NHL Team Sends Care Package To OK Boy Whose Hockey Gear Was Stolen

An Oklahoma City burglary victim received a big surprise from an NHL team and that was not the only nice thing strangers did for him. Meanwhile, police said they caught the thief who targeted the boy’s family.

We first met 6-year-old Gavin Shade right after a guy broke into the family's truck and stole all of his hockey gear.

1/4/2016 Related Story: Thief Makes Off With $2K In Hockey Gear From 6-Year-Old OKC Boy

Thanks to public support he now has new equipment.

The St. Louis Blues heard about what happened and sent him a care package full of gifts, too.

An autographed jersey reads, "Sorry to hear about the bad guys, here is something from the good guys.”

“I like all of these prizes,” said Gavin Shade. “Just makes me happy,” he added.

On January 2, the Shade family was shopping at North Pole City in OKC when a thief broke into their truck and stole two complete sets of Gavin's hockey gear.

“The look on his face and just the sadness and he just thought, ‘Oh my gosh, mom, I'm not going to be able to play hockey anymore,’” Laura Shade said about her son.

Oklahoma City Police said they caught the burglar, Justin Wixom, who still had a few pieces of Gavin's gear.

Gavin's mother started a GoFundMe account to try to replenish the rest.

“Within 12 hours, we had $795,” Laura Shade explained.

Once the parents added their own money to the donations, they were able to buy Gavin all the gear he needed. Add in the sports memorabilia and Gavin cannot stop smiling.

“Thank you so much, guys, it means so much to us and to Gavin and this is something that we'll never forget,” Laura Shade told News 9.

Gavin is glad to get back to what he loves - playing hockey.

“It's going pretty good,” Gavin said.  “I just like blocking shots and scoring goals,” he added.

Wixom is currently being held at the Oklahoma County Jail on a very long list of complaints.