The Minor Atom Red team had a very special weekend...it all began with our Assistant Coach Steve Phylactou winning a car in the KMHA draw at the Ranger game Friday night!
I can't think of a more deserving family to Win a vehicle than the Phylactou family! Steve volunteers his time to help Coach two teams with KMHA and is a selfless individual that is committed to the kids. How awesome was it to begin the weekend Friday evening finding out that Steve won the car this year! A SPECIAL weekend was off to a GREAT start!
Going forward with all the excitement, it was difficult to keep 9 year old boys focused on two games that had to take place prior to their special trip that was about to happen on Sunday with the Toronto Maple Leaf Clinic we were attending. The team was asked to bring the effort on Friday and Saturday and reminded it would be way more FUN to travel to Toronto following a couple of wins in advance! They were up for the challenge and didn't disappoint with a 5-1 and 4-1 Victory over Burlington.
Sunday morning 6 am arrived and the FUN was on....
It all began with the families arriving to a Kitchener Ranger bus waiting to transport them to the Air Canada Centre!
Upon arrival to Toronto, the Leafs made arrangements for the CN tower to be lit in our Ranger Red colour...(not really, but we like to think they did! lol)
Arriving at the ACC the team bus was able to pull underground the same way the Pro's arrive. They were greeted by Greg Schell of the Leafs and escorted up the ramp to the NHL Visiting team locker room by Security...not before every team hockey bag had to be opened and inspected prior to entering the building!
The biggest surprise of all was the Kitchener Jr. Rangers were the only team allowed in the NHL Visiting team locker room for the entire day! The boys were in awwwww and curious as to where Crosby or McDavid may sit when they prepare for a game against the Leafs! The locker room was absolutely huge, nothing less than you would expect from the greatest hockey league on earth. The showers were all marble with a therapy room off to the side, soaking tubs, massage tables, full medication cabinets and "wound repair area"...available to the teams that visit the ACC. It was pretty incredible to experience first hand.
Aiden enjoying one of the two large Goalie stalls, the size of something that three of our players would normally share...our Keepers think we need a renovation at Activa now!
The boys were off to dryland training where the Raptors practice! No parents or cameras were allowed in this restricted area, meant only for the team. Greg Schell was kind enough to snap this shot himself and send it to us...
Following dryland, much like our own game routine...it was time to dawn our Ranger pride colours and get ready to hit the ice. The team was able to walk the same path the Leafs walk to step on the ice. Passing by the Leaf Locker room and down the tunnel, the boys would experience the final word the Leaf's see prior to stepping out onto the ice surface... "COMPETE" was big and bold above their head's as they charged the ice. Finally, the time had arrived and the boys stepped onto the most pristine ice surface I have ever seen...it looked like a sheet of glass and nothing like I had ever seen before.
What an AMAZING day these fantastic boys got to experience and the look on their faces was what it is all about!!! I hope they never forget this special day...
