Colin's

Oliver

Ekman-Larsson

Hockey Card & Memorabilia Collection

...and so much more!

My name is Colin and I am now 14 years old. I live just outside of Toronto, Canada and my favorite hockey player is Oliver Ekman-Larsson. People have asked me, "Why Ekman-Larsson?". Well, when I was 6 years old and was just starting to get into hockey, my favorite team was the Arizona Coyotes. I loved the howling Coyote head on the Jersey. When it came to picking my favorite player, my Dad said OEL was the best player on the team. My Great Grandmother was born in Sweden, the same country OEL was born in.

With the help of my Dad, we made this website to show off my OEL hockey card collection and it also helps my Dad figure out which OEL cards I already have. I have now started adding other things OEL releated because I am not finding as many cards since I have so many. I am always on the look out for any OEL cards I don't have so if you have something I might need, please send me an e-mail. Thanks for looking and I hope you like my site!

OEL Physical Card Count:

*** 926 ***

(Total including Digital Cards and Stickers = 1,190)

The Belt!

December 5th 2025

It was reall nice seeing OEL getting the Belt last night. I thouight there were a couple times that he was deserving of it but its nice to get recognized for his work on the ice even if it dosent result in points on the scoresheet. Great Job OEL and Congrats.

OEL Off the Ice

November 30th 2025

One thing I enjoy about the Maple Leafs is their Social Media Team and the photos they take when the players are not on the ice. I usually check daily for pictures of all the Leafs and it's always a highlight when they feature OEL. I already know that OEL is into fasion so he always looks good off the ice. I also enjoy some of the other odd photos like working out in the gym and customizing his equipment.

Latest Addition

November 26th 2025

Was really excited to get this card today. It is a really thick card and it has a piece of memorabillia that I have never gotten in a card before which is a piece of OEL's Skate! The card is only limited to 15 and I love the fact that he is wearing a Maple Leafs Jersey. The picture does not do it justice. It's a pretty heavy weighted card as well. An excellent addition to my collection.

Tack OEL!

October 24th 2025

So my Dad and I went down to Buffalo to see the Leafs take on the Sabres since it's much cheaper than tickets in Toronto. The only complaint is the 2 hour drive but its not too bad. I am so glad that we went because it was a very special night. I have an OEL stick for every team he has played for including the Coyotes, Canucks and Panthers however, I didn't have one from the Leafs. I made an OEL sign like I always do and I had a check mark for all the sticks I had from each team with a check mark missing for the Leafs. I still feel a little weird asking for a stick since OEL has been so good to me with sticks and warm-up pucks he has given to me over the years. That being said, OEL help me complete my collection by giving me a signed stick. I am so excited to add this to my collection.

As for the game, the Leafs ended up losing but OEL did get 2 assists in the game. Having seats in the second row allowed me to see a lot of OELs game and the grit he brings to the team.

The night was a little bittersweet for me because I realize that maybe I am getting a little bit too old for getting warm up pucks. I feel bad that I would get a puck rather than a kid that is much younger than me. I have gotten a lot of pucks over the years and I know how it made me feel to get one. I am always going to go down to the glass during warm-ups so I can at least get a fist pump between the glass from OEL. If I do end up getting one, I am going to give it to a little kid who is maybe going to their first Leafs game.

Photos of the stick will be coming soon and will be available in the "Game Used Sticks" section of my website.

New Addition

October 22nd 2025

Got a few cards in today from COMC which is a website that people use to sell their cards. There are still some nice very limted cards I don't have but they are out of my price range. Who knows, maybe the price will eventually go down. I'm going to lead with the best card that I got which is a very rare card. Not quite a 1 of 1 but this one is limited to only 3. I always like getting these ultra rare cards in my collection. The funny thing about this card is they are just using the laundry tags in the Jersey. I guess they will put anything in a card, make it limited. Tomorrow I will sjow off a couple more.

Go Jays Go!

October 22nd 2025

As a Baseball player myself and a Toronto sports fan, I am super excited to see that the Toronto Blue Jays are going to the World Series to play the LA Dodgers. I thought it was really nice to see that the Maple Leafs were supporting the Jays by wearing Blue Jays jersey's on the way to the rink yesterday including OEL. Looking good OEL!

New Addition

October 21st 2025

Been looking for this one for a while now. The elusive High Gloss version out of 10. I have seen this card twice before. Once on eBay and that was pretty expensive and I have seen one on upper deck e-pack. I'm just glad I have it, especially with it being a Leafs card. I still need the 2022-23 High Gloss when OEL was on the Canucks and I think I am missing one of the older ones when he was on the Coyotes. Getting closer though!

New Addition

October 16th 2025

A new card has been added to the collection and it is pretty awesome. I have only seen a picture of this card once and the piece of the puck didn't really have much of a print on it. This card though, may be the best one. A piece of the 20th Anniversary puck and as you can see, the 20 is visable, the howling coyote head and the years on the left and right side. Although its not numbered, I have a feeling that there may only be 5 of them in existance? At least I have the best one.

Goal 1 2025-26

October 15th 2025

A big night for OEL against the Nashville Predators. 1 Goal and 2 Assist! The goal was meant to be a pass to the front of the net but deflected off a Predators players stick. A goal is a goal though. OEL has looked good so far and is showing a lot of grit on the ice. I am going to see if I get a chance at getting the puck so stay tuned!

New Addition

October 4th 2025

I gotta say, I didnt think I would see an OEL card with him in a Coyotes Jersey again but, here we are. Looks like there is a subset in the new Upper Deck Artifacts series that is dedicated to players that played for the Coyotes called "Desert Dogs". There are 2 variations with this one being limited to 96 and a patch card limited to 25. I will need to find that one because this is an amazing looking card.

Training Camp

September 19th 2025

First day of Training Camp. This social media post by the Leafs reminds me of my Mom taking my picture on the first day of school every year. Looking forward to another season with OEL on the Leafs. I am hoping that my Dad and I will see OEL's first game against the Sabres in Buffalo. Unfortunately, Leafs tickets are too expensive. Best of Luck this season OEL!

OEL Michigan

August 20th 2025

On this day, Ekman-Larsson scored one of his best goals of his career against the Edmonton Oilers. OEL took the puck behind the net and pulled of a Michigan Goal. Watch it below!

New Addition

July 23rd 2025

A nice card came in today. It's a Frozen Foursome limited to 25. I wouldn't say that its an ultra rare card but it is a card that I don't have in my collection. I remember seeing this at a card show once but it was pretty expensive so I did not get it at the time. As luck would have it, there were 2 of them available on eBay recently so my Dad was able to get one of them. Pretty nice patches from a lot of cool Coyotes back in the day.

New Addition

July 9th 2025

A 1/1 card arrived in the mail today! Any type of O-Pee-Chee Blank Back card is not highly saught after but, a one of one card is just that. Only ONE exsist and I have it in my collection. My Dad was able to win this on eBay and he said it didn't cost too much. Regardless, a super rare and nice addition to my collection!

New Additions

June 30th 2025

Got the new OEL Canvas Card today. The Canvas subset is till my favourite series as they usually feature some non traditional hockey player pictures. This one has OEL against a blurry background. I like it. The fact that he is wearing the Blue and White will always look good. Now I just need the Black and White version of this card. I think it may already be on it's way. I also got the Clear Cut Parallel. They always look good as well.

New Additions

June 25th 2025

Another 2 for 1 came in the mail today. I now have the Deluxe and UD Exlcusive versions. Not too hard to find but at least it didn't ttake me long to get them. The hard one to get will be the High Gloss version which is out of 10. I just need to be patient for that one.

New Addition

June 20th 2025

Now this one is an old one that I never seen before. It's an OEL and Shane Doan Clear Cut Foundations card. It came out during the 2011-12 season and is limited to only 25 so I am pretty fortunate to get this one for my collection.

New Additions

June 19th 2025

Two for one day. My Dad was able to pick up the regular base card and the Silver Outburst versions today. Still need a few other parallels. My Dad also showed that someone was selling the 1 of 1 Gold Outburst on eBay for $400. A lot our of my price range but it was cool to see online.

Day with the Cup

June 18th 2025

OK, this may be one of my favourite OEL cards in my collection. A card with OEL and the Stanley Cup!!! Nothing could be better. I will be honest, I was really disappointed when the Upper Deck Series 2 cards came out and OEL was not featured in the Day with the Cup limited series. I didn't think he was getting one but to my surprise, he has one in the extended series. These unlisted cards are very limited so I am very happy to get one.

First Leaf Card

June 16th 2025

Today I got my first Ekman-Larsson card wearing the Maple Leafs uniform. Its from the Upper Deck Extended Series and it is the very limited Red Outburst Parallel that is limited to 25. Overall, I like this card since it is good pose showing him in the full uniform. Now I just need to get the base version and all the other Upper Deck Parallels. Let the hunt begin!

Game 7!!!

May 18th 2025

This is it. Game 7 against the defending Stanley Cup Champions Florida Panthers. I am really hoping for a big win tonight for my Birthday. I don't think that it was a coincidence that OEL was on the main social media poster from the Maple Leafs. It's got to be a sign.

Fingers are crossed, Go Leafs Go!!!

UPDATE: Oh well, a disappointing end to the season but overall, a great season having OEL in the Blue and White. I am already looking forward to next season.

14th Birthday

May 18th 2025

Today is my 14th Birthday and boy did I get a present I won't soon forget. It's a Game Used Oliver Ekman-Larsson Jersey. I love the black version so getting this, it's very special to me. OEL played 2 games in this Jersey against the Winnipeg Jets and the Chicago Blackhawks. He had an assist in each of the games. One on a goal from Max Pacioretty and one from Maple Leafs Captain Auston Matthews. Thanks Mom and Dad for this awesome birthday present.

Leafs Win Series

May 2nd 2025

The Leafs are off to the next round of the playoffs thanks to beating the Senators 4 games to 2 in the best of 7 series. It certainly won't get any easier with the Leafs facing OEL's former team, The Florida Panthers. I know all about that team since I followed them pretty closely when OEL was playing. Should be a really good series. Great job with 2 goals OEL. Best of luck in the second round. Go Leafs Go!

2nd OEL Goal!

April 26th 2025

Although the Leafs ended up losing in overtime, Ekman-Larsson had a beautiful goal to tie the game at 3-3 and send it to overtime. Both of his goals so far in this series have been amazing goals. Hopefully there are still many more goals to come throughout the playoffs. Way to go OEL!

1,000th Game Gloves

April 25th 2025

OK, as you may already know, I have a bunch of Ekman-Larsson memorabilia from his 1,000th game. I love them all and I am really excited to say that I now have a new edition to that collection. OEL's Game Used Gloves from that game as well as a few other games during the season. So happy to have this in my collection. I have put more photos in the Games Used Gloves section of my website. A quick link is just below.

Game Used Gloves

New Additions

April 25th 2025

A nice card came in the mail today. All-Star Skills Triple Fabrics Patch limited to 25. If I were to guess, it looks like a number patch from his jersey. I will have to check but I think this was the year that OEL had the most hockey cards in one year. Regardless, this is a very nice patch card with some really good players including Mark Giordano. I also finished my O-Pee-Chee Parallels with the Yellow coming in today as well.

New Addition

April 24th 2025

This one was picked up at the Toronto Card Expo. My Dad picked it up for me at the show. He had the day off so he went to the show to find me some OEL cards. He said since I have so many OEL cards, it's really hard to find ones that I need. A card out of 12 is a nice pick up though. Thanks Dad.

Card #900

April 22nd 2025

A special card came in today. Card #900 for my collection. Its a nice one too. A 1 of 1 Upper Deck 30th Anniversary buyback card. Still, its a one of one which is amazing. Glad #900 wasn't a common card. The countdown to 1,000 is probably going to take a while but I feel good about getting there one day.

OEL Goal!

April 20th 2025

What a game and it all started with the first goal of the series by Oliver Ekman-Larsson. I had a good feeling about this game and that OEL was going to be an impact player. A really nice goal as well. I think OEL had a great game from start to finish and I love listening to the comments today about something I already knew. OEL is a big game player. Way to go OEL and keep it up!

Playoffs!

April 18th 2025

I was disappointed that OEL was out of the line up against Buffalo last week since I was hoping to see him live one more time before the Playoffs. Hopefully his injury wasn't too bad but it looks like he will be ready for game one against the Senators this Sunday. Can't afford to go to the playoff games but I will definitely be watching. Go Leafs Go and best of luck OEL!

New Addition

March 31st 2025

A very limited Premier Teamates came in the mail today. This one is out of 10 which makes it pretty rare. It's a triple patch card with OEL and two of his former teamates from the Coyotes. As much as I love OEL being on the Leafs, it's still nice getting cards from when he wa a Coyote. A nice add to the collection.

Signed Print

March 29th 2025

One of the other items that I got OEL to sign a few days ago was my Florida Panthers Stanley Cup Print. Today, my Dad got me a Frame to put it in and it looks great. For now, I am going to put it in my bedroom but at some point it could go down in the basement with all the other OEL stuff I have.

OEL Meet & Greet

March 24th 2025

A super awesome day! Although I didn't get a chance to see him in Washington, I did get to see OEL today. On Saturday, my Dad came across a social media post that OEL was going to be doing a meet and greet at a Volkswagen Dealership in Whitby. That's about an hour from our house so that was OK. The fact that Oliver knew it was me and was excited to see me really made my day. He Autographed a few items from my collection including of course my Leafs Jersey which was awesome. I still get really nervous meeting him so I didn't say to much but my Dad always helps me out. Thanks OEL!!!

St. Pats Day!

March 17th 2025

Oliver Ekman-Larsson's first game wearing the St. Pat's jersey was a good one. Not only did the Leafs win 6-2 over the Calgary Flames but OEL had 2 assists in the game. There wern't too many photos from the game of OEL but the Leafs Instagram account had a really nice picture and there was a picture of OEL celebrating with Domi on a goal he assisted on. Always a bit weird seeing a player wearing colours you don't normally see on them. Way to go OEL!

OEL Goal Puck!

March 12th 2025

Super excited about this post. The Leafs had an auction last week and I won Ekman-Larsson's second career goal as a Toronto Maple Leaf. I am pretty sure OEL has his first Leaf goal but I am so excited to have his second that was scored against the Philadelphia Flyers on January 5th, 2025. More pictures and information can be seen in the "Game Used Pucks" section of my website. So happy to add this to my collection. I am only missing one Goal puck that I really want for my collection and that is a home goal puck that OEL scored. It needs to have the Panthers logo on it. Hopefully one day I will find it but I think there are only 4 or 5 of them.

New Addition

March 11th 2025

Now, this is a card I already had however, this patch is much nicer than the one I currently have. There is a lot more detail in this patch and it looks like it is from the Coyotes logo on the front of the jersey. I like both of them but this new one is just nicer.

New Addition

March 10th 2025

The Orange Parallel out of 25 arrived today! The scan looks a little more red but it is a nice orange colour in real life. This means I only need the Yellow parallel as an easy card to get. There is still the Red Boarder Blank Back that is a 1 of 1 and there is the Retro Blank Black as well and that one is a short print.

New Addition

March 6th 2025

OK, now this was a bit of a surprise. A 1 of 1 Magenta Printing Plate. I have a couple printing plates so it was nice to get another one of them. Most people don't value these too much which is why they usually don't cost too much. Since I collect everything OEL, I always welcome these to my collection.

New Addition

March 3rd 2025

The Black Boarder Retro version and Red Boarder Parallel came in today. For the Black Boarder Retro, it's number 82 out of 100. I don't know what it is about the black boarder that makes this card look so good but it is pretty awesome. Getting closer to getting all the parallels so hopefully more will be on my site soon enough.

New Addition

February 28th 2025

Today I got the Blue Boarder version in the mail. Still a few more parallels to get including the Red Boarder, Orange Boarder and the Black Boarder Retro. Hopefully we will see those in the collection soon enough.

OEL 1,000 Diaplay

February 26th 2025

I updated my OEL 1,000 game section of my display case. I have the hat, shirt, warm up puck and official game used puck but, it was missing a little something. My Dad came up with a good idea and that was to print out the OEL 1,000 social media post. We bought a 6x8 frame and got the image printed. It looks much better now.

New Addition

February 23rd 2025

My Dad and I went to a small card show in Scarborough today and I was able to get the brand new O-Pee-Chee Ekman-Larsson base card and Retro base card. I couldn't find any of the other parallels but I do like the photo they used. Both cards look really good this year. I am pretty sure it won't take me long to get a few other versions. I guess this is OEL's "first" Maple Leaf card since it says so at the bottom of the card however, he is still wearing the Panthers Jersey.

Leafs Practice Rink

February 18th 2025

For Family Day, my Mom and Dad took me to the Ford Performance Center where the Toronto Maple Leafs practice. It was pretty cool to be able to skate on the same ice as Ekman-Larsson and the Maple Leafs. Overall a very enjoyable experience. We entered a few contests in the hopes of winning some Maple Leafs tickets. I still have not been to a Leafs Home game this season. Finger's crossed.

New Additions

February 14th 2025

I normally don't highlight OEL stickers that I get for my collection but getting new cards does not happen as often as it used to. With that being said, here are two new Topps stickers that I have added to my collection. There is a regular version and then there is the Blue boarder limited to 100. There is a Red version limited to 10 and there is also a Gold 1 of 1 version out there somewhere.

Nice Shot!

February 6th 2025

I was looking at all the latest Getty Images of OEL recently and I have to say that this is one of my favourites. I love the Jersey and how OEL is all alone in this shot. I only wish buyingh the photos were not so expensive. I think this would be an amazing photo that could be blown up and printed and then signed by OEL. Who knows, maybe I can save my money up to buy it but at $500 its not cheap. Oh well, enjoy the photo and props to the Photographer Mark Blinch.

Scotiabank Arena

January 26th 2025

Today, my Dad and I went on the Scotiabank Arena Tour. This was a tour of the arena that lasted just over an hour. There were a few different areas of the Arena that we went to however, the highlight of the tour was the end where I got to go into the Maple Leafs Locker Room. I have only seen pictures or media interviews so being in the actual room was really cool. Of course, the first stall I went to was Ekman-Larssons stall. Seeing his Jersey hanging up and a few other pieces of equiment was really cool. This is the exact spot that OEL gets dressed for every Leafs home game. Wild! Seeing the stick room was cool too and of course I was able to see OEL's Bauer Proto-R stick. I can spot that stick a mile away now. Anyways, a really awesome day.

New Addition

January 24th 2025

A pretty awesome and very limited card came in today. The Cup - Quads, Premium Materials Red Tag Parallel limited to only 2. This card is very unique as it has pieces from the laundry tags inside the hockey jersey. I don't have anything like this in my collection so I have to admit, it is very cool. I always love The Cup cards and this is a parallel from a card i got recently. A nice add for sure!

New Addition

January 18th 2025

I think this may be the longest I have ever gone without getting a new Ekman-Larsson card. Well, I nice one arrived today. It's a Gold 1 out of 10 Panini Prizm card. I stll need the 1 of 1 Black version which I probably never find but there is another Parallel from the Toronto Card show that is limited to 30 so there is a chance I could find it one day. Pretty happy about getting this one though.

Hockey Hall of Fame

January 3rd 2025

Today, I finally got to the Hockey Hall of Fame to see OEL's name engraved on the Stanley Cup. I did end up bringing both my Panthers Jersey and my Leafs Jersey. There are so many NHL players that will not have their name on the cup so seeing "Oliver Ekman-Larsson" is really special. The Hall also had a large Florida Panthers picture so I do have a picture of me pointing out OEL. The display with the Panthers stuff was pretty cool and it included Keith Tkachuk's mouth guard that he never wears but chews on during games. I suppose its somewhat iconic. Now, I have been to the HHOF twice before and OEL already had his Jersey from the All-Star game in there. I figured they changed up the display and replaced it with something else but I did find that they just moved it. It was still there so it was nice to still see it there.

My next trip will be the Scotiabank Arena tour where I can see OEL's change room locker stall but the tours were sold out over the holidays. Maybe in a couple weeks I will go there. Can't wait for that one.

Merry Christmas!!!

December 25th 2024

Merry Christmas everyone! This was a great Christmas and I am very thankful to have an awesome Mom and Dad. This year, I got three very cool Ekman-Larsson memorabilia items that were all part of his 1,000th regular season game that I was a part of. The first one I got a couple days early and that was the Hat that was worn by Mitch Marner. I think this may be my most favourite of the three items. I knew from the day I first saw it, I wanted one. The second item was the OEL 1K athletic shirt that was worn by Connor Dewar. Finally, getting a game used puck from the game. This really matches well with my warm-up puck. With these new additional items, it looks like I need to get a bigger display case to fit all my OEL stuff. I am hoping that one day, i might be able to get a Game Used OEL Toronto Maple Leafs Jersey. More photos can be found in the Game Used Pucks and Game Used Memorabilia section of my website.

I want to finish this post off by wishing Oliver and his family a very Merry Christmas!

Leafs Win!

December 20th 2024

Another great hockey trip with my Dad and I. Getting there was pretty easy but just before we were going to go through security, my Dad noticed that our tickets he bought the other day were not showing up on his phone. So with 5 minutes left, he had to buy another pair of tickets so that we could get down to the ice for warm-ups. Thankfully, the second pair were pretty cheap but we did end up sitting in our original seats. Thankfully, OEL made the trip worth it by giving me a warm-up puck. I am sure he noticed my OEL 1K games played hat. I was really excited to wear it to the game and have him notice it. The drive home took really long because it was snowing in the Niagara area. We didn't get home until 1:00am but I slept in the car at times. Dad was pretty tired though. All in all, a good night out. Leafs won 6-3

OEL 1K Hat

December 20th 2024

Christmas came early today! My Mom and Dad said I could open one present that was under the tree since today I would be able to use it. I could not believe it! It was an Ekman-Larsson player issued hat that was given to all the Leafs players and staff on November 13th before the game vs the Capitals that I went to. You can see the story a few post below. I really, really wanted one so I was super excited to get one for Christmas. My Dad said, when he bought the hat from Real Sports Auction Site, it does not indicate which player got and wore the hat however, if you look at the Fanatics tag inside the hat, there is a #16 written. So I think I have Mitch Marner's OEL 1K Hat! How cool is that!

Buffalo Trip

December 19th 2024

My Dad and I are going to Buffalo to see OEL and the Leafs take on the Sabres. Just working on my OEL sign today but I am really excited to see the Leafs play. We are sitting in the top level but I don't mind. I get to see more of the plays develop. I don't mind where I sit as long as I am at the game. Of course i will provide an update on how things went. I am really hoping to get a OEL Leaf stick for my collection but I would be more than happy to get a warm up puck. Go Leafs Go!

Stanley Cup Ring

November 27th 2024

Since the Leafs were playing the Florida Panthers, OEL, Stolarz and Lorentz were able to meet up with some of their former teamates and got their Stanley Cup Rings. From the video I saw, they all looked really exctied to get their rings. The Panthers did a great job on social media as well as during the game to recognize OEL and how he helped the panthers win the Stanley Cup. Way to go Oliver!

Blueprint S10 E2

November 22nd 2024

The latest episode of The Leaf: Blueprint has a full feature on Oliver Ekman-Larsson and his 1,000th Regular Season Game. It was really nice to see the days leading up to the game that I was at in Washington and what went on behind the scenes with his teammates and his family.

On a side note, I am still trying to get in touch with the Leafs to see if there is a possibility of getting an OEL 1K Hat or T-Shirt. Fingers still crossed.

Silver Stick Night

November 16th 2024

I wish I was there but after the trip to Washington to watch OEL's 1,000th regular season game, tickets were just too expensive to go to the game last night. That's the only unfortunate thing about being a Leafs fan, too expensive for many of their fans especially OEL's biggest fan.

The Leafs did do a really good job of celebrating OEL's 1,000th game. His Wife, Son, Brother and Father were all on the ice when he received his Silver Stick award. I am sure his entire family was really proud of him.

Congratulations again Oliver, from your #1 Fan, Colin.

OEL 1,000!!!

November 13th 2024

This has been a trip that has been almost 2 years in the making. I remember when we went to see Ekman-Larsson play in Detroit when he was on the Canucks. I remember because it was his 900th game. I told my Dad that we have to be there for his 1,000th game. We didn't know where and when but my Dad said we will have to go. Well, 100 regular season games later and here we are. I have been a little nervous over the last few weeks because I didn't want him getting hurt or missing any games if he was sick. He almost got suspended which had me worried as well.

So here we go, my Dad and I did a road trip on Tuesday and drove 9.5 hours from Brampton to Washington DC. It was the longest I have ever been in a car but we made it with no problems. We even had a bit of time when we arrived to check out some monuments. It did take me a while to get to sleep at the hotel because I was so excited for game day.

On the Wednesday, we did go to the Ritz Carlton which I think is where the Leafs were staying. We hung around for about 2 hours but I think because the Leafs played the night before they maybe didn't have practice or maybe they weren't at that hotel. I was hoping to get OEL to sign my new Leaf Jersey and give him a gift but it wasn't meant to be I guess.

Fast forward to game time. We got the the Arena pretty early to make sure we got down to the glass so I could set up my sign. Finally, warm up started, and there he was, the player of the night. Mr. 1,000. He quickly saw my sign and gave me a tap on the glass and a nod. There were quite a few fans on the glass but I was the only one with the OEL sign. Near the end of the warm up, he did come by to give me a warm-up puck. That was my highlight. I have gotten a lot of warm-up pucks from OEL but this one was extra special being his 1,000th regular season game.

My Dad got some sweet seats. 4 rows up from the Leafs bench so I got to see a lot of OEL and the other Leafs. OEL was on the ice for the start of the game which was great. I really thought it was nice that the Capitals acknowledge that it was OEL's 1,000th game on the scoreboard. Very Classy! The Leafs even made up some T-Shirts and Hats celebrating OEL's 1,000th game. I really hope I can find these so I can add them to my collection. That would be a great way to celebrate this trip.

The game was the best hockey game I have ever been to. The Leafs were not at their best in the first 2 periods but after being down 3-1, the comeback was on. OEL had a nice rush with a few dekes and the Leafs scored on that break he started but the goal was called back. I think OEL would have gotten an assist on that goal. Regardless, they did come back to tie the game. Then it was 3-on-3 overtime. Once again, OEL was the first one on the ice for the start. It was an awesome overtime and just when it looked like Alexander Ovechkin was going to score, Joseph Woll made a great kick save and John Tavares took the rebound, went down the other end of the ice and scored giving the Leafs the win!

Another highlight for me is that my Dad and I were on TV. We had a bunch of friends sending us pictures of us on their television.

I was so glad that OEL got the win on his 1,000th regular season game. Congratulations OEL!!!

I finally just got back home so I can write this post. Best Hockey Game I have ever been to.