Hundreds of Carey Price fans and Canadiens supporters came to the Videotron Center on Saturday, where the goalie signed autographs as part of a promotional activity organized by the Pee-Wee Tournament.
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Hundreds of Carey Price fans and Canadiens supporters came to the Videotron Center on Saturday, where the goalie signed autographs as part of a promotional activity organized by the Pee-Wee Tournament.
One of the first supporters in line this morning, Marie-Ève Ménard, was moved to tears after meeting her idol. Price was not supposed to autograph personal items, but he did put his signature on the Canadiens jersey brought by Ms. Ménard.
A special sweater in his eyes: it was the last present offered to him by his grandfather, who has since died. He gave it to her in 2008, in the first season of number 31 in the blue-white-red uniform.
“I explained to him the meaning of my sweater and he said he was sorry for me, but that he was happy to sign it for me,” said Ms. Ménard, who was still wiping away tears after this meeting that she been waiting for years.
Price was supposed to start the signing session around 1:15 p.m., but the goaltender was slightly late because he was doing the ceremonial face-off for a game before going upstairs.
Never mind: the Vezina Trophy winner was greeted by cheers from his fans when the elevator doors opened.
Some of them, including many children, had been in line since 8:00 a.m. this morning.
This was particularly the case of Hélène Leblanc who had made the trip early from the South Shore of Quebec, Saturday morning. “I only slept four hours last night! I really didn’t want to miss it, ”launched the fan, dressed in a blue hoodie adorned with the Canadiens logo.
“He’s been with the team for so many years. He’s been there since I started following hockey. For me, it’s a real one. We don’t choose the team that picks us up, but he decided to stay with the Canadiens for all these years. For me, it’s made a Quebecer. »
About 250 people will be able to get an autograph from Price this afternoon. At noon, the organization of the Pee-Wee Tournament announced that they would no longer accept anyone in line. But some fans joined in, hoping Price would stay a little longer.