Pep-talks were over, equipment was on and now it was time to line up for the introductions. We all looked at the list making sure who we were behind and we started to hear it. That killer sound of the siren and “Rock You Like a Hurricane” blaring over the loud speaker. There was one main thing I wanted to do that day(Besides score and not screw up of course), I wanted to hop onto the ice to the sound of that song. Go to enough games, regular season and playoffs, and it just has a way of getting your pulse racing and blood moving. We all got onto the ice with no casulties (no one fell or tripped etc), and we even got some smack gestures from Jeese Boulerice who gave us a you’re dead mime as he skated on the ice. A couple of the guys, including Steve Rice even went the whole way down the line and slapped everyone’s gloves as they came on, which was a very cool thing.

I will have to preface my next few parts with a little “confession” I guess I will call it. Other then a few times during the game, just about the whole thing was such an adrenaline rush, and a blurr, that I almost cannot recall many of the other guys on the ice, and my interactions with them. There are a few instances, but for the most part I was focusing on playing so hard and trying to do everything right, that I hardly remember any of the guys from the other team that I covered or went up against. Well, except for Ryan Meluch (#5 White) and Denis Korobov (#15 White), who I seemed to be matched up with every shift out there.

The first period I was primarily paired up on D with Steve Halko, which was probably my favorite part of the game. I think besides another regular joe, like me, Jonathan Pollock, I played the most with the former Cane Halko. Halko was a real easy guy to talk to and play with. He read my plays well, we moved well off of each other and just had a real chemistry out there. Granted, I am well aware it was 99.999% him making me look good and feel this way, but it was still very cool. He had a way on the bench and on the ice of making the shifts be about me, and not about padding his stats for the game. He’s got great hands and still has a cannon of a shot. Unfortunately, the only thing that is really sticking out in my mind personally from the 1st period is a decent rush I had up the ice. I poked the puck free from someone in the neutral zone and was off to the races. I had one man to beat, and he was a good one. Meluch was waiting for me on his Left D side and I was going to have to make a good move to get around him. I got the first step nicely around him and poked the puck past him on the boards, but unfortunately he was able to reach back and get a second swipe at it and knock it behind me. Fortunately for me, it skitted out to one of my guys who sent it towards the net. In fact, since I was curling up the wing, it skitted right to where I was. I had exactly what I wanted…. a 1 on 1 down low with Tripp Tracy. It was just me and him…. BUT, I could feel footsteps, and knew the Tracy poke check could be coming too…  I knew I had to be fast…. I tried a little head fake and tried to go 5-hole… I didn’t get it along the ice like I had wanted and Tripp got his stick paddle on it before it beat him 5 hole… STONEWALLED… I sooo wanted that goal. I am not really looking forward to the DVD for this one, b/c I will see that I prolly had ALL DAY to make this shot and prolly also had a ton of room on the far post. Oh well it was just awesome to have that scoring chance.

I also had a few shifts with Aaron Ward in the 1st period but other then a couple of good point shots that were right on, that Tracy made more good saves on, that’s all I can pretty much remember about the 1st period. It went fast, but I guess rolling 3 D lines and the running clock make for quick periods. I am sure it will ALL make more sense to me when the DVD of the event finally comes out but for now all I can do is try and remember what I can.

2nd period was a bit more exciting in my memory but half of them aren’t pretty for my day hehe…

So when an NHL game is in the 2nd period the teams switch sides on the ice to which goal they defend. And so they tend to skate around a couple of laps to warm up on their side. When we came out I was trying to kick start my legs and get the pulse going to I hit the ice full steam. Unfortunately someone on the White team

Jesse coming in on me and Halko

must have forgotten that he was supposed to be on the other side or, if not, basically by or on the bench. So as I had the train on the tracks he was in no mans land in the middle of the ice not looking where he was going, and I hit him quite hard. The good news is he was about 1/2 my size so I was able to actually catch him as we collided, and all was kinda well. I am not sure where he was headed but hey, in all fairness it could have been my fault. Again, I have no idea. I am just glad I didn’t get hurt (and  I think he was fine too). Naturally this wouldn’t be my only collision of the period.

I was out on the ice with Halko a couple of shifts into the 2nd when Jesse Boulerice was bringing the puck up the ice. He was having a great game and had a few goals already. I was anticipating him trying to storm around me so I was getting ready to try and force him to the outside. But, he didn’t…. He had a trailer whom he dropped it to, and he started to skate a bit to my right, trying to head to the front. But I wasn’t having any of that. The best I could, I was going to get in front of him. I kept my stick on his to make sure I knew where he was while I sized up the puck carrier and we got closer and closer to the net. We jostled a bit and he got behind me but I was still able to keep good position between  him and the puck carrier. I also still had a hold of him with my body. The guy shot the puck and I BLOCKED the shot. The puck squirted to the high slot and our team started out with it to center. I got a “NICE BLOCK!” from Halko as I started to chase the play up the ice. There’s nothing like making a good defensive play to give you a boost up the ice. As I was

Trying to keep Jesse away from the net

coming up out of our zone I saw two guys got a bit tangled and the puck was trickling out to the right from their skates. This was my chance to grab it quick and be gone! Well without the benefit of a replay or the DVD of yet, all I remember is either the pile moved a bit or one of the guys fell, b/c as I was getting there I collided with former NHLer Dave Watson (avg Joe in this game but he played some in the show in the late 70’s early 80’s and actually was a childhood friend of Henry Staal’s). I ended up getting my feet taken out a bit and went flying head over heels. All I can hope is it didn’t look as bad as it either felt or sounded with the oooohhhh’s in the crowd but I suspect it looked just as bad from all angles. Oh well again, the good news remains, at least I wasn’t hurt, just shaken up a bit. And  being me, I hopped back up RIGHT away and made sure it was safe to change and got off the ice.

Another big highlight for me was near the end of the period, I believe it was my last shift of the 2nd… I got the puck behind the net and brought it up with a head of steam… I crossed over the blue line and knew I had Shane Willis on the right side with me.  I sent a back hand pass his way and headed toward the net…. SMACK!!! I hear the shot and it buzzed the tower, nearly decapitating Tripp Tracy in the process and skittering high off the glass…Would have been a beautiful assist to get but nay, nothing yet for me this game. On to the third period as we were getting KILLED 7-1 in the game, but no one cared about the score we were just having a great time out there.

3rd period AKA time for a comeback… Sorta….

The 3rd period I think I got one shift each with Ward and Halko, and the rest of the game I spent with Pollack. Which was not a bad thing b/c he was a real good skater with some good hands and we seemed to work well together too. About midway through the 3rd I picked up a loose puck at my blue line and surveyed the land. One man was coming slow and I was trying to find a lane to pass to someone on the move. I saw Pollock getting a head of steam from my left so I sent a backhand pass between the oncoming fore checker’s legs (IIRC it actually hit his leg and got to Pollock), who brought it up a few more feet and dished to Willis , who, this time, found that upper corner with a LAZER of a shot and we had ourselves another goal… And… a GeekJock assist!

Later in the period, prolly about my last regular shift, I was trying to put some pressure on and the puck squirted free near the top of the circle in front of me. I knew it wasn’t coming that fast so I had to reach quickly. I started to race in to take the one timer, but about a step away I noticed there was no way I was beating Brind’Aour to this loose puck. I tried to poke it forward but he poked it first sending it behind me. I turned and gave it everything I had to get back. I caught up to Brindy, who had sent a pass to the right wing. All I wanted to do is keep big Rod from scoring and hope Pollack could cover the other side. They had a 3 on 1 sort of with me hooking Brindy’s stick and trying to interfere so he couldn’t get the pass. He wasn’t having anything of it and his quick hands and stick were keeping me away pretty well. As luck would have it, as the pass was coming our way the middle man tried to catch it and ended up sending it harmlessly into the corner. Another goal avoided!

REAL Late into the 3rd period we were down 9-5 and we were frantically trying to scream for our goalie, Phill Poetzingerto come to the bench for an extra attacker… well that’s how it

Partial team shot

normally goes… In our Canes Alumni game Forslund screamed out EMPTY THE BENCH!!! So we did. We threw all 19 skaters onto the ice to try and score a goal… and score we did! I was in decent position for the 19-5 advantage, but good old Korobov, in white, saw me out there and grabbed a hold of me. A good play, in fact, since I was going to be in good scoring  position, but we managed to net the goal anyway bringing it to 9-6. (A nice goal by NAathan White IIRC his 2nd of the game)

We pulled the goalie again, and about half the bench went this time.  We didn’t manage to score this time and the game ended. An amazing game was at an end. Feelings of both joy at the experience, and sadness that it was over washed over me. Yet, I felt I had a pretty good game and enjoyed every second of it. AND if memory serves me correct, I don’t think I was on the ice for 1 single Goal against. I will have to check all of these “facts” with the DVD when it comes out but if that’s true, it’s quite a good feeling in a game of this type!

We lined up and scooted together for a full (both team) picture on the ice. Everyone, winning and losing team a like were smiling wide.

Back in the locker room we exchanged jersies around the room and I managed to get all the pro’s to sign the back of my game jersey which simple is an amazing feeling and helps the memory all the more when I see it hanging up. A couple of guys actually went around the WHOLE room getting all the guys signatures pro and avg Joe alike to sign their sweater. Thinking back later this is one thing I regretted not doing. It would be great to have them all on there to remember all the guys I got to hang with on this special day. But oh well… maybe there is next year???

As I left to the parking lot there was a line to get out. Child and adult autograph seekers were out there getting the Alumni Canes’ signatures as they left the event. But… what was this??? A kid came up to my window… “Can I please have your autograph?” A tingle up the spine came over me and a huge smile over my face. “Sure, no problem at all”, I said and signed his paper program from the event. The day was complete, I now felt even more like a pro.

My daughter with Glen Wesley

The capping off of the event was a cocktail party up in the club lounge for a couple of hours of food and knocking elbows with the greats we just played with. Getting to have a few laughs with the pros outside the locker room and getting a couple of pictures was truly special and, as I beat this dead horse a bit, something I won’t ever forget. Simply one of the best days of my life by far, and I am forever going to be making it up to my lovely wife Mrs. GeekJock, who surprised me with the spot in this big game. Thank you beautiful, I cannot begin to think what miracle I performed to deserve an Angel like you.

Another Thank You! to all the fellow Caniacs who came out to the game. B/c of, the donations you made at the door and the donations we made as players, the Alumni event raised over $50,000. That’s the true amazing thing of the event. The fact that 3,000! screaming fans came to watch us play out a dream and to see Canes Alumni back on the ice was simply breath taking to say the least.

Another special THANK YOU to Shane Willis for organizing the event. To the rest of the Canes Alumni for playing and being great sports during the whole thing. To the other players I got to play with and have a great time with. To Ted Enarson and the other guys on Twitter who helped pump the game up to the fans, and keep us all in the know to things leading up to the game. To Mike Sundheim, Doug Warf, Michael Smith and all the staff of the Canes and PNC Center for making us feel so welcome. And of course thanks to Coaches John MacLean (our bench) and Dave Lewis (White team) for coming out and coaching as well. And for all the rest of the people behind the scenes whom I might have forgotten thanks to you as well!

I will leave you with what Philip Poetzinger said which sums it up the best—- “That’s a tick-mark in the bucket list.!”…. You got that right Phill!

And Some more from the cocktail party:

With Henry Staal and Tripp Tracey

With Steve Rice, and Jesse Boulerice

Me and great D partner-- "The Sarge", Steve Halko

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