Blues' Alex Pietrangelo shaves head to support niece with cancer

Alex Pietrangelo’s new haircut will melt your heart. The St. Louis Blues defenseman isn’t exactly know for his flow, but on Monday, he let his five-year old

Alex Pietrangelo’s new haircut will melt your heart. 

The St. Louis Blues defenseman isn’t exactly know for his flow, but on Monday, he let his five-year old niece shave his head to support her battle with cancer. 

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​Pietrangelo unveiled his new 'do on Twitter, but he’s been advocating on behalf of his five-year-old niece Ellie Kannel since August by promoting her GoFundMe page. Kannel has been undergoing chemotherapy for Wilms’ tumor, a rare kidney cancer that affects children. 

He opened up to to the The 9s about the new look, which Ellie gave him: 

“To see her laugh, and smile, the way she was when she was doing it -— even though she dug the razor in a couple times -— it was good,” Pietrangelo said, adding he’s been talking about the idea for awhile.  “I had bunches of hair. I had a rat tail and everything going on. Sister-in-law cleaned it up a bit. She didn’t do this herself at 5 years old.  … I was scared about the eyebrows.”

The photos are absolutely adorable and on the same day that the NHL’s annual Hockey Fights Cancer campaign kicks off.  

-- Anna Celia Gallegos