Dillon Dubé remembers a time, not so many years ago, when he waited anxiously with a long lineup of fans in Calgary to have his hockey jersey autographed by the one and only Sidney Crosby.
“I still have that,” the recently signed Calgary Flames player said with a smile of his treasured possession, which he pulled out for the Pittsburgh Penguins’ recent Stanley Cup run, but usually keeps tucked away in his closet.
“I don’t want it to fade.”
Last Friday, in the hallway of Cochrane’s Manachaban Middle School, Dubé again had a Sharpie at the ready … but this time, he was on the other side of the table while scores of teenagers waited – just as he had – to make their moment with the hometown hockey star.
“I’m a big fan of the Calgary Flames,” said 13-year-old BREANNA CHIPSEN, as she uploaded a photo of herself and Dubé onto her social media feeds.
“It’s just really exciting,” echoed Alex Bend, 14. “I watched him play on the World Juniors … it was pretty cool just seeing him on TV playing.”
Dubé wore his Team Canada jersey during the meet and greet and displayed the silver medal he and his team earned at the IIHF World Junior Championship in Montreal earlier this year.
The 5-foot-11, 186-pound forward – who was signed by the Calgary Flames to a three-year entry level contract in March – also had his Kelowna Rockets jersey on hand, for those fans following his WHL career there over the last three years.
For Dubé, one of the junior high school’s most famous alumni, the autograph session was as memorable for him as it was for the teens.
“It’s been pretty surreal,” Dubé said of scrawling his name on notebooks, rubber balls, pieces of paper – and even bare skin. “It feels like yesterday that I was in the hallways with Mr. Taylor.”
Mr. Frederick Taylor had Dubé in his Grade 8 homeroom class and was the one to organize the lunchtime visit, since he continues to keep in touch with the hockey player. During the session, Taylor helped out by cracking jokes for nervous tweens and taking photos on their cell phones.
He said he was thrilled to see so many kids engaging with Dubé, as he hoped the player’s presence would serve as an inspiration for the youth of Manachaban.
“I want the students here in the school to see that anything can happen … I want the kids to say, ‘Wow, you can make it if you work hard,’” said Taylor. “There’s the example – right there.”
Dubé has been back to Manachaban a few times since moving up the ranks of the professional hockey world, and said it’s important to him to give back and create those memories for fans – just like Sidney Crosby did for him when he was young.
“That was one of (my) coolest memories,” he said.
Grade 7 student Joshua Optland couldn’t have agreed more.
“I have seen him on TV and I just thought it would be nice to come see him,” said Optland, as he showed off a fresh Dillon Dubé signature – scrawled on the sleeve of his shirt.
“(I had him) sign on an article of clothing … so it lasts longer.”
