On Blue Jackets' Boone Jenner and the grandfather who taught him the meaning of sacrifice

COLUMBUS, Ohio — On any given night, Blue Jackets goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky is the most decorated undrafted veteran on Nationwide Arena ice.

The two-time Vezina Trophy winner ceded the honor Friday to an elderly Canadian who stood about 25 feet from him in the corner of the rink as the national anthem played before the home opener. Robert A. Crompton, a Purple Heart recipient, was bathed in spotlight and the warm applause of a sellout crowd.

Nobody was more appreciative than his grandson, Boone Jenner, who helped arrange the tribute. The rugged Blue Jackets winger learned the meaning of sacrifice at the knee of an old soldier who says he’s “full of shrapnel and shit.”

“You can’t even imagine what he went through and what kind of courage and passion he showed,” Jenner said after the Blue Jackets’ 3-1 loss to the Hurricanes. “I take a lot from that, and that’s why I’m so proud to have him here tonight.”

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https://theathletic.com/572766/2018/10/06/on-blue-jackets-boone-jenner-and-the-grandfather-who-taught-him-the-meaning-of-sacrifice/

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