ST. LOUIS — The Blues have called her their good luck charm. She was on the ice in the moments after the team won it all. And now, there’s a petition to get Laila Anderson’s name on the Stanley Cup.
A Change.org petition called ‘Have Laila Anderson’s name inscribed on Lord Stanley’s Cup’ already has more than 11,000 signatures online.
‘In special circumstances, it is possible to petition the commissioner of the NHL (Gary Bettman) to have someone’s name added to the cup with the winning team. I believe Laila Anderson has earned a place on Lord Stanley’s Cup alongside the rest of the St. Louis Blues players,’ wrote John Mueller, who started the petition shortly after the Blues won.
It reached 10,000 signatures within two days.
Several players, including Colton Parayko and Alex Steen, have said Laila has inspired them throughout the playoffs. They’ve brought her along to several Stanley Cup games, helped her hoist the Cup and give it a kiss after they won and invited her to ride in a car in the Blues championship parade.
Laila has a rare, life-threatening autoimmune disease known as HLH. She received a bone marrow transplant at St. Louis Children’s Hospital in January, forcing her to spend a month in isolation at the hospital and then another three months at home with continued restrictions.
The whole time she continued to cheer on her "boys.” Her first outing was to a Blues-Stars playoff game. Her reaction to hearing the news went viral, leading to millions of Americans to learn about her inspiring story.
There are requirements even for the players to get their names on the Stanley Cup. According to the NHL, a player has to be in at least 41 games with the team that season or appear in one game in the Stanley Cup Final. Teams can petition the NHL commissioner for permission to have a player’s name added if there were circumstances that prevented them from being able to play.
Click here if you would to sign the Change.org petition.
More stories about Laila Anderson and the Blues:
- Here is what Laila said about her 'boys' winning it all!
- ‘And to have you here was a little extra special for us,’ Laila interviews favorite Blues player Alexander Steen
- Maroon on Laila | ‘What she has to go through every single day – it’s a lot tougher than what we have to go through’
- This Blues story is sports at its best
- When Gloria met Stanley... in a NICU in St. Louis
- Dear Blues: Thank you, you did it for all of us
- You can now pre-order a Laila Anderson bobblehead for a good cause