Even before the puck was dropped in the first game of the 2008 TELUS Cup, there was a big buzz in the air at the Nick Smith Centre in Arnprior.
Patrick Roy, who was an all-star in the NHL for Montreal and Colorado, is in Arnprior watching his son, Frederick, who competes for the Blizzard Du Seminaire Saint-Francois.
The elder Roy definitely was causing the buzz as fans swarmed him for autographs.
It was awesome to see old and young fans a like patiently wait for Roy's famous mark.
It showed that there's no generation gaps between hockey fans who are six or 60.
Roy, to his credit and in-between phone calls, was gracious and signed autographs for any fans seeking his signature.
Even Sudbury Nickel Capital Wolves assistant coach Larry Bedard waded into the scrum and got Roy's autograph on a TELUS Cup program.
The smile on Bedard's face was priceless after getting the autograph.
It was a real emotional moment of the day, and also showed that not all the drama and important things happen on the ice, but off the ice too.
Myself, being a huge hockey fan, I found it neat to be in the presence of such a truly great goalie - maybe the best goalie of all time.
I didn't shove any fans out of the way to get Roy's autograph. I didn't need to.
Just the experience of watching Roy and hockey fans interact was good enough for me and something I will remember for a long time.
I have a few friends and family members who idolized Roy when he played, and I'm sure they'll want to slap me for not getting his autograph.
Oh well, to each their own.
The action is about to break loose for Sudbury as it just mere hours before they take on the Ottawa Valley Titans.
Stay tuned to NorthernLife.ca for updates, columns and stories as Sudbury goes for the national title.
