HINGHAM, MASS. (WHDH) - A Hingham fifth grade teacher received the surprise of a lifetime when she was named a finalist for the NHL’s Future Goals Most Valuable Teacher of the Year.

Joan Kilban, a finalist with two other educators in Canada and the U.S., received a virtual pep rally from her students with a surprise appearance by Boston Bruins forward Charlie Coyle.

“Hearing your students talk about you, you obviously deserve everything and I hope you keep up the great work,” Coyle said on a call with the teacher, who happens to be a self-proclaimed “die hard” Bruins fan.

“I was completely honored and floored and just so humbled by being nominated,” she said.

If being named a finalist wasn’t enough, Kilban was just happy celebrate the occasion with her students.

“They were just so excited … it’s been a sweet distraction” from quarantine life, she said.

As a finalist, Kilban has received two tickets to the NHL Awards in Las Vegas and $30,000 worth of technology from NHL partner SAP for her school district.

 

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