Imagine getting to meet your heroes. All of them. At once. Imagine meeting them as they are experiencing their moment of greatest euphoria. Imagine drinking champagne with them, celebrating a once-in-a-lifetime triumph. Imagine that some of them are shirtless.
For most of us, this is just a dream -- but not 32 year-old Ryan Kraft, a superfan of the Pittsburgh Penguins, who was on hand to see his team win the Stanley Cup. After watching his beloved Penguins defeat the Detroit Red Wings at Joe Louis Arena, an unbelievable opportunity presented itself (as reported by the Dayton Daily News):
"After the game ... [we] moved down a little closer to take some pictures. As we're shooting, the Penguins are skating around with the Cup, then taking a team photo. At this point, family members are let onto the ice.
"So I go over in position where a family member might be, and after about 15 minutes, (defenseman) Philippe Boucher skates over and points to the guy in front of me. When that guy raises his hand, I raise mine. The security guard sees both of us, opens the door and everyone just assumes I'm a relative.
"Once on the ice, it's open season. I have access to the tunnel back to the locker room and it's just a big celebration -- players everywhere, hanging out, playing music and spraying champagne.
"A couple players pick me up and swing me around. I'm spraying a bottle of champagne. Amazing."
Taking advantage of the post-game chaos, the 32 year-old former high school hockey star shot dozens of photos of himself meeting the players and people he grew up admiring -- including his hero, Penguins owner Mario Lemieux (who autographed a champagne bottle for him).
Click here to view the complete photo set, which culminates in Kraft hoisting the Stanley Cup over his head.
Your heroes are within reach. And so, apparently, are their giant trophies.
[Thanks to French Mailman for the story suggestion.]
And now the link:
http://www.daytondailynews.com/dayton-sports/centerville-grad-crashed-penguins-cup-party-231825.html
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