DREAM COME TRUE

Only those who know Dan Joyce Sr. have heard him sing.
In his hometown of Saint John, N.B., it's not uncommon for the locals to hear him hold a tune at Sunday church choir, at a local bar, or while he's working in his garage fixing cars at his day job as a mechanic.
Saturday night when the Flames hosted the Montreal Canadiens for the annual Hockey Fights Cancer Night, many more hard his voice as he sang the national anthem by video prior to puck drop.

"It's been a lifelong dream of his to sing the anthem for the Flames," his son Dan Joyce Jr. said. "He never wanted anything in the world but this and he'll be talking about it for years to come.
"His presence in our city is well known, he's really popular and known for being an honest, hard-working guy. Everyone knows how much it means to him being such a die-hard Flames fan and thrilled for him to have this opportunity.
"We really can't thank the Flames organization enough for this special once-in-a-lifetime moment."
Joyce Sr. was diagnosed with cancer last year, news that shook the whole family. His son knew that it was going to be a long and tough battle and that his father would need something to keep his mind off of it.
He figured it didn't hurt to ask if it was possible to make his dad's dream come true.
"I honestly didn't expect anything out of it, but when I was told yes I was over the moon." Joyce Jr. said. "When I told him the news he was shocked and said 'you're joking' but when I told him I was 100% serious he was absolutely thrilled.
"We've been trying to keep it quiet until the game was officially confirmed and I've compared my mom to being a kid snooping in the closet around Christmas with her trying to keep it on the down low for a surprise for everyone else. The more people find out, they call to ask if it's real and it's just amazing to have the community rally behind this.
"Cancer has really been an eye-opener for us to cherish everything and appreciate good health. It's really gotten us to relate to other people and families who face the similar battle. It's a great for the Flames and other teams to organize a night like this and raise money for research. Just to have the support and knowing that we aren't alone in this fight is huge."
Joyce Sr. has sung since he was a child but it wasn't until a local radio station pulled a prank on him years ago with the help of one of his friends that really got him to embrace it.
It was around the time when the Stockton Heat of the AHL were formerly the Saint John Flames, that his friend contacted the radio station to get them to prank him in thinking that he was auditioning to be their anthem singer.
"There was no hesitation when they called and asked him to sing that he belted it out and everyone got a good laugh out of it because they all know him," Joyce Jr. said. "It was funny because when they told him it was a prank after he said 'just you watch one day I will for real' and as fate would have it a couple weeks later people actually called from the Saint John Flames. They must have heard him on the station and told him to head down to Harbour Station to have a real audition. They liked what they heard and from there he sang for them four times and claims that they never lost when he did.
"He never really was singer for hire but after that it launched his career. It's almost his full time job now because he leaves work every day to go sing and people love his voice."
The family were season-ticket holders for the Saint John Flames for years and were in attendance when the club won the Calder Cup in 2001. The connection with the Calgary Flames grew from there with Joyce Sr. growing a liking to legend Jarome Iginla the more he watched him play.
Since then, they have been huge supporters.
"He really is the prime example of being a die-hard fan," Joyce Jr. said. "I remember we went to a store four months ago for car parts and there was a Flames floor mat at the checkout and said 'this is the nicest floor mat I've ever seen' and bought it right there. Flames games are on late here but if its prime time we will sit to watch them with that mat right in front of the TV.
"Last year I actually had work training in Calgary and I thought it would be great to get him out of his nest, he doesn't like to travel but we convinced him because we knew it would be a good experience to watch a game live. It was the Battle of Alberta so it was the perfect game to attend and when we got to the Saddledome, he was a kid in a candy store looking at everything and took so many pictures."
There's no doubt that Saturday night was be a memorable moment for the entire family and also the community back home.
For all that Joyce Sr. has done for everyone, it's time for him to take centre stage.
"He's giving us everything growing up and even now," Joyce Jr. said. "He works 16 hours day every day even through his treatment at the same garage he's owned for 44 years. He's such a selfless man and is always looking to help other people out, if he won a million dollars he would give it all away to charity because that's just who he is.
"We're so grateful that this all came together and we will cherish it forever. It'll be surreal to see him on the broadcast when we watch the game and he is so deserving of this moment."