The other night as the Penguins played the Avalanche in Colorado, my mind kept wandering from the game.
Yes, my team played more consistently, Fleury came up with the huge saves, and the power play looked organized. Vitale got his first NHL goal, Sterling continued to prove he's worth calling up, and Kennedy won it for us in overtime.
But playing the Avs reminded me of my friend Devin Engles.
I even searched facebook partway through the game, but with no luck.
When I began following hockey, my love of the sport mingled with my penchant for collecting things. In this case, my baby-sitting money went from purchasing shoes and earrings to buying sports cards, plastic sleeves, and collector's albums. And don't forget pricing guides.
One of the hockey magazines that I subscribed to featured a section for kids to trade cards with each other. I began writing to Angel in Buffalo, John in New York City, and Devin in Colorado.
We shared our favorite players with each other, and as we pulled cards, we would write and mail the hockey cards back and forth. I saved up Haseks for Angel, Kovalevs for John, and Footes for Devin. While I liked all of my new pen pals, I enjoyed writing to Devin because I could identify with her the most.
A girl after my own heart, she loved the Avs to the point of obsession. She attended NHL games frequently, and honestly, it was just nice to have another female with whom to discuss hockey and its players.
When I went to college my card trading became less frequent. I lost touch with my new friends. Including Devin.
But obviously I haven't forgotten her.
I wish we could get in touch again. I wonder what she's been doing all these years, who her current favorite player is, and how she would suggest her team turn itself around. I'm hoping at some point I find her again.
Until then, I'll think of her at our teams' annual meeting. At least.
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