My 2015 sports field trip started with a stop in Las Vegas for the NHL Awards Show, south Florida for the Draft, baseball games in Pittsburgh/Philly with quick stops to visit friends in DC/NYC. Right before I left for Vegas, I checked to see if they had announced the presenters. I saw Bill Guerin on the list, so I tossed in my Team USA Guerin jersey in the off chance that I might run into him.
I felt like being silly and wore a suit. I immediately regretted that decision. I underestimated the walk from my hotel to the MGM Grand and it was a typical hot Vegas summer day.
View attachment 843158
The organizers made the curious decision to hire Daughtry to play a full set after the show. Once the awards ended, most of the crowd headed for the exits. They didn't want to embarrass the band by making them play in front of a sparse crowd, so they told everybody that they could come down to the floor where the players had been sitting. I didn't have anywhere else to be, so I headed down.
It only took a couple songs for me to affirm that Daughty wasn't my cup of tea. I walked up to a security guard to ask where the nearest exit was. But since the band was still playing, the security guard probably didn't hear me. She proceeded to escort me backstage since she must have assumed that since I was wearing a suit I must be with the NHL people.
View attachment 843160
I loitered backstage for like 30-45 minutes. I didn't have the nerve to strike up a conversation with anybody, but Elliotte Friedman did compliment my Guerin jersey after I took a photo for him and somebody. I was unable to run into Guerin. Players were generally just relaxing, although I seem to recall Jiri Hudler being a bit tipsy.
The amusing thing was there was a couple dozen fans by the private escalator outside of the backstage area. As I was coming up, I got a few confused looks like "Who is this guy?" I regret not offering to sign a couple autographs.
Couple days later I flew to Florida for the draft. I only saw Guerin from afar. Next leg of my trip was Pittsburgh and unexpectedly the entire Penguins staff was slumming it with me on Southwest. I walked on the plane and Guerin's sitting there first row. I knew it wasn't ideal to corner somebody on a plane to ask for an autograph, but eventually I worked up the nerve. Thankfully Guerin was more than accommodating, he even asked another staffer to fish out a Sharpie when mine didn't work. Might have just been me, but it almost seemed like he was admiring the jersey for a few moments while we were looking for the Sharpie. Like he held it out and reminisced briefly.
View attachment 843171
I ran into him later at baggage claim and chatted him up for another five minutes. He told me that his Salt Lake City jerseys had been stolen. I told him a story about running into a young Devils fan at the 2003 SCF named Guerin.