A fan offers a “thank you” to Juuso Riikola

On Friday, a story was making the rounds of Penguins defenseman Juuso Riikola leaving his autograph signing to go outside and visit with a fan.

Submitted by John Corder

After seeing the story making its rounds, including here on Pensburgh, John Corder, the father of Payne Corder, reached out to me as a means to getting the word out of his gratitude for the kindness of the situation.

He also noted that not only being thankful for the situation involving his son, but also pointing out how appreciative he and his family are for the support the Penguins and the players provide to their fans and the community in general.

I love seeing things like these, and it’s not surprising to me to see that appreciation work both ways between fans and players alike. For a player like Juuso Riikola, he is on a new team and in a new country. When a player of his status is doing autograph signings and finding new fans, it’s not surprising that he would want to try and do right by all of them.

The Corder family will be in attendance at tonights Penguins game against the Anaheim Ducks, and Payne is hoping to be able to get in touch with someone that he can give his ‘thank you’ card to Juuso Riikola.

Submitted by John Corder

The Penguins have been fantastic with community relations for quite a while now, but it’s nice to see these kind of stories making their rounds, especially during times of joy during the holiday season.