Four-year-old Mason Rupke’s on-ice shenanigans have been viewed millions of times by people around the world, but don’t tell try and tell him he’s now a viral sensation.
In fact, he doesn’t know what the big deal is when it comes to his now-famous video.
“I like skating around. I like to shoot the pucks,” said the young boy from his Barrie home while playing a little hockey in the living room.
Mason’s father, Jeremy Rupke, posted a video online Friday of his son mic’d up on the ice during hockey practice. A video that has now been viewed by millions of people on YouTube, other social media platforms and cable TV viewers around the globe. It’s also been shared by major outlets like ESPN and The Washington Post.
“I’m super happy about it,” said Jeremy.
“Having Mason bring so much joy to so many people, that’s definitely what I intended. So I think the video overall has been a huge success.”
Sammy Rupke, Mason’s mom, said the family had a lot of laughs through the editing process.
“It’s crazy that it’s just gone so far. We thought it would pop a little bit but it’s amazing to see how many people it’s reached and it’s just brightened their day. That’s a really good feeling,” she said.
READ MORE: Ontario hockey dad mics up his 4-year-old at practice
Some of Mason’s most famous lines in the video include, “I’m going to have a nap,” “My legs are tired,” and, “I’m not in this group.”
“What I was most surprised about was how much talked to himself when he was skating and trying something,” said Jeremy.
“From the stands we just see him trying to skate and stopping, but to hear him say, ‘One, two, one two, I did it, I did it.’ All those small things and being so proud when he accomplishes something, or pumping himself up when he falls over. ‘It’s OK, I’m OK,’ those are the ones I really enjoyed seeing.”
Jeremy said he believes it resonates with so many people because they see themselves or their kids in Mason.
“Anyone who has kids or been around kids can relate to it … I think that’s what gave me the most excitement and joy is seeing the comments. People are tagging their friends and husbands and wives and saying, ‘I can see our kids doing this,'” said Jeremy.
“I saw one comment that said, ‘Mason is my spirit animal.'”
Jeremy says he decided to place a microphone under his son’s jersey and record him because he was curious about what his son was saying.
“So I thought, ‘Hey, might as well throw a mic on him and find out.”
Meanwhile, Mason denies he ever gets tired on the ice and wants everyone to know that he’s a good hockey player.
“I shoot them in the net and score up the top,” said Mason about his abilities. He promises the next time we see him on TV, it’ll be as an NHL star.