WATCH — ‘This Dude Saved My Son’s Life’: Ohio Mom Praises Man Who Blocked Flying Hockey Puck from Hitting Child

Amy Furr

A mother in Akron, Ohio, is sharing her gratitude to the man who shielded her little boy from a flying hockey puck on Thursday during a Cleveland Monsters game.

Asia Davis took to the internet after the incident happened to find the quick-thinking man whom she claims saved her four-year-old son, Nasir, from being hit, WKYC reported Sunday.

When the initial incident happened, she and her little boy were at the Monsters’ home game when a puck came out of nowhere and careened towards her child.

However, a man sitting beside Nasir blocked it before anything bad could happen.

Video footage shows the moment the puck flew off the ice as the crowd screamed. The camera jolts back and forth before turning towards the little boy who has his arms up to protect himself. It also shows the hero of the story leaning down in front of Nasir to block it.

Davis said of the incident, “And if you know anything about a hockey puck, it’s more dense than a baseball. That thing is a flying [traumatic brain injury] … This dude literally saved my son’s life. He prevented a life changing event from happening.”

After Davis shared her story online, the internet did its thing and the hero was identified as Andrew Podolak. Once she found Podolak, Davis said she spoke to him about what happened.

“He was like, ‘I was meant to be here.’ And he was. You cannot tell me God is not real,” she added, according to NBC News.

An image shows the man and the little boy he saved:

In a social media post on Saturday, the Cleveland Monsters said the team was “happy to welcome Asia, Nasir and Andrew back to @RMFieldHouse after her TikTok went viral this morning!”:

The trio was invited to participate in the VIP Puck Drop. In the video, the announcer said, “Andrew’s quick hands snagged the puck from mid-air and he kindly gave the puck to Nasir as a souvenir to remember.”

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