Edmonton Oilers superstars Zach Hyman and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins went from being hockey heroes to snow angels in the eyes of some young Edmontonians this past weekend.
Two teens, Karson Scholtes and Jesse Watson, along with a third friend got stuck in the snow while driving in the west end along 149 Street and 84 Avenue at around 9:30 p.m. Saturday.
“Hit a little bit of a snowdrift, had no brakes, couldn’t steer out and kind of just hit the snowbank,”said Scholtes.
Scholtes, the driver of the 2008 Hyundai Accent, said all three of them all got out of the car and tried to push it out — to no avail.
Then suddenly, piercing through the darkness of the night, a Porsche rolls up and out come two guys dressed to the nines.
“Their exact words were, hey fellas you guys need any help?” said Scholtes.
“They were in pretty nice suits after coming from Seattle,” said Watson.
“We’re just pushing against the car and I’m looking, I’m like, ‘There’s no way….this is definitely Zach Hyman.'”
“They went right up against my bumper and were just shoving er’… I put it in neutral and they were just pushing er’ out the snowbank,” said Scholtes.
The two men who jumped into action were in fact the two Edmonton Oilers forwards.
“I didn’t even know it was them at first and then I was like, ‘Holy crap it’s Ryan Nugent-Hopkins and Zach Hyman!'”
The teens are still shocked that the good Samaritans who stopped to help push their car out were two of the Oilers top players.
“Next day I was like, ‘No way that just happened,'” Scholtes, said. “I don’t think anyone would have believed me if there was no picture proof.”
After their car was pushed out of the snowbank, the teens were back on their way but not before getting a picture with the NHL stars to capture their unforgettable encounter.
The Edmonton Oilers head coach Kris Knoblauch was asked about Hyman’s snow heroics on top of the spectacular season he’s been having on the ice.
“There’s not much he hasn’t been doing for the Edmonton Oilers or the city of Edmonton to say,” said Knoblauch.
Another example of Hyman lending a helping hand with his pal on and off the ice — Ryan Nugent-Hopkins.
“They’re, like, real people off the ice too,” Watson said.