A young Canadian hockey fan brought talk-show host Ellen DeGeneres to tears with a heartfelt speech on her show Wednesday morning.
DeGeneres chatted with seven-year-old Callan Perks from Lakefield, Ont., just north of Peterborough, who recently went viral with a video of him giving a pregame speech to the Peterborough Petes of the Ontario Hockey League.
Callan, who goes by the name “Coach Cal” and is known for his phrase “Get The W,” spoke about his love for motivating others. He also delivered a special speech to DeGeneres.
The boy told the host how she’s a “legend” and has been doing an incredible job for the past 19 seasons of her show.
His speech included the lines, “When it’s time to say goodbye and turn out the lights, just remember that you Ellen will always ‘Get The W’ because you have given whatever it takes to be you.”
A teary-eyed DeGeneres told Callan, “I have to give you a hug! I have to say, I know a lot of fancy people and what you just said to me means more to me than what I can possibly convey to you. You are just a special little being with such a big heart and I thank you for that. That was the sweetest thing.”
The pep talk came after Callan mentioned his love for delivering such speeches, “I always want to think positive, even if you’re having a bad day just go out there and ‘Get The W’ no matter what time.
“You just have to stay positive and know that your speech will be the best,” he said of what makes for a good motivational speech: “Just do all that good stuff and it will happen.”
DeGeneres then surprised the boy with some “Coach Cal” necessities. See his reaction in the clip above.
Callan and his family flew to Los Angeles in December to record the episode. They’re returning home on Wednesday.