FOO'S NHL DEBUT A FAMILY AFFAIR

Postal code/area code/geographical allegiances aside, Diane Foo has had no misgivings whatever slipping back into the red-and-white motif she used to favour.
"I actually grew up in Calgary,'' Spencer Foo's mom is saying, from the family home in Edmonton. "So when John and I got together as a couple, we had a little rivalry going. I was a big Flames' fan, he was a big Oilers' fan.
"My dad was a huge Flames' fan, too. Jim Peplinski. Lanny. That's probably where I got it from.
"Over the years, living in Edmonton and raising our boys here, I had to convert a little bit to the Oilers' side, I guess.
"But now with Spencer in Calgary …"
Making the three-hour trek south on Saturday morning the Foo family will be out in force for Spencer's inaugural NHL bow against - insert sublime symmetry here - his hometown Oilers.

"Honestly, from the very beginning, from three or four, he's never doubted that he'd play professional hockey, that'd he'd play in the NHL,'' says Diane who, along with husband John runs a teacher-resources company - Education Station - in Edmonton.
"Every ounce of his energy has been put towards that goal.
"I actually said to him last year when he signed with the Flames: 'Man, Spencer who would've ever thought?'
"And he said: 'Mom, I always thought.'"
The most-sought after college free-agent option available last summer, wooed by many organizations including the Oilers, choosing Calgary option would seem an ideal compromise, in a sense, for Foo: not near enough to be weighed down by the innate burdens of being the hometown kid but near enough to be close.
"We would've travelled anywhere in the league, anywhere in the world, for this game,'' says Diane. "But now aunties and uncles and cousins and brothers and grandparents are going to get to go, too, which is amazing.
"He's very analytical. He's never been one to be the centre of attention. He's a pretty low-key, humble guy. The pressure of playing for his hometown team was, in a way, a little bit of a deterrent. He prefers to be a little bit under the radar.
"But, obviously, we were so excited when he chose Calgary."

Brothers Braden and Parker are on the Saturday junket. Uncle James. Grandparents. Additional family members.
"A little convoy,'' is how Diane describes the troupe heading down Highway 2 early in the morning.
Parker, a 2017 fifth-round draft pick of the Chicago Blackhawks, has followed in big brother's footsteps and currently plays at Union College. It just so happened the Dutchmen's season ended and owing to a few shoulder issues, the rookie left winger flew to New York for surgery on Tuesday.
"We brought him home to recover,'' says Diane. "So to have him here, too - Braden lives here in Edmonton - and able to attend Spencer's first NHL game, with the family, is really special."
Off one practice, Friday, the man in charge liked what he saw in the newcomer.
"You could see the speed,'' praised coach Glen Gulutzan. "The NHL's kinda changing here a little bit. These guys that can move, have skill, are being effective players.
"It took him awhile in the American league to get up and running. He had, what, two goals in his first 20 games? But he's got 17 in the second half.
"So he's adapted there very quickly. Kinda fast-tracked himself. So it's good for him to come up, play a few games and see what he can do at this level."
The second half of the AHL season, as Gulutzan mentioned, has seen a quantum leap in Foo's play.

"He knew from the start that it was a big step to take,'' says John. "He understood he had to go and learn the pro game. He was good with that.
"Beginning of the season, he was going through the process, taking things in and learning. There's still a lot of learning to do, obviously.
"But as his confidence grew in Stockton, he kind of came to the realization: 'Okay, it's Go Time now. Time to bring it.'
"He talked to (Luke) Gadzic and (Rod) Pelley, all the veterans on the Stockton team, the guys who've been in the pro game a long time, in the NHL, and they've been so good in mentoring him."
For Foo, this opportunity represents both the realization of a lifelong quest, and a beginning. A fella, after all, never gets a second chance to make a boffo first impression.
"There's so many good players here. You see superstars everywhere. But if you're out there, just tiptoeing around those guys, you're not going to get anywhere.
"I want to make an impact.
"I grew up watching the Battle of Alberta. It's going to be special to be a part of it."
And the feeling of being able to share the debut with his nearest and dearest?
"Just happiness. My parents have been on this ride with me. It's been a long time coming."
That time, the moment an entire family has long envisioned - and Spencer Foo never doubted would arrive - is at hand.
"It hard not to be teary about it for me, for sure,'' confesses Diane. "I've been teary about it the last few days, to be honest.
"You think of your own kid and that this will be a dream realized for them. How much they've gone through, how hard they've worked, the ups and the downs, the sacrifices - moving away from home at a young age, giving up family and friends and girlfriends, other opportunities - that they make because of the passion they have for the game.
"The dream doesn't come true for other kids that work every bit as hard as our son has.
"For us, to see that dream realized, we couldn't be more proud."