![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/YIMV3AUWUBBLFAZHIRRI3UJRDM.png\")
<\/p>\nWhen Utah Mammoth forward Michael Carcone and his family first moved to Utah in the summer of 2024, they recognized an opportunity to make some new friends.<\/p>\n
Mia Carcone, Michael\u2019s wife, reached out to Oakley Peterson, a Utah-based influencer who documents daily life with her preteen son, Welles, who has Down Syndrome. The two families met up for pizza, which would start a lasting friendship.<\/p>\n
As it turns out, they even live in the same neighborhood.<\/p>\n
For the second year in a row, Welles will accompany Michael Carcone to a Mammoth game in honor of World Down Syndrome Day \u2014 and this year, they designed socks to celebrate.<\/p>\n
Wearing mismatched or brightly colored socks is a widespread way of recognizing World Down Syndrome Day. Carcone is one of four NHL players who teamed up with someone close to them who has Down Syndrome to design socks for the occasion.<\/p>\n
Welles\u2019 sock features Carcone\u2019s jersey number and signature on the back, with Welles\u2019 signature and \u201c#21\u2033 on the front. The colored lines along the top represent Carcone\u2019s friendship with Welles, according to a press release.<\/p>\n
The words \u201cBetter Together\u201d are written above the toes.<\/p>\n
It will be paired with a sock designed by Fr\u00e9d\u00e9rick Gaudreau of the Seattle Kraken, which has various symbols representing outdoor activities that he enjoys with his nephew, Noah, who has Down Syndrome.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
\u201cThis project is deeply meaningful because it celebrates the idea that uniqueness should be embraced,\u201d Carcone said in a press release. \u201cWorld Down Syndrome Day reminds us that we are better together, and that message reflects how I think about my friend Welles and the broader Down Syndrome community.\u201d<\/p>\n
Carcone said in an interview<\/a> released by the Mammoth on Wednesday that prior to meeting Welles, he didn\u2019t have any education on Down Syndrome. He has made an effort over the past year and a half to learn more about it and find out how he can show support for those who have it.<\/p>\n World Down Syndrome Day is celebrated annually on March 21. The Mammoth don\u2019t play that day, so Carcone, Welles and the team will instead celebrate it on Friday, March 20, as the Mammoth take on the Anaheim Ducks at the Delta Center.<\/p>\n Welles and four other kids will accompany Carcone during his pregame walk-in, just as Welles did last year, and stay for the game that evening. They, along with a number of other Mammoth players, will sport the socks designed for that night.<\/p>\n Fans are invited to join with the players and wear mismatched socks to the game.<\/p>\n The socks, as well as a pair designed by Dylan Larkin of the Detroit Red Wings and Charlie McAvoy of the Boston Bruins, are available for purchase on the NHL Shop<\/a> website and on the website of For Bare Feet<\/a>, a company that collaborated with the NHL to create the socks.<\/p>\n \u201cWe are always driven by the belief that the socks you choose to wear are a form of self-expression, which is why we\u2019re delighted to help NHL fans express their support for World Down Syndrome Day,\u201d said Justin Fredericks, For Bare Feet chief executive officer.<\/p>\n The NHL\u2019s initiative also includes a pair of donations to the American Special Hockey Association, totaling $15,000. The funds will go toward ice time and equipment.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"When Utah Mammoth forward Michael Carcone and his family first moved to Utah in the summer of 2024,…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":510431,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","_share_on_mastodon":"0"},"categories":[5122],"tags":[5,3157,4,51,5290,232,5291,5289],"class_list":{"0":"post-510430","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-utah-hockey-club","8":"tag-hockey","9":"tag-news-feed-local","10":"tag-nhl","11":"tag-utah","12":"tag-utah-hc","13":"tag-utah-hockey-club","14":"tag-utahhc","15":"tag-utahhockeyclub"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/channels.im\/@nhl\/116252773921411957","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/510430","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=510430"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/510430\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/510431"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=510430"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=510430"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=510430"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}