"I love it," he said. "They are always polite and it's great to see how excited they get when they find out it's me. Their reaction is always so priceless because they just can't believe that they are meeting me in person."
"I always bring little post-cards of me with Benny the Bear so that if people ask for autographs I'm prepared and it just makes them so happy."
A long time hockey fan who coached his son's teams, Barge was overjoyed when the Flames came north to our city and promptly marched down to the Stampede Corral where they set up a both to purchase season tickets.
"I got one ticket and I was the 337th ticket sold that day," Barge said. "I was so thrilled and couldn't contain my excitement. My family asked 'why can't we go, too?' so I went the next day to get one more so they could alternate."
To him, it feels just like yesterday that he watched his first Flames game.
"That first home game against Quebec I remember seeing them skate onto the ice and I was in tears," he recalled. "I got so emotional because it really hit me that this was our team."
The memories that Barge has had since have been many and memorable, feeling nostalgic whenever players such as Lanny McDonald or Mike Vernon are mentioned.
His all-time favourite moment didn't take place on the ice, but rather a unique situation off-ice with the players that made him feel a part of the team.
"I remember one day I was contacted by the organization to go put on a show for the players and their kids," he explained. "Of course I went down and brought Benny the Bear and it was unbelievable. I was in awe meeting the players and I remember Lanny brining his kid up and said 'look who it is, it's Buck Shot'!
"It made me feel so humble, it was incredible."
The names and faces of the players may have changed over the years, but one thing that Barge has always admired about the team is the fact that they always gave it their all, no matter the outcome.
"Not every game is going to be a perfect game, not every game will end in a win, but their compete level is always there," he said. "They always try and pick each other up when something goes wrong or a mistake is made and have each other's back no matter what."
