I was more excited than I was nervous.
It was my first National Hockey League Game, Oct. 7, 1995, in Winnipeg with the Jets. We were playing the Dallas Stars, and I couldn’t wait to walk onto the ice with my teammates – NHL teammates.
One of my favorite parts of playing hockey is hearing the national anthems while standing on the blue line quietly as I think about the upcoming game, pray and say thanks. I’ll never forget this particular ritual, gazing up at the portrait of Queen Elizabeth II and realizing, “I’m an NHLer.”
We won the game 7-5, and it felt surreal.