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February 22, 2007
Don't stop believing
If I was in Patrick Kaleta's shoes, I would most likely be pooping my pants right about now:
Patrick Kaleta had just finished watching his favorite hockey team win, and he decided it was time to go to bed. Then came the phone call that changed the sleep schedule for people throughout Western New York.
Kaleta received word at 10:45 Tuesday night that he was the latest player called up to the Buffalo Sabres. For someone who grew up in Angola wearing blue-and-gold shirts and dreaming of playing for his hometown team, that was news that had to be shared.
So Kaleta called his dad, Tom, told him to get ready to watch his son make his NHL debut for the team they adore. Then he called a few buddies. Then he called a few more. Meanwhile, Tom was calling his friends and Patrick's old coaches.
"I think I was up for a good five hours after that," Patrick Kaleta said Wednesday. "I was calling everybody, just pumped up."
Imagine the feelings they will have tonight. Kaleta will become just the third Western New Yorker to play for the Sabres, debuting in front of his family and friends in HSBC Arena as the Ottawa Senators come to town.
"It's all coming at me at once, and it's hard to take in," the 20-year-old said. "But basically, it's a dream come true.
"It's always been a dream of mine just to be a part of this organization. When they drafted me I was thrilled. Now this, this is a pretty big accomplishment."
My favorite part about the story is that he's from Angola. I have never been to Angola proper, but I've been to its rest stop many times. Angola is about 20 miles from Buffalo, and every time we would drive to Buffalo, we'd stop in Angola, where New York State had built a rest area with a Denny's and a McDonald's inside it.
However, everything was on the westbound side of the Thruway, so in order to get to the McDonald's, they had put an enclosed walkway over the road. My brothers and I would spend a good 15 minutes standing in the middle of the walkway over the interstate, waving at the cars passing beneath us and occasionally getting a trucker to blare his horn. If you leaned up right against the window it felt like you were hanging over the edge, ready to drop onto the Thruway. We'd stop there even if we didn't need to. That's what I think about every time I hear about Angola. I bet it's annoying that the only reason any one has ever heard of your hometown is because of a rest stop.
entry no. 757
Posted by oz115 at February 22, 2007 09:10 AM