A LITTLE TIME, A LITTLE TALK
The celebration had just wound down a couple minutes earlier when Jake Guentzel ducked out of the dressing room following Thursday’s win against Carolina.
The All-Star winger, who entering Saturday led the Penguins in points, was still sporting his sweaty underclothes along with a wide grin when he made a quick right, stepped through the double doors and greeted the young visitor waiting for him.
After every home game, win or lose, Guentzel meets with a child who has battled a congenital heart defect and their family. Obviously, it is easier to do after a victory like that. But it can also allow him to reset after a difficult defeat.
“To go out there and see how happy they are, it puts things into perspective,” he said. “There are much tougher things that people are going through.”
Guentzel started his “Hearts of Gold” program in 2019. Taking a cue from Bryan Rust, who does something similar through his “Seats for Strength” initiative, he was looking for a way to connect with young fans and their families after Penguins home games. And that particular cause resonated with him.
Two of his grandparents died in their older years as a result of heart problems.
“It has special meaning to me,” said Guentzel, a Minnesota native and Stanley Cup champion with the Penguins. “It kind of came through the heart. It’s been through my family. And I just thought that it would be fun to run with it.”
Congenital heart defects are the most common type of birth defect, according to the CDC. One in four babies born with a heart defect has one that is considered critical, which requires surgery or other procedures within their first year.
The CDC adds that as medical care has advanced, babies with a congenital heart defect often live longer, “healthier” lives, many of them into adulthood.
Guentzel’s Hearts of Gold program benefits and celebrates Pittsburgh area kids with congenital heart defects. Over the last five seasons, it has supported Mended Little Hearts of Southwestern PA, Jameson’s
Army and UPMC Children’s Hospital through these game-day visits and also fundraising efforts.
Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin also have individual initiatives that welcome kids to home games through various local charities or, in the case of Malkin, specifically Ronald McDonald House Charities of Pittsburgh and Morgantown.
Getting them out to PPG Paints Arena for a game is no small thing for youngsters dealing with serious health issues or other challenges, Guentzel said.
For the kids Guentzel meets with, it is hopefully a welcome escape from what can feel like an endless string of doctor’s appointments and hospital visits.
“It’s tough for those kids,” Guentzel said. “They are in the hospital a lot. For them to come out and see some sports and try to get their mind off things, that was the biggest reason I wanted to do it. Just to be able to meet them, some of the stories you hear, the things they’ve got through, it’s really touching.” Many of those brief but impactful interactions resonate with the star forward.
“This one little boy went through like three open heart surgeries when he was 2 or 3. The parents told me that he’s been close to passing away, and he just fought through it every time,” he said, his voice quivering a bit. “Stories like that are really touching. You really remember them. That’s what I do it for.” Guentzel added that it hits him harder now that he has a young son of his own. “You just never know,” he said. “I couldn’t imagine that. It’s scary.” After Thursday’s 2-1 shootout win, he met with a boy about the age of 9 or 10. Guentzel chatted it up with him for a few minutes, posed for a photo with the boy and his parents, then wished him well before he finally hit the showers.
“I try to hear their stories and what they’re going through,” he said. “They might be shy at times. But usually they ask a lot of questions. So it’s been fun.”
Guentzel, who is in a contract year, hopes to keep Hearts of Gold going should he sign a new deal with the Penguins, something he’s said he’d like to do.
In the meantime, Guentzel is making the most of every interaction — win or lose.
“We just want to keep rolling with it. Maybe have more families out to the games. We’ll see what happens,” Guentzel grinned. “But I have been happy with how it’s gone so far, and hopefully we can build it up to a bigger thing here.”
Jake Guentzel’s ‘Hearts of Gold’ program not only benefits children with congenital heart defects, it also helps him keep the game he plays in perspective.