So as most folks know I was at the Ducks game today in Anaheim.
It's my once a year (If I'm lucky) chance to see the Sabres live.
So I popped for some nice tickets and took my 6 year old daughter. I'm the type who get there when the gates open and has a fancy dinner of hot dogs, nachos and whatever so that's what we did.
We were very close to the visitors tunnel so we hung out there waiting for the team to come out for warm-ups.
Episode 1
While standing there I strike up a conversation with a young woman next to me who's holding a picture and a sharpie.
She informs me she's trying to get it signed by Ryan Miller...I think "yeah, you and everyone else, good luck". She then procedes to show me the picture and explain why she wants it signed. This is the picture.
YES!
It's the furry that Ryan took a picture with years ago in San Jose because she was wearing a Drew Miller jersey.
I explained to her she and her cohorts are well known to Sabres fans.
Then I thought "well that was random and cool" and my daughter and I walked down to the glass to watch warm-ups.
Episode 2
As we're watching the team skate around apparently my daughter caught the eye of Jason Pominville and he picked up a puck and motioned to her if she wanted it...she's crazy shy so I just looked at him and motioned to throw it to me and he did and I gave it to her.
She was dead nuts excited at that point and asked if she would have to give it back.
She fell asleep in the car on the way home clutching that puck.
Episode 3
The game starts and is going well, a nice woman with a French accent is sitting next to us, we start talking and it becomes apparent she's a Sabres fan and she's knowledgable about hockey.
Near the end of the first period she says: "Hey, would you two like to meet the players after the game? I'm good friends with Jim Corsi (Sabres goaltending coach) and he gave me way too many passes"
OH HELL YES!
So after the game we went with her down to the area by the visitors locker room. There are maybe 30 people there kind of corralled in one area waiting for the players to walk by.
After a couple minutes, Jim Corsi comes over and grabs us and pulls us out of the herd and into the inner sanctum right outside the locker room door. This sweaty midget walks by...
WTF that's Gerbe. "Hi Nathan."
"hey man"
Players, coaches and equipment are strolling by and milling around. I've got a bunch of video but here are a few of the best.
Miller comes out of the locker room to cheers and into the arms of his wife
Miller opens a gift from a friend which turns out to be the "forever lazy" snuggie type device
My daughter is uber-excited but really shy and Jim Corsi notices, picks her up and holds her up to Tyler Myers for a photo-op
How Fucking cool is that? That was all of 20 minutes after he was chucking knuckles on the ice
Hands down the coolest hockey game experience of my life and none of it had anything to do with the fact that the Sabres won with a shutout....and none of it was planned
It turns out the Woman that gave us those passes did so because my daughter reminded her of going to Habs games with her Dad as a child.
aint life grand sometimes?
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