Meet Chanhassen goalie Kam Hendrickson’s special fan: his sister Gabriella

Chanhassen’s Chase: Today’s story is the sixth in an occasional Star Tribune series that has followed the Chanhassen Storm as they pursued and landed the program’s first trip to the boys hockey state tournament. Tap here for the first story in the series. Tap here for the second story in the series. Tap here for the third story in the series. Tap here for the fourth story in the series. Tap here for the fifth story in the series.

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“Is Bubba still upstairs sleeping?” Gabriella Hendrickson began to wonder Friday morning, the day after older brother Kam and his Chanhassen hockey teammates upset previously undefeated Minnetonka in the section championship game.

Just then, as if on cue, Kam entered through the front door. The senior goaltender had spent the night with teammates at a sleepover to celebrate the unlikely victory. Gabriella, a fourth-grader, ran to greet him, and Kam dropped to a knee to speak to her.

”I’m proud of you, Bubba,” Gabriella said of his 44-save performance. “That was really good.”

She put her arms around her brother’s neck, the nape of which displays three tattooed chevrons signifying Down syndrome awareness. Ten-year-old Gabriella, whom Hendrickson calls “Gabi” or “G” for short, was born with Down syndrome.

Excited moments can cause Gabi’s speech to become a bit choppy. Her family calls it “Gabinese.” Not this time. Ben Hendrickson, her father, said, “That was perfect,” an affirmation that melted the heart of his wife, Tanya.

Then Bubba picked up Gabi and took her to the breakfast nook, where mom’s homemade chocolate chip pancakes — made with a touch of vanilla, her special ingredient — and a pile of bacon awaited.

In preparation for Thursday’s Class 2A state tournament quarterfinal pitting No. 2 seed Chanhassen against Rochester Century/John Marshall at 11 a.m., Gabi got her fingernails painted blue and gold, complete with lightning bolts representing the Storm logo.

”Kam saw her nails and said, ‘Your fingers are beautiful,’ ” Tanya said. “And Gabi said, ‘I know.’ ”

Her Bubba, with a 21-5 record, 1.00 goals-against average and a gaudy 95% save percentage, will be instrumental in ensuring Chanhassen’s state tournament debut is a success.

”I told the boys, ‘I felt like [Martin] Brodeur a little bit. [Minnetonka] will get one, but that’s all they are getting tonight,’ ” Hendrickson said after the Storm’s 2-1 triumph in the Class 2A, Section 2 championship game.

For the past two varsity seasons at Chanhassen, Hendrickson wore a helmet adorned with several Down syndrome awareness chevrons in Gabi’s honor. The Greek word for family, Οικογένεια, runs the length of the helmet’s right side. He is Greek and Italian.

A more private tribute was needled into the back of Hendrickson’s left shoulder: a tattoo of a cross and the words “The Lucky Few,” an empowering slogan created by a group of mothers with children born with Down syndrome for new families joining the club.

Hendrickson is just doing what’s in his heart.

”She’s taught me so much about patience,” said Hendrickson, a Star Tribune All-Metro first-team selection and Frank Brimsek Award finalist. “And being around her brings your mood up for sure.”

Hendrickson, whose full first name is Kambryn, has two younger sisters, Gabi and 5-year-old Brooklyn. He looks out for both, though he and Gabi share something special.

For fun, the duo enjoys bowling, knee hockey and especially swimming. Harder times, such as when Gabi was younger and dealing with medical issues not related to Down syndrome, further strengthened their bond. Hendrickson would get in Gabi’s bed at the hospital to read her books. While living in Chicago last summer for a stint with the Steel of the United States Hockey League, Hendrickson called home at 8 p.m. sharp each night to virtually tuck Gabi into bed.

Hendrickson only needed to fight for Gabi once. A fellow first-year Peewee-A player in Minnetonka’s youth system kept using a slur (the R-word) to others he perceived as unintelligent. Hendrickson asked him nicely to stop. The kid did not, taking his ignorance out on Hendrickson by throwing him into a locker room wall.

Explaining the situation to his mother, Hendrickson said something that made him a hero to Tanya.

”He said, ‘Mom, she might be slower than the rest of us, but she will get there,’ ” Tanya said.

”I don’t appreciate that word, because it’s not fair,” Kam Hendrickson said. “Anyone that gets to know Gabi falls in love with her. All of my teammates give her fist bumps and hugs and ask about her.”

On game days, Gabi wore a Chanhassen sweatshirt to school at Excelsior Elementary in Minnetonka territory. Her paraprofessional is Susan Mitchell, mother-in-law of Storm hockey coach Sean Bloomfield. Tanya said Gabi is a “high-functioning student, but she has the abilities of a first-grader.”

Hendrickson and teammates dyed their hair for the tournament, turning blond the locks of dark hair owing to his Greek and Italian heritage. The change tested Gabi’s acceptance of her older brother.

When Hendrickson went through the door on Monday, Gabi ran to greet him and asked, “Oh Bubba, what happened?”

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Chanhassen’s individual statistics

Chanhassen’s team statistics