BRIGHTON, Illinois — As a Blues fan, when you think of Parayko, you may not imagine a seven-month-old boy.
But now Blues fans need to be aware that there are two Paraykos in town.
It all started when the Zimmermans, die-hard Blues fans, became fans of Colton Parayko.
"Watching him play his first game, you can tell he was special," Josiah Zimmerman said. "His personality, you can just tell a nice and good person when you speak with him and how happy he was to be around fans."
His impact on and off the ice influenced them to make a big decision.
"One day we were watching hockey and we were trying for years to have a little one," Cassandra Zimmerman said. "I said, 'if we ever had one and if it was a boy, I would name him Parayko.'"
But it wasn't an easy run to finally have their own little hockey fan. Cassandra has a cyst on her ovary. Her surgeon said it was like carrying twins.
After years of trying, they finally got their little miracle last year.
"It's a good way to point to somebody to model your life after," Josiah said. "I think that's a huge role model to be so talented but also so humble at the same time."
Just like the Blues this season, the Zimmermans struggled in the beginning. But now both have a miracle in their hands.
"He was born a few months after the hockey season started, so naming him may be the good luck charm for this year," Cassandra said.