Families Come Out to See Devils in Canmore | FEATURE

The town of Canmore, Alberta is small and quaint but it’s also hockey mad.

The New Jersey Devils found that out first-hand on Sunday. After a day off in Banff, Alberta, the Devils made their way to the Canmore Community Rink where their 35-minute practice session was open to the public.

And the people of Canmore came out in droves.

Luckily for the kids, it was a Sunday practice, where there was no conflict with school and other activities. Instead, they could invest all their time in waiting for and watching some of their favorite NHL players.

“It’s awesome,” said long-time Devils fan Austin Davidson, who was at the arena with his wife and two young daughters, Autumn and Scarlett. “It’s going to be really exciting to see Jack Hughes and Nico Hischier and all those guys play.”

Kids lined the path from the Devils locker room area to the ice, ready with Sharpies in hand, pucks, jerseys and paper to sign. As each player stepped out of the locker room, they were greeted to cheers, applause and contagious excitement.

Not your typical practice.

“It’s cool, you just kind of think back, you were these kids once,” Devils captain Nico Hischier said. “It was fun. A lot of people here, fun to see how much they’re into hockey and show up for a practice like this. They’re still waiting here, it’s really cute.”

“It brings you back to when you were a child, going to these youth rinks,” Brett Pesce said. “Seeing all the little kids, it’s why we play the game. Just a cool experience.”

Families lined the boards of the glass as the Devils practiced for just over 35 minutes and once again, as the players stepped off the ice, the throngs of children leaned over one another to try and grab a photo, an autograph, and even some lucky ones were able to coax players into giving them their sticks.

Davidson brought with him the Prudential Center ticket he had from Brenden Shanahan’s last game in 2008-09, hoping to get it signed by one of the players from the time. Unfortunately, Martin Brodeur wasn’t on the trip, so it wasn’t signed, but just being there watching one of his favorite teams with his little girls was a perfect way to spend a Sunday.

“I wasn’t going to miss out on this chance,” he said.

Canmore has had, over the years, several teams pass by and fill their hockey arena, but this was the first time for the Devils. It didn’t matter though, as there wasn’t a player who walked by the kids who they didn’t know. The excitement was palpable and felt by all.

“Any time you can do this and involve the community, have them come out, it gives a little extra juice to the practice,” head coach Sheldon Keefe said. “A little reprieve from the schedule and something different.”