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Flair Airlines loses Bo Horvat stick given to Nanaimo boy while en route to Abbotsford

Youngster given Canucks captain’s stick at game in Edmonton, Flair unable to send to YXX
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Young Canucks fan Marshall Staite was handed a stick by Canucks captain Bo Horvat on Dec. 23, but Flair Airlines was unable to successfully send the stick to Abbotsford. (Twitter photo)

A holiday hockey memory for a young boy from Nanaimo was shattered after flying with Flair Airlines.

The Staite family flew out of Abbotsford to Edmonton to take in the Vancouver Canucks vs. Edmonton Oilers game at Rogers Place in the Alberta capital on Dec. 23.

During the pregame warm-up, Canucks captain Bo Horvat noticed 13-year-old Marshall Staite – who was nearby holding a sign and wearing a Canucks toque – and handed him a stick.

The Canucks even featured the moment on the team’s Instagram page.

It was a huge thrill for Marshall and the family, who are all big Canucks fans. The family went on to witness a 5-2 Canucks win that saw Horvat score two goals and two assists.

However, the flight home on Dec. 24 had issues and the family experienced a seven-hour delay in Abbotsford due to ice on the runway. During the flight delay the family learned that Flair Airlines had also misplaced the stick. They filed a missing bag report, but they did not feel too optimistic about its return.

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That disappointment quickly turned into hope when the family then received a text message from a stranger in Edmonton who spotted the stick. The traveller stated they were also looking for a stick and found the Staite’s with no bag tag but only a phone number.

Unfortunately the stick did not make it to the lost and found and the family has been unable to reach Flair Airlines at the Edmonton Airport. Janelle Staite, the mother of Marshall, went to Twitter to ask the Canucks to possibly send a replacement.

The Canucks did reply to Janelle Staite’s tweet and seem willing to help her out with the situation.

“Sorry to hear about the lost stick,” the official Canucks account tweeted out. “We’d love to help you out. Please DM us so we can work on getting a new stick to you.”

The News did reach out to Flair Airlines and they stated they believe the stick will be located.

“Flair Airlines’ team has been made aware of the missing stick and is hard at work to track it down,” stated Flair Airlines spokesperson Mike Arnot. “We know how much a signed stick means to our passenger. We are confident it will be found. When it does, we’ll get it to him.”

The Canucks earned a 6-2 win over the San Jose Sharks in Vancouver on Tuesday (Dec. 27) and return to action when they host the Winnipeg Jets on Thursday (Dec. 29).

RELATED: Streaking Canucks win 3rd in a row, sink visiting San Jose Sharks 6-2



Ben Lypka

About the Author: Ben Lypka

I joined the Abbotsford News in 2015.
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