Dylan Strome, during the many discouraging moments and low points of his tumultuous Blackhawks career the past two years, could always count on his beloved golden retriever, Wrigley, to keep him sane.
And Wrigley, in turn, became the Blackhawks’ canine celebrity. Everyone knew of him; it wasn’t uncommon for Strome to mention him during his interviews. On Instagram, Wrigley — whose account was primarily run by Strome’s fiancé, Tayler McMahon — amassed more than 20,000 followers.
But on Friday, Wrigley died of post-operative complications at the young age of 2.
According to posts on his Instagram, Wrigley spent four days last week at a veterinary hospital after undergoing surgery. He returned home Wednesday but developed sepsis and returned to the hospital Friday as his health worsened.
Strome had adopted Wrigley as a puppy in January 2020. When the pandemic hit two months later, the young family “raced” to get home to the Toronto area to quarantine there, and Wrigley helped keep the mood light.
This past fall, as Strome slipped in and out of the Hawks’ lineup — before his season took off in January — Wrigley helped him again.
“[I have] a good support system back home – [my] fiancé, baby...[and] of course, the dog,” Strome said on Nov. 9. “The dog’s a big one. You come in and he’s just so happy to see you. He doesn’t know what’s going on. He’s happy, 24/7. It’s always nice to come home to that and see a big smile on his face. It makes you forget about hockey for a little bit.”
Numerous other Hawks players own dogs — Alex DeBrincat’s Shiba Inus, Ralph and Burt, are also popular on social media — but Wrigley’s chubby fluff will be particularly missed.
Strome played the Hawks’ game Saturday against the Predators with “Wrigs” written on his stick.
