Canadian boy 'Coach Cal' brings Ellen to tears during speech
A Canadian boy who gained attention for giving a passionate pre-game hockey speech brought Ellen DeGeneres to tears during an appearance on her talk show.
Callan Perks, from Lakefield, Ont., won the opportunity in November to give the pre-game speech to his hometown OHL team Peterborough Petes.
He was selected by the team as part of their 'Next Gen' day, where kids sign single-day contracts to see what it's like to be part of a professional hockey league.
Ontario boy 'Coach Cal' appears on The Ellen Show. (Michael Rozman/Warner Bros.)
The pre-game speech to his hockey idols racked up hundreds of thousands of views online – and even gained the attention of The Ellen DeGeneres Show.
The seven-year-old was given the opportunity to fly to California to appear on Wednesday's episode.
Dressed in a suit and tie, Cal gave a passionate speech to DeGeneres, who is currently taping her farewell season of the popular talk show.
"For 19 seasons, you have given your all on this stage," Cal said. "You danced hard. You joked hard. You laughed hard. You cried hard and you gave hard. So when it's time to say goodbye and turn out the lights just remember, you, Ellen, will always get the 'W' because you have always given whatever it takes to be you."
"So keep working hard and staying positive and making people laugh because you are a legend."
Cal received a standing ovation from the audience for his speech and DeGeneres was brought to tears.
"You know what? I have to say, I know a lot of fancy people," DeGeneres told Cal. "What you just said to me means more to me than what I can possibly convey to you. I don’t even know you, but you are just a special little being with such a big heart and I thank you for that."
DeGeneres gifted Cal with a personalized track suit, clip board and megaphone for his future speeches.
"I think you are going to go on to do big, big things my man," DeGeneres said. "You are adorable."
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
From essential goods to common stocking stuffers, Trudeau offering Canadians temporary tax relief
Canadians will soon receive a temporary tax break on several items, along with a one-time $250 rebate, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced Thursday.
She thought her children just had a cough or fever. A mother shares sons' experience with walking pneumonia
A mother shares with CTVNews.ca her family's health scare as medical experts say cases of the disease and other respiratory illnesses have surged, filling up emergency departments nationwide.
Trump chooses Pam Bondi for attorney general pick after Gaetz withdraws
U.S. president-elect Donald Trump on Thursday named Pam Bondi, the former attorney general of Florida, to be U.S. attorney general just hours after his other choice, Matt Gaetz, withdrew his name from consideration.
Putin says Russia attacked Ukraine with a new missile that he claims the West can't stop
Russian President Vladimir Putin announced Thursday that Moscow has tested a new intermediate-range missile in a strike on Ukraine, and he warned that it could use the weapon against countries that have allowed Kyiv to use their missiles to strike Russia.
Here's a list of items that will be GST/HST-free over the holidays
Canadians won’t have to pay GST on a selection of items this holiday season, the prime minister vowed on Thursday.
A one-of-a-kind Royal Canadian Mint coin sells for more than $1.5M
A rare one-of-a-kind pure gold coin from the Royal Canadian Mint has sold for more than $1.5 million. The 99.99 per cent pure gold coin, named 'The Dance Screen (The Scream Too),' weighs a whopping 10 kilograms and surpassed the previous record for a coin offered at an auction in Canada.
Video shows octopus 'hanging on for dear life' during bomb cyclone off B.C. coast
Humans weren’t the only ones who struggled through the bomb cyclone that formed off the B.C. coast this week, bringing intense winds and choppy seas.
Taylor Swift's motorcade spotted along Toronto's Gardiner Expressway
Taylor Swift is officially back in Toronto for round two. The popstar princess's motorcade was seen driving along the Gardiner Expressway on Thursday afternoon, making its way to the downtown core ahead of night four of ‘The Eras Tour’ at the Rogers Centre.
Service Canada holding back 85K passports amid Canada Post mail strike
Approximately 85,000 new passports are being held back by Service Canada, which stopped mailing them out a week before the nationwide Canada Post strike.