Third Annual
Skate With the Hurricanes
Charity Promotion

(Index and Links to Photos)

Most photos that I'm in were taken by my sister, who finally got to go this year. Yay! If I'm not in them at all, there's a pretty good chance that I was on the other side of the lens for those few. And if both Julie and I are in it, well, I guess someone else took the picture. :)

Highlights of the afternoon?

• Getting there early and being one of the first few people in line this year (not to mention that they let us wait inside this year, unlike last year, when by the time I got in the door I was a human popsicle);

• Not missing Archie Irbe skating on the ice, it was close, but we got there just before the buzzer went off signifying the "changing of the guard" and managed to get in a few quick photos;

• Being told by Paul Ranheim that I actually skated pretty good for someone who only skates once a year;

• The great photo op to start off the day by finding Sean "Look Ma, no black eyes this year!" Hill and Martin Gelinas scheduled first on the agenda to do the Polaroids. (See the Polaroid from 1998 below for the "black eyes" reference. Sean had just recently gone face first into the boards that year, and was still all banged up when the photo was taken...)

• Oh, and the fact that the whole event was held at the Entertainment and Sports Arena (ESA) this year instead of at the IcePlex. I LOVED the IcePlex, but it was too crowded there to hold something of this magnitude. And this way we got to skate on NHL ice, which was kinda neat. :)

Lowlights of the afternoon?

• Getting there early, being one of the first people in line, only to have them change then entrance doors at the last minute, letting the people who got there MINUTES before in before the people who stood there for over a $#!!@$! hour (thanks a lot, guys! just how many years IS it going to take for you to get organized?).

• And while on the ice, getting this response from Paul Coffey after asking politely if he would stand for a photo - "I'll be out here for 40 minutes, can we do this later?" Fine. Needless to say, I opted to NOT go back and ask him a second time. I had better things to do with my time then to hound someone for a photo who obviously didn't care to be on the ice in the first place. On the bright side, how many people can actually say they were snubbed by a future Hall of Famer. :) But in my mental ranking of favorite players, let's just say he's bottom feeding right about now.

But all in all, once again I'd say a good time was had by all. And yet again, I can't WAIT until next year.

You can click the links below individually to see each photo one at a time, or click here to have them all load on one page (it may take awhile, so have patience). For my sister's take on the afternoon (and to see the photos that I shot of HER), just click HERE.

The Players:

• Arturs Irbe (and me)

• Paul Ranheim (and me)

• Jeff O'Neill (and me)

• Eric Fichaud (and me, notice a trend here? :^) )

• Stormy (and me)

• Andrei Kovalenko (and me)

• Bates Battaglia (and me, one of my favorite shots)

• David Tanabe (and me)

• Sean Hill (and me, another one of my favorites)

• Tommy Westlund (and me)

• Martin Gelinas (and me)

• Sami Kapanen (and me)

• Robert Kron (and me)

• "Paul Coffey" (and me)

Miscellaneous:

• The Zamboni (and me <LOL>)

• My sister Julie and me on said Zamboni

• The ESA, from a Zamboni's eye-view (that's Martin Gelinas on the right next to the kids)

• The ESA, from up in the stands, when nobody is there (and please no jokes like "Well, isn't that how it USUALLY looks?" <LOL>)

• Me, sitting in the "Sin Bin"

My Polaroid Collection (these are the ones that are included in the price of admission):

• Skate With The Players (SWP) 2000: Sean Hill, me, and Martin Gelinas

• SWP 1999: Arturs Irbe and me

• SWP 1998: Kent Manderville, me, Jeff Brown, and Sean Hill (note the afore mentioned black eyes. Ouch!)

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