I really like this! Some great stories, guys!
1. I learned to skate on a lake and could stickhandle, but wasn't that interested in NHL hockey until I was older (12 or 13).
2. My hockey career was over when I was 8 after being told the flat feet I was born with and that were causing me such pain would either force me to stop skating or get my parents to shell out $400 (1980's money) every time my feet went up two sizes.
3. I do remember my first Brandon Wheat Kings game and seeing none other than Ron Hextall in net. Ray Ferraro was playing, but all I can remember was watching Hextall and thinking he was pretty cool.
4. I can say I've seen every Stanley Cup being handed out since 1981 with three exceptions: 1986 and 1993 due to being won by the Habs, which I just can't bring myself to watch, and 2000 (hooking up with ex-GF).
5. Watching the Cup being handed out almost chokes me up everytime. I wish there were a Stanley Cup for every profession.
6. Despite not playing on skates until I was quite a bit older (still hurts), I took up playing goal in ball hockey at sixteen, and haven't looked back. Ball Hockey is a pretty intense sport in high school in Brandon, and there's even a very active men's league.
7. I have played ball hockey against Wade Redden, Peter Schaefer, Brian McCabe and Justin Kurtz. Redden has one of the hardest shots I've ever felt.
8. After a few years off, I moved to Edmonton, where they have a couple of very competitive Ball Hockey leagues. I played in them for two years before moving to Regina, but remember it as some of the most fun I've ever had. I'm rarely as happy as when I'm in goal.
9. My favourite goalie in my teens was Felix Potvin. He may not have been the most technically sound goaltender, but he was sure the most exciting to watch, especially his meteoric rise in 1992-93.
10. I still get sick to my stomach thinking about Leafs-Kings 1993. Another reason why I have trouble liking Gretzky and the special treatment he received.
11. Imagine my horror to see old favourite Ron Hextall skating down the ice, getting ready to pound on Potvin... and then my shock as Felix beats him bloody! Greatest goalie fight EVER.
12. The 1990 Playoffs were what cemented me as an Oilers fan once and for all. Being down 3-1 against Winnipeg and then saying, "Hey, we're down three games to one against Winnipeg? PppppPbbbthh!" and then beating them. I think it was watching the Oilers succeed without Wayne that did it for me.
13. Despite growing up Manitoban, I just couldn't cheer for the Jets for some reason (poorly run, bad decisions). However, I would welcome them back to the NHL with open arms.
14. Mark Messier is my all-time hockey hero, and I can say I got to meet him in Edmonton at the civic ceremony to honour him before having his number retired. He signed my 1984 Campbell All Star jersey. I felt like a little kid again.
15. I started to wear jerseys in high school. Mostly replicas, of course, with just heat pressed numbers, because I had no cash (I had a Senators jersey before they had any players! Still have it, too). It became part of my identity, so I ran with it. Eighteen years later, I now have somewhere over 270 (Yes, two hundred and seventy), many pros, a few autos and even a few gamers. I thankfully married someone who likes to sew and we do a lot of our own cresting.
16. I have a jersey of every single team currently in the NHL and I have most of the defunct ones as well (still looking for the Philadelphia Quakers, Pittsburgh Pirates, and Quebec Bulldogs and outside the league, Seattle Metropolitans, Victoria Cougars, and Renfrew Cremery Kings. Any help greatly appreciated).
17. Most of my jerseys honour goalies. I was inspired by the book written by Bob Duff and Johnny Bower called "Without Fear" which listed the 50 greatest goalies. I have almost all of their jerseys.
18. My favourite jersey of all time that I own is a Felix Potvin Leafs gamer with the Bower and Broda patches on the shoulders, worn the night they honoured the number 1. I've met Bower, and I am a distant relation to Walter "Turk" Broda (this makes me the OTHER chubby goalie from Brandon!).
19. My favourite NHL game that I've been to was Game 6 of the Finals vs. Carolina. I made it to one game every round (got a picture in the Edmonton Sun sitting in the front row, behind Ryan Smyth, who'd just baited Chelios into a stupid penalty in Game 4. Got Smytty to sign it, too. Awesome), but to hear over 18,000 people belting out O Canada at the top of their lungs gave me chills. I sing it loud and proud at every game I'm at. I was either going to see a Cup handed out in person, or cheer my team to a Game 7. 4-0 victory for the Oil. Truly, in every way, PRICELESS. I will treasure it forever.
My favourite WHL game was Brandon vs. Prince Albert in the conference finals in 1995... I've never seen or heard my home rink come alive like that before or since. Now that they're hosting the Memorial Cup, there might be a chance...
20. I have always worn the number 76 on my back, because I was born on the 7th day of the 6th month of 1976. It is also tattooed on my right shoulder, along with my mask, in Oilers colours. I chose this number for this reason long before Sidney Crosby even thought of it.
21. (Bonus): Players I have met in person: Johnny Bower, Wade Redden, Peter Schaefer, Bryan McCabe, Justin Kurtz, Chris Dingman, Sven Butenschoen, Jordan Tootoo (I have the very first autographed Tootoo Nashville jersey), Ryan Smyth (great guy), Jason Smith, Tommy Salo, Mike York, Raffi Torres, Shawn Horcoff, Craig MacTavish, Glenn Anderson (awesome guy), Eddie Shack, Richard Brodeur, Bryan Trottier (nothing but class), Billy Smith, Marcel Dionne (hilarious), Chris Kunitz, Steve Yzerman, Rob Schremp, Devyn Dubnyk, Tom Gilbert and of course, Mark Messier. Future stars: Jordan Eberle (great personality), Brayden Schenn and Scott Glennie. Players I'd love to meet: Felix Potvin (two autos, but not in person), Rick Nash, Dany Heatley, Martin Brodeur and of course, Ron Hextall.
Thanks! I'll read more stories later!
my eyes hurt 
