[Soylentgreen4u] Sunday, January 25, 2009 9:06:03 PM
HAD A GREAT TIME IN MONTREAL (THE REAL HOCKEYTOWN) AT HTE ALL-STAR FESTIVAL FRIDAY AND SOME OF SATURDAY...MANAGED TO SEE SOME OF THE GAMES STARS WANDERING AROUND AND INTERACTING WITH THE FANS...BRIEFLY CHATTED FEW...IGINLA,LECAVALIER,
DOAN,KOMISAREK...MY MISSION WAS ACCOMPLISHED HOWEVER WITHIN THE FIRST HOUR OF BEING IN THE JAMBOREE BUILDING...I WAS REALLY HOPING TO SEE BOB GAINEY,HE IS THE CURRENT GM OF MONTREAL AND FORMER PLAYER/CAPTAIN FOR THE HABS IN THE 70'S AND 80'S...WINNER OF 5 STANLEY CUPS (4 IN A ROW IN THE 70'S),BUT MORE IMPORTANTLY,ONE OF THE NICEST AND CLASSIEST PEOPLE YOU COULD EVER MEET...I HEARD SOMEONE SAY THAT HE WAS IN THE BUILDING AT THE OPPOSITE END OF WHERE I WAS,SO I HEADED TO THE FAR
END AND SURE ENOUGH THERE HE WAS DOING AUTOGRAPHS FOR THE MULTITUDE OF FANS SURROUNDING HIM...HE WAS MOSTLY SIGNING THE BACKS OF THE TICKETS THAT WE ALL HAD TO GET IN,AND HATS AND SWEATERS...SO I THINK HE WAS A LITTLE SURPRISED WHEN HE SAW MY 'MONTREAL FORUM' BOOK...THE REAL GREAT MOMENT FOR ME WAS AFTER I SAID "HELLO MR. GAINEY" AND OPENED THE BOOK FOR HIM TO SIGN,WHEN HE LOOKED DOWN AT HIS PICTURE TAKEN ALMOST 30 YEARS AGO,IN A CLARK KENT-LIKE POSE OF HIM OPENING HIS SHIRT TO REVEAL THE MONTREAL TEAM SWEATER UNDERNEATH PROUDLY DISPLAYING THE 'CH',A SOMEWHAT PROUD YET PENSIVE SMILE CAME OVER HIS FACE...SO SIGN MY BOOK HE DID!......AFTER THAT I SHOOK HIS HAND AND SAID "THANK YOU BOB,ALL THE BEST TO YOU SIR"...NOW MY BOOK IS EXTRA SPECIAL...I'M NOT A PERSON WHO GETS ALL STAR STRUCK WITH CELEBRITY,QUITE FRANKLY I THINK IT'S ALL VERY OVERSTATED,MEETING A PERSON OF GOOD QUALITIES IN LIFE IS SOOOO MUCH MORE MEANINGFUL TO ME...AND THAT'S WHAT THIS WAS,MORE THAN ANYTHNG.
AS FAR AS THE OTHER EXPERIENCES GO,IT WAS GREAT TO SEE SO MANY KIDS HAVING A BLAST....MINIATURE RINK-SHAPED AREAS WERE SET UP FOR ALL TO PRACTICE THEIR SHOOTING SKILLS...A HUGE BOUTIQUE TO PURCHASE ALL KINDS OF THINGS...ALL THE TROPHIES ON DISPLAY,BUT THE HOLY GRAIL OF HOCKEY THE STANLEY CUP HAD A BUILDING DOWN THE STREET A BIT ALL TO ITSELF,LONG LINEUP TO GET A PIC TAKEN WITH THE OLDEST AND MOST HISTORIC (NOT TO MENTION BEAUTIFUL) IN PROFESSIONAL SPORT...I'VE HAD MY PIC TAKEN WITH STANLEY BEFORE,BUT I THOUGHT WHY NOT,SO WE HAD PICS TAKEN AGAIN...ALL IN ALL MONTREAL (AS ALWAYS WHEN IT COMES TO HOCKEY) HOSTED A FINE WEEKEND FOR FANS FROM ALL OVER.....WELL DONE!
...AFTER THAT I SHOOK HIS HAND AND SAID "THANK YOU BOB,ALL THE BEST TO YOU SIR"...NOW MY BOOK IS EXTRA SPECIAL...I'M NOT A PERSON WHO GETS ALL STAR STRUCK WITH CELEBRITY,QUITE FRANKLY I THINK IT'S ALL VERY OVERSTATED,MEETING A PERSON OF GOOD QUALITIES IN LIFE IS SOOOO MUCH MORE MEANINGFUL TO ME...AND THAT'S WHAT THIS WAS,MORE THAN ANYTHNG.