That Time I FaceTimed Joe Sakic

Some people are Swifties. I'm a Sakicie.. yeah, I hate that, too. I'll workshop it.

Dater living his best New Hampshire life in the background.

It’s funny to see when Dater gets fans all riled up on Twitter (never calling it X!) and people start to take shots at him, personally and professionally. I understand it because fans are always the smartest person in the room and take opinions regarding their favorite team very seriously.

I know, because I am like that, too.

What’s funny to me when people start taking shots at him and calling him names is how he can be so unbelievably thoughtful without even thinking about it. Those taking the shots don’t see that. They don’t know that because he doesn’t show them.

But Adrian also gave me one of my life’s core memories because he knew that in that moment, I needed it.

This isn’t going to be an ass-kissing article in the hope of getting a few extra bucks in my monthly payment (although I wouldn’t say no…). No, this is going to be a story about how in one of the most emotional moments of my life, Dater gave me one of the most memorable moments of my life.

A backstory: I met Dater through a mutual friend. Dater grew up in the Upper Valley of New Hampshire and Vermont, a place I called home for 10 years. It’s special and if you’ve ever had the good fortune of living there, you understand that it’s different. It gets in you and becomes part of your fabric, no matter where you go after leaving. Dater’s childhood friend Chris was a co-worker of my wife’s at the VA hospital in White River Junction and ended up living two streets away from us in Lebanon on the New Hampshire side (the correct side) of the river between the states.

Well, let me go back a bit. A few years before, I had sent AD a DM on Twitter through the Dartmouth men’s hockey account after he commented on a post about Thompson Arena. I asked him to write something about his childhood experiences in one of college hockey’s classic arenas. That was how we first interacted. He wrote a great article in only a few minutes and had it posted the following day.

We became more connected through Chris and ended up becoming friends, giving Dater a tour of Thompson’s underbelly when he came up to visit friends and family one time. He even wrote a story about how I used to leave a seat in the press box for Joe Sakic at every Dartmouth home game (and select road games depending on how fun the opposing sports information director was) for two seasons.

But my tenure at Dartmouth came to an end in 2021 after, as a family, we decided to move back to southern New Hampshire to be closer to my family and for my wife to begin a new journey in her professional career, a career that pays significantly more than mine. So, following a canceled hockey season (thanks for putting in the effort to play, Ivy League), I left a job I loved for the unknown.

What was even harder than leaving my job with the Big Green was leaving our first home. It was the house we brought our kids home to after being born. I DIY’d the crap out of that place and I loved it. So many unforgettable memories took place there. So much of who I had been the past six years and the identity of our family I believed was there.

I am an emotional guy. Songs make me cry. Reading to my kids tugs at my heartstrings. Looking at my elderly and very sick dog and best friend lately causes my eyes to water as we prepare for the inevitable. So the last night at that home was tough for me.

I got a text from Dater saying that he was at Chris’ house just a few minutes walk away. I should have stayed home and kept packing, but I didn’t know when I would see AD again, so I made the short trek over. When I got there, he, Chris and Chris’ partner talked me into a few beers and a lobster I believe. Sure! Why not?

We talked for a while about life, the move, Dartmouth, the Avs and hockey in general. I was struggling with the move and probably didn’t do a great job hiding it. For a while, Dater was on his phone texting away. And he started to get more and more animated in his conversation when he would look up from the screen.

After a while, he stops our conversation and announces, “Joe Sakic is calling.” 

If you’ve ever heard Dater get really loud and animated, you know that his voice and volume can overpower a conversation. I was a bit taken back… and maybe a bit tipsy, so I had no idea what to expect.

The phone rings again.

“Hey.” I heard over the FaceTime call.

I freeze. I might be dead. Am I dead? I only had like five IPAs, so I’m pretty sure this is real. 

“Hey Joe! He’s right here if you want to talk to him.”

“Yeah, pass him the phone.”

No! Don’t pass me the phone! I’m wearing an Avs shirt and hat (as per usual) and he’s going to think I’m an obsessed psycho (I am)!

And then the phone was passed over to me…

What followed was five of the greatest unexpected minutes of my life. From what I remember (I may have blacked out a bit… not totally from the beers), he told me that Dater was texting him about how I was leaving Dartmouth and moving the following day with no job lined up for the future. I do remember him saying, “if you need anything in terms of help with a job, let me know and I’ll see what I can do.”

Ok, JOE SAKIC… if I need help with my future employment, I will definitely use you. 

He was grilling in his backyard and we had a solid conversation where I most likely fanboy’d a bit to him about how cool the 2001 season was. Picture the old “The Chris Farley Show” sketches on SNL where I probably said something like, “Hey Joe, remember that time you won the Stanley Cup and immediately gave it to Ray Bourque? That was awesome.

Mr. Sakic knew about my ongoing pressbox gag from Dan Hinote, who had texted him a picture of it while as an assistant with the USNTDP in the fall of 2018. So he told me he was disappointed I couldn’t get his kids into school there.

Stanley Cup Champion Dan Hinote sits in Joe Salic’s press box seat. One of only a handful of exceptions ever made for that seat.

Needless to say, It was a surreal experience. 

Everyone has one celebrity/athlete who is “their guy.” For me, it has been and always will be Joe Sakic. My favorite athlete growing up, he remains my favorite player to this day. And as someone who is still so integral to the foundation of my favorite team, Sakic continues to be an important figure in my life. I don’t care that I’m 39. Joe Sakic is still my guy.

That was three years ago tonight. It’s a special memory for me because of how important he was to me growing up. But more than that, that night and that phone call helped turn what was a depressing and emotionally charged evening of dread into a cherished memory. 

My wife sent me the video of me on the call that Chris recorded for me (I’ll keep that one just for me) to remind me of that night with the accompanying text, “I’m packing the kids room crying and you’re talking to your childhood hero.”

Was all that worthy of more than 1,200 words? Maybe not. But it’s a cool story.

So is he a pot stirrer? Sure. But is Dater also an awesome friend? Definitely.

From sad (to slightly drunk) to elated. Thanks to Joe Sakic… but mostly Adrian Dater.