A 12-year-old girl was duped into believing a man who visited her in the hospital used to play in the NHL.

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The man who visited Rachel Shepp last month at the Hospital for Sick Children allegedly said he could get jerseys for patients and tickets to games. Police say he even posed for pictures with Rachel, signed autographs and took $40 from the family, the Toronto Star reported.

Christopher John Richer, 39, was arrested over the weekend and faces fraud charges.

Police allege he had been at the hospital, posing as a former Montreal Canadiens player from the 1970s raising money on behalf of children.

Officials for the Ottawa Senators heard Shepp's story and arranged for her to get VIP treatment for the exhibition opener against the Toronto Maple Leafs Sunday night.

The St. Catharines girl has been paralyzed from the waist down since she suffered a broken neck and bruised spinal cord after being thrown from an ATV in July.