Ryan O’Reilly is a well-known professional Canadian ice hockey player. He is also the captain of the NHL team St. Louis Blues. Nicknamed “The Factor”, O’Reilly is often regarded as one of the best two-way forwards in the league. In 2019, O’Reilly won the Conn Smythe Trophy for the most valuable player of the year.

His elder brother Cal O’Reilly is also a fellow ice hockey player and plays for Lehigh Valley Phantoms in the AHL. However, off the field, the star hockey player’s mother, Bonnie O’Reilly, is a true hero and a life savior.

Ryan O’Reilly’s mother’s heartfelt gesture for the local arena manager

Earlier this year, to celebrate former Atlanta Gladiators player Derek Nesbitt’s 1000th game, Spittin’ Chiclets did a candid documentary with his family and teammates.

During the shoot of this special video, Nesbitt’s father Graham recalled the special favor Ryan O’Reilly’s mother did for him. “His mother donated [gesturing towards himself] kidney,” recalled Nesbitt Sr.

In 2011, Nesbitt suffered from a kidney disease named Breger. In 2019, his condition worsened, leading him to need a kidney transplant. That is when Bonnie O’Reilly came forward and decided to donate one of her kidneys to her children’s former local rink manager. When O’Reilly’s kids were growing up in Toronto, Nesbitt was a local arena manager there. He used to allow Ryan and Cal to train for extra hours, even after the official time of the rink. Hence, this was mother O’Reilly’s way of returning the favor to Nesbitt.

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O’Reilly’s gesture moved Derek Nesbitt. He said, “That is such an insane story.” The entire Nesbitt family was extremely thankful to the O’Reilly’s for their help during such a crucial time.

Ryan O’Reilly and his ice hockey journey so far

In 2009, after being picked by Colorado Avalanche in the draft, O’Reilly became the youngest player in Avalanche history to play in a regular season game. In the 2009-10 season, “The Factor” made his surprise debut in the opening night roster.

He scored his first NHL career goal against the Montreal Canadiens. O’Reilly joined his current St. Louis Blues team in 2018. Later, O’Reilly played his second NHL All-Stars game, scoring seven points in just two games.

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In 2019, O’Reilly became the first player to score four consecutive Stanley Cup Finals games since legend Wayne Gretzky in 1985. In 2020, O’Reilly became the official captain of the St. Louis Blues team. He achieved great career heights with the Blues and continues to do so.