Daniel Carcillo likes to hit things. This is what little Johnny Krstulovich noticed as he watched the player nicknamed “Carbomb” explode through the first few Blackhawks games of the season. One well-connected father and a couple of phone calls later, and Carcillo was at a Lake Forest bus stop, clearing space for the fifth-grader.
“Those big sixth-graders kept pushing me, taking my lunch money and saying they’d beat me up,” said Johnny. “But since Daniel’s been here they haven’t eaten lunch for like five days because he checks them out of the line. Now all they do is sleep at their desks.”
Making the deal sweeter is the fact that Carcillo and Johnny have a few favorite activities in common: yelling random curse words, then giggling, throwing toads at girls and freeze-tag. Aside from a time-out or two for roughhousing, the pair has managed to raise an appropriate amount of ruckus without drawing suspensions or docks in allowance.
Krstulovich had also given a trial-run to Hawks’ large-man John Scott, but with nearly a four-foot height difference, the enforcer was having trouble hearing the youngster’s orders. New Hawk Carcillo has since proven a perfect fit.
“Funny thing is, Daniel didn’t ever request actual money,” said Marc Krstulovich, Johnny’s dad. “We just feed him the occasional meal and he keeps going at wherever Johnny points him.”
By Dan “Letter-bomb” Bradley. Photoshop by Kurt Evans
