Adorable Kid Steals Show at Detroit Red Wings Hockey Game

DETROIT, MI — The final score in the Detroit Red Wings vs. Anaheim Ducks NHL game Saturday was 6-4 in a hometown victory at Joe Louis Arena, but the real winner was an adorable young fan named Mason Becker, who was named an honorary first star for his on-camera performance. In the days following, Mason has become a bona fide media star.

Mason was a crowd-pleaser for sure. It all started when in-house cameras panned the crowd, catching the 2-year-old’s smiling face. The crowd roared. When the cameras moved on to someone else, the crowd booed. The camera settled on Mason again, and he got more applause. The crowd booed when the cameras moved away to another fan, then cheered when Mason’s face came back on the screen. This went on for more than a minute, and when the cameras settled on the Ducks, the crowd roared its disapproval.

Brad Gill of WXYZ-TV caught the whole thing on video and posted it on Facebook and Twitter. Since then, the video has been featured by countless news outlets, including ABC’s “Good Morning America,” CNN, CBS News, NBC Sports, Sports Illustrated and others, according to the report.

The kid’s dad, Tony Becker, of Grand Rapids, told The Huffington Post that Mason has always been a gregarious kid.

“He has always been super friendly and social,” the elder Becker said in an email. “He loves the camera. His favorite is Snapchat where he can look like a doggie.”

“Mason was named the game's honorary first star, and the exchange has made him a star across the internet. With a face and personality like that, he may have a future in that whole being adorable thing.”

Mason was at the game purely by happenstance. He attended his first hockey game when he was 6 months old and went to see the Griffins, the Red Wings’ affiliate team. This year, the family saved up enough money to get season tickets to the Red Wings. Mason’s mother was supposed to go, but she had to work. So Mason got to go instead.

People love Mason to pieces the moment they meet him, his dad said.

“Everyone who meets Mason absolutely loves him,” Becker said. “So we aren’t surprised by the [crowd’s] reaction. The smile is infectious!”

See if you agree. Watch the video below.

Photo by Jeff Powers via Flickr Commons