, his oncologist and nurse recently fired him because he鈥檚 two years out of treatment now.

鈥淗e鈥檚 on to a different level of care where he doesn鈥檛 need his oncologist anymore, which is good news, and he鈥檚 doing really well,鈥� said Adam. 鈥淗e鈥檚 just a regular kid who gets to do whatever he wants now. He鈥檚 turning into a great little guy, curious, adventurous, talkative, has tons of friends, enjoys going to school, and he really loves to draw and is into music.鈥�

鈥淭hanks again to the Canucks and to the NHL鈥檚 Hockey Fights Cancer night.鈥�

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