Capter 1 - New Beginings

Alex, Jake and I moved to Pittsburgh in June 2005. I was fortunate enough to land a job at the Children's Hospital. My boss at the hospital I worked for back home had a connection and got me all set up. I would be working mostly with the young cancer patients. I remembered David's nurse Jackie. If it hadn't been for her I would have never made it through David's illness. She was there for the both of us. I decided the best way to help people was to be like her. Helping young cancer patients and their families get through the rough times.

So here we were in Pitt, in this cute little house I was able to buy, we didn't know a soul and the only thing we came with were the clothes on our backs and Pens season tickets. My gram had them for years and never told anyone. She was an extravagant soul, spending all that money for something she would never use. That was her devotion to our team (and it's not like she didn't have the money to burn. My grandfather had been a very successful publisher and had set gram up for life. He died before I was around.) Gram left those season tickets to me in her will and enough money to keep them up for the rest of my life! I guess she always knew that I would get her someday.

Unfortunately, the NHL was is a lockout and I had yet to see Mario play.

I had been working at the hospital for a month and had settled into my new life quite nicely when finally... the lockout was over! There would be hockey next season! The only thing left was a lottery to see who would get to draft this Crosby kid. I had seen him play in the Memorial Cup before we left home. Great player, but was he really worth all this hype? Well wouldn't you know we "won" him. That's all anyone in this city could talk about. While everyone begged, borrowed and stole to try to get a chance to see "The Kid", I was set with my season tickets and was more excited that Mario was going to play this season. I would finally get to fulfill my promise to gram and David.