When the Vegas Golden Knights visited San Jose to take on the Sharks on March 23, Golden Knights fan William Rothwell-Torres was excited to head to the SAP Center and see the game. But, there was one small catch. Rothwell-Torres wasn’t scheduled to leave work with enough time to make it to the SAP Center from San Francisco for puck drop.
Looking like he was out of options, Rothwell-Torres decided to send a tweet to the Golden Knights, asking for their help to come up with an excuse to get out of work early.
Within an hour, the Golden Knights responded.
@GoldenKnights can you help me come up with an elaborate excuse to leave work and catch the game on time today. Thanks in advance.
— Will Rothwell (@ChiefCookieDoe) 22 March 2018
The Golden Knights called on their fans to give their best “get out of work” excuses to Rothwell-Torres. Their contribution to the cause didn’t stop there.
Former Washington Capitals defenseman Nate Schmidt filmed a short video, imploring Rothwell-Torres’ boss to give him a break.
Hey @ChiefCookieDoe,@nateschmidt29 has a message for your boss
Let us know if this helps 😉 pic.twitter.com/uOeZ1tCqwN
— x – Vegas Golden Knights (@GoldenKnights) 22 March 2018
“Will’s been working really hard lately,” Schmidt said in the video. “I really think you ought to let him off the hook tonight.”
Rothwell-Torres spoke to NHL.com after the surprise tweet. “I sat in my back office, at first, going through (the tweets) and I realized… it’s Nate Schmidt! Holy… It’s Nate Schmidt!”
Schmidt’s plea worked, and Rothwell-Torres’ boss allowed him to leave early and head to San Jose.
UPDATE: Nate’s video worked! I am out of the office! Now I have two hours too get home, change and get to San Jose. YOUR BOY IS GOING TO THE GAME!
— Will Rothwell (@ChiefCookieDoe) March 23, 2018
Rothwell-Torres took a Lyft from San Francisco to San Jose with his girlfriend Emmeline Geyer and their friend Susie Caldwell.
I AM HERE! @GoldenKnights pic.twitter.com/e8QKAC78bf
— Will Rothwell (@ChiefCookieDoe) March 23, 2018
Though the result didn’t go the Golden Knights’ way — they fell 2-1 in OT — Rothwell-Torres will have the story of a lifetime to tell for years to come about the game because of Nate Schmidt.
S/T to @JessrHughes.