Minnesotans love hockey. Indoor, outdoor, Pee Wees to the Pros, Minnesota is synonymous with hockey. Ella Hansen laced up her first pair of hockey skates at the age of three and began playing competitively at age five. At the end of the regular season, she scored 31 goals with 12 assists giving her 43 total points in 25 games. Her impressive record puts her on top of the Metro West Conference and Section 2AA leaderboards. The high school junior is a top-ranked athlete in the state and many of her lower-ranking competitors have committed to NCAA Division 1 colleges. Despite her hard work on and off the rink, she attributes her success to a different kind of power play.
Dave and Joanna Hansen have been watching their daughter play hockey for years. It’s hard to imagine she almost didn’t make it past her first two weeks of life. On New Year’s Eve in 2005, Joanna was sitting in a hair salon chair, preparing to be the Matron of Honor for her sister’s wedding. Nine-day-old Ella had developed a cough and wasn’t eating, so Dave brought her to Urgent Care to have her evaluated. With one short listen to her lungs, the doctor realized Ella was in danger. The nurse scooped Ella into her arms and walked quickly to the Emergency Department. Dave followed and understood the severity of Ella’s situation as soon as he saw the room full of medical professionals working to help his tiny daughter breathe. Ella’s lips were blue. People were moving so fast. Dave immediately called his wife. Joanna recalls, “I was in complete shock. I honestly couldn’t grasp the situation, and I was stuck at the salon.”
When Dave returned from his brief phone call, the lead doctor informed him that Ella had a life-threatening case of Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) and needed to be airlifted to Children’s Hospital in Minneapolis. If that wasn’t a big enough shock, there was no room for additional people in the air ambulance. Once again, Dave stepped outside to call Joanna and give her the news. When he hung up, “I looked to my right as an elderly man appeared. He said to me ‘I understand your daughter is very sick. I’m an old funeral director, and I was wondering if I could say a prayer?’ I agreed, so he put his hand on my right shoulder and said a prayer. Afterward, he said, ‘Good luck to you. She is going to be fine.’” Dave explains. He thanked the kind stranger and re-entered the building to be with his daughter. He paused after a few steps. His brain questioned how the old funeral director knew Ella was sick. And from where did he come? Dave turned around to look for the man and found no one. The man didn’t follow him inside the building, and the parking lot was too far away to walk to his car that quickly. At that moment, Dave felt an overwhelming sense of peace and calmness. “I had a strong sense Ella was going to be okay. I took that moment of prayer as a direct sign from God, and it gave me the strength I needed not only for my daughter but for my wife,” he responds.
Watching Ella skate with speed and power, it’s easy to forget the eleven days she spent in the hospital as a newborn. Prayer has been a powerful part of Ella’s story since her first New Year’s Eve, and that narrative continues to evolve this year. Ella, wearing jersey #7, started to bow her head to pray while lined up for the National Anthem. “I’m having a really good hockey season this year. I believe part of it has come from praying as I believe in the power of prayer. It has had such a good impact on my ability to play,” Ella states. She’s not the only one praying during the National Anthem. Her biggest fans in the stands are also praying. News headlines about severe injuries sustained during hockey games confirm parents’ worst nightmares. “She is very talented and highly ranked. Dave and I feel teams may single her out and could have an increased potential to get hurt. We pray for Ella and her teammates to stay safe before every game,” Joanna explains.
Ella wanted to bring the power of prayer to her high school hockey team since she saw her cousin’s team in a post-game prayer huddle. After a 3-5 loss on January 7, Ella was the last player on the ice for her team, and the opposing team’s coach waved Ella over to join their team in a post-game prayer. She nervously skated over to the circle. “I asked if I could join them. They were so happy to have me. I knew a girl on the team, and she texted me after the game to share how she was proud of me for joining the circle. That was pretty special. Afterward, I felt so good about myself and was proud of myself for doing that. It was an amazing experience and gave me the courage to bring prayers to my team,” Ella recollects. Her teammates embraced the idea of doing a post-game prayer as soon as Ella brought it up. The players take turns leading, and they pray for a variety of things. Two prayers remain constant – thanking God for keeping the players safe during the game and asking God to protect them as they go home. Even the JV team followed Ella’s leadership and began adding a post-game prayer circle to their routine.
For the past month, Ella’s team invited their opponents to join them for a post-game prayer, including the team that first invited Ella into their circle. “It was so awesome to see both teams in a huge circle praying,” she replied. Capturing all of these great moments on camera is Ella’s mom Joanna. She sums it up by saying, “even after a brutal loss to some of the top teams in the state, they still come together after the game at center ice for a prayer huddle. Instead of skating off to the locker rooms to wallow in their defeat, they meet in the middle, facing their opponents, for a brief prayer. It’s awesome to see and shows a true sign of solidarity. Yes, we are very proud of her success this year, but seeing her faith in action is a kind of pride that is indescribable. She continues to amaze us since her faith story began at just nine days old.”Photo credit: Joanna Hansen
Written by Karen A. Taylor, Communication Manager
February 9, 2023
