No $50K prize for 11-year-old who made 89-foot hockey shot
By Sean Leahy
Earlier this month at a charity hockey event in Faribault, Minn., 11-year-old Nate Smith made an 89-foot shot from center ice to win $50,000.
The problem was that Nate's twin brother, Nick, was the one who purchased the winning raffle ticket. When the time came to attempt the shot, Nick was outside of the arena unaware he had won, so in stepped Nate to score the miraculous goal.
After the boys' father, Pat, came forward the next day and admitted to event organizers about the twins' switch, Odds on Promotions, the company that insured the event, held up awarding the prize money.
On Wednesday, the company decided against giving Nate the $50,000 and instead announced it will donate $20,000 to Minnesota youth hockey in the boys' names. The exact reasoning for not awarding the money wasn't released, but more than likely it was written into the policy that the winner of the $50,000 had to be the person who purchased the ticket.
Pat Smith told the Associated Press that while the boys are disappointed about losing out on the money -- which they had said they'd put towards college -- they're happy that youth hockey in Minnesota will benefit.
