As sports fans, sometimes we forget that part of the whole experience dealing with loss. One of the hardest part about being a sports fan is seeing your favourite players leave, whetheer through a trade, free agency or retirement. Free agency and retirement are natural occurrences, and they tend not to hurt so much. Losing favourites through a trade, however, can be devastating.
It’s no secret that Taylor Hall was my favourite Oiler up until The Trade, and it’s taken me nearly 4 months to really come to grips with it. I knew intuitively that it wasn’t going to change the minute that it happened, but I wasn’t really ready for what that meant or how I would actually feel about seeing Hall in another jersey.
Last week, a friend of mine told me that I just needed to get over it (but he said I was well within reason to be annoyed that Kris Russell is now wearing #4 on the Oilers roster). I know he’s right, so I decided that I needed to be proactive about it. Watching the New Jersey Devils’ home opener was the salve I needed to really be able to put my feelings about the trade aside and acknowledge that what’s been done is done.
While I was watching the king of my heart (and everything) on TV, my friend (and Noted Taylor Hall fan) Kelsey was watching from her seat at the Prudential Center in Newark, NJ. She and her husband took a mini holiday to New York City and spent Tuesday night watching her favourite hockey player live.
I asked her a few questions about it, and she graciously answered them for me (before she got famous on NHL.com).
The Fan Experience (featuring Kelsey Styre)
What is your favourite Oiler memory involving Taylor Hall?
My favourite memory is the last game at Rexall back in April. It’s not necessarily a memory strictly of him but rather of the impact he has on a team (which was big, considering he had a 3-point night). The chemistry and sheer talent he had with his teammates in Edmonton was a true sight to behold, especially when there were so many old Oilers luminaries in the building. The explosive cheer the fans had for him during the extensive ceremony afterwards was really special as well. It was a game in which all fans felt very connected to the player’s and their performances.
Where were you when you found out that he was traded? What was your reaction?
It’s a really difficult experience when your favourite sports team trades your favourite player. Sports fandom requires an intense emotional attachment and investment to function, especially in players that they consider elite of franchise-making. I was driving home from my last day at a job that I really loved and was pretty emotional already. I can picture and re-live that moment exactly in my mind to this day. I was at 111th Avenue and Groat Road and I heard Adam McKale from 102.3 Now Radio announce it over the radio. I was in shock for the rest of the time it took me to get home. I promptly burst into tears and announced to myself and my stunned husband that we were Devils fans now. He, being the best husband there ever was, promptly agreed to whatever irrational thoughts I was having at that moment.
What prompted your trip to NJ for the game?
The trip was inspired by my husband, who had done a similar trip to see his favourite athlete Lebron James play in Cleveland. Due to extenuating circumstances we weren’t able to do any travelling in the summer like we wanted to, so we had been thinking of an Eastern US trip for Christmas or New Years, with New York, Chicago, or Boston as our ideal destinations. We had a four day period of time off unexpectedly open up and decided to do some research about who we could see and what we could do. He found a great flights and hotel deal through West Jet & Airmiles to New York & New Jersey and I was absolutely delighted and shocked that great tickets were available for the home opener (that would not happen in Edmonton), and that clinched our booking for NY&NJ over those other destinations. We had talked about travelling to see Hall play, but our spontaneous booking was probably the only way we could have made it happen this year. Full disclosure, I already have tickets to his triumphant return to Edmonton in January!
Were you at all nervous about wearing an ‘enemy’ jersey at The Rock? What kind of reception did you get from Devils fans?
I was extremely nervous about wearing my Hall jersey, altered as it was, to a Devils game. Especially since it wasn’t even a jersey for the opposing team, but a weird third jersey that had hockey tape and crappy drawings and illegible words on it. To say the fans were suspicious of us was a definite understatement. Imagine walking into a room of thousands of people in matching red shirts and you are the only person in orange. Once they saw our sign that explained how far we had come and why, the fans were really supportive. We had pictures taken with us as if we ourselves were celebrities. People chatted to us in between periods about Edmonton and how Jersey was treating us. It was a really tense and then comforting experience.
What was the best part of the game?
Honestly, it was probably his first goal, and the sheer exuberant joy the crowd had when he scored it. He’s already made an pretty intense impression in New Jersey, as we saw so many fans had already purchased Hall merchandise ahead of the game.
What was your initial reaction to seeing Hall’s tweet to you?
Unfortunately I had my phone on airplane mode for most of Wednesday to save on US Data, and I honestly never expected a tweet or response from Hall or the Devils organization at all. We were really just there to have a good time, experience a new arena, and support my fave athlete. When I finally turned my phone back on I was immediately hit with numerous texts in all caps demanding a response to what had happened on twitter. I checked my twitter, which crashed immediately and repeatedly due to the sheer amount of notifications and traffic I was getting, and was pretty delighted to see a response. I thought Hall’s response was pretty classy and cool especially since it was a QT and not just a reply. I really didn’t expect the Devils themselves to offer me a Jersey. I’m not 100% sure how it all happened but pretty sure I have Julie Robenhymer who works for the Devils and made it happen for me. Many people texted to ask me if I was dead or in a heart attack or coma, but I was pretty flattered and touched by the response by the fans more than Hall himself. It was an overwhelming positive reaction from people who thought it was a cool thing to do or had seen us at the game. I saw the tweet, had a good chuckle and silent fist pump to the heavens, and high-fived my husband for helping to make a memorable dream come true type of trip happen!
Anything else you want to share?
I just want my twitter feed to go back to its normal anonymity please and thank you. Also, Megan is the best hockey writer in a middling Canadian sports town.
Coming Up
I’d like to thank Kelsey for her candor, and allowing me to use her photos in this piece (and for calling me a hockey writer).
Stay tuned for the next edition of The Fan Experience, featuring an Oilers fan who travelled to Winnipeg for the Heritage Classic.
If you’ve got a perspective you’d like to share, let me know via twitter (@mig14) or email ([email protected])
Add The Sports Daily to your Google News Feed!
