While this is technically a sponsored post because Air Canada asked me to write about my experience in Tampa Bay this weekend, it’s honestly a little bit more than that for me.
This has been a difficult couple seasons for the Ottawa Senators.
High-profile departures, off-ice drama and what feels like a never-ending stream of negativity and bad news. In a results-based occupation, that just comes with the territory. When you win, everyone is happy. And when you don’t, well then the opposite is true.
And if you sit there on social media or on a website like this one, you can sort of get caught up in it. You can forget why you follow a particular team in the first place. You can forget some of the things that make pro sports so special.
This weekend in Tampa Bay, for a couple days anyway, I remembered.
Before I get into what made this experience so unique, I’ll give you a bit of context.
The Air Canada Fan Flight program is aimed at creating exciting in-arena moments and rewards for fans by organizing a trip to see their favourite Canadian team play on the road.
As part of this initiative, they also identify what they call a Mark Maker. This is someone who has made a positive impact on the community around them.
In Ottawa, that was a young girl named Nisrene Darwiche.
I told you a little bit about Nizzy here. Her story is so inspiring and highlights the incredible things young people are doing to improve the world around them. A leader in every sense of the word, Nizzy continues to give back to her community in countless ways including volunteering with people with special needs, teaching hockey to new Canadians and promoting awareness of youth mental health issues.
And this past weekend, Air Canada sent Nizzy and her family, along with eight other lucky winners (including one anonymous blogger) on the trip of a lifetime.
It was a whirlwind weekend. Leave the arctic-like temperatures of Ottawa behind on Friday. Arrive in Tampa Bay that night, morning skate on Saturday, Sens/Lightning later that evening and then back to Ottawa on Sunday morning.
On a trip full of highlights (incredible weather, jerseys, prizes, ridiculously nice hotel, dinners, etc) it was the morning skate that kind of stuck with me.
Air Canada had arranged front row seats to watch the Senators practice.
That alone would have been pretty cool but there was more. A tour of locker room (no logo to step on this time), the opportunity to chat with team employees, a meet and greet with Marc Crawford and a chance to talk with a few of players.
Keep in mind that this is Saturday, as in the day after the organization made the decision to change their Head Coach. And less than a week after a fairly dramatic trade deadline.
And honestly, they could not have been nicer. They could not have been more professional. Above and beyond doesn’t even begin to describe it.
On their way off the ice, every single player stopped to talk. Every single one of them took pictures, signed autographs, and gave away sticks. Mark Borowiecki took a picture with the group. Christian Wolanin, a healthy scratch that night, stuck around to chat. Rob Cookson came out with a couple of sticks to give away but only if you could answer some Mikkel Boedker trivia questions first.
Marc Crawford, moments after his first practice and media availability as Head Coach, came out to meet the group. Shook every single person’s hand.
Along with Nizzy, there were two other young Sens fans along for the ride and the looks on their faces, as they met their heroes was honestly something I won’t soon forget.
In a season where the on-ice results haven’t always been there, it was a much-needed reminder of the important role these guys still play away from the rink.
What really jumped out was not just the reactions of these young Sens fans, a couple of them with tears in their eyes, but just how genuinely nice every single player and member of the staff was under difficult circumstances.
That connection, between young fans and players, that’s what it’s all about. And that’s the experience the Air Canada Fan Flight created this weekend.
It brought me back to a time when I was younger, when an opportunity to meet with a player would have been a life-changing experience.
This was a weekend that I will always remember. And maybe not for the reasons I expected.
The weather was incredible, the food was great and the game was…umm fine. But it was the looks on the kid’s faces that reminded me what makes an NHL team so special.
Thanks to the people at Air Canada for inviting me along for this once-in-a-lifetime trip.
Also, in related news, I am moving to Tampa Bay effective immediately.
