11-year-old transforms wheelchair into penalty box costume in tribute to late Gaudreau brothers

An 11-year-old boy in Ohio found a creative way to incorporate his wheelchair as part of his Halloween costume. The costume also pays tribute to the late Gaudreau brothers, hockey players who were struck by a car and killed in their New Jersey hometown in August.

Blake Mompher used wood, clear plastic and cardboard to dress up this year as a hockey penalty box.

"Every year, we build [a Halloween costume] around his chair, and it's completely accessible," Blake's mom, Megan Mompher, told Storyful of her son, who was born with spina bifida. "Each costume is made for him to be able to still fully wheel around."

Mompher said her husband, Blake's dad, works with their son to build a unique Halloween costume each year. She said the penalty box took the father-son duo about two weeks to complete.

The costume was not only unique but also meaningful for Blake, a huge hockey fan and a fan of the Columbus Blue Jackets.



The front of Blake's costume features the word Gaudreau and the numbers 13 and 21 in memory of Blue Jackets star Johnny Gaudreau and his brother Matthew Gaudreau.



The Gaudreau brothers died Aug. 29 after they were hit by an alleged drunk driver while riding bicycles in Salem County, New Jersey, according to police.

Johnny Gaudreau, known as "Johnny Hockey," was 31 years old at the time of his death, and Matthew Gaudreau, who previously played hockey for Boston College, was 29.

"This one is special; a tribute to Johnny Gaudreau," Mompher said of Blake's costume. "Blake is a huge Columbus Blue Jackets fan."