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Hailey Dawson, The Robotic-Hand Pitcher, To Drop Puck At NHL Game

After throwing the ceremonial first pitch at Game 4 of the World Series, Hailey Dawson, a 7-year-old with a birth defect that robbed her of three right-hand fingers, is expanding into hockey.

The second grader will drop the ceremonial first puck at the Vegas Golden Knights vs. Philadelphia Flyers game on Sunday with a specially-designed robotic hand.

This marks Hailey’s first expansion out of baseball, though she’s still on a mission to pitch at all 30 MLB ballparks. She has 14 of the 27 MLB teams she’s yet to pitch for confirmed for the 2018 season. Her first pitch of the season will be at the San Diego Padres’ Petco Park on March 31.

Hailey’s run of ceremonial first pitches began a few years ago at a University of Nevada Las Vegas Rebels game, not far from where the Dawsons live. She then expanded to the MLB, throwing her first pitch at a Baltimore Orioles vs. Oakland Athletics game in Baltimore in August 2015, and later at a Washington Nationals game. She closed out the 2017 season at the Houston Astros’ Minute Maid Park with a pitch at Game 4 of the World Series, when the Astros faced off against the Los Angeles Dodgers.

Hailey, who turns 8 next month, was born with a rare disease called Poland Syndrome that causes birth defects in one out of every 200,000 births. Through these pitches and puck drops, she has set out to prove that children can live extraordinary lives despite their handicaps or physical deformities.

“We are able to spread the awareness for a syndrome that most people have never heard about till Hailey,” said Yong Dawson, Hailey’s mom and spokesperson. “We get to tell people that a robotic hand is not out of reach if you need it. We get to show people that just because Hailey has a limb difference it doesn’t mean she’s limited in what she can do. If it inspires one person, that’s amazing to us.”

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The Golden Knights approached Hailey about dropping the puck as part of their Hockey Is For Everyone Month, which includes a series of programs and events in February as part of a league-wide initiative to build a more inclusive environment.

“It was a no brainer for us as a family for Hailey to say yes,” Dawson said. “The Golden Knights is our first professional sports team in Las Vegas and it’s so exciting. We attended a game and Hailey loved it. Our whole family loved it. We loved rooting for our home team.”

(courtesy of Yong Dawson)

Hailey is also throwing out the first pitch for UNLV baseball on Feb. 16, opening night.

Hailey’s robotic hand, which was designed by researchers at UNLV, enables her to use five plastic fingers held together and controlled mechanically through a system of fishing lines. The fingers open and close as she flicks her wrist up and down, enabling her to hold objects and lob balls.

While Hailey has a favorite Knights player (Nate Schmidt) and hopes to meet him at next week’s game, her mom says Hailey’s first love remains baseball, though hockey is becoming a short second.

“If you ask her, baseball is her first love but now she has a second love and that’s hockey,” said Dawson. “For us it means that she is a local girl representing our local team.”

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