First in a series featuring tales of the most passionate Wolves fans.
By Danny Karmin
On June 19, 2022, the Wolves took the ice for Game 1 of the Calder Cup Finals against the Springfield Thunderbirds at Allstate Arena.
It marked the first time in American Hockey League history that a Calder Cup Playoffs game was contested on Father’s Day as the league had never played that late into June.
As exhilarating as it was for Wolves fans to see their team on the big stage, one family in attendance had heavy hearts.
A day before the Father’s Day game, John Page — husband to Brigette and father to Brandon — passed away.
John grew up a hockey enthusiast and shared his passion with his son. When they originally bought tickets during the 2022 postseason run, John and Brandon attended as many games as possible, enjoying the sport with which they had heavily bonded.
“My husband was a lover of hockey,” Brigette said. “It didn’t matter what team or who was playing, there was always a hockey game playing in our house.”
Leading up to the Wolves clinching a spot in the Calder Cup Finals, Brigette and Brandon wanted to gift John with tickets to see them play on Father’s Day.
Following John’s passing, Brigette made the decision to keep the tickets and take Brandon in an effort to make their first Father’s Day without him as normal as possible.
“Even though we were mourning the loss of John, we knew we needed to continue on for the sake of Brandon, who was just seven at the time,” Brigette said. “We celebrated John the entire day, and even though he was not with us physically, he was there in spirit.”
For John, Brandon’s love of hockey was all he desired. The sport he introduced to his son created a fan for life and a lasting legacy that will stay with the family forever.
His impact on Brandon’s love for the game cannot be overstated.
“My son is a hockey buff,” Brigette said. “He can tell you about all the AHL players and their affiliates. He is obsessed with hockey. So much so that the year before my husband passed away, we had to start hockey lessons for Brandon.”
Brigette recalls Brandon’s first Wolves game and the start of his hockey obsession.
The family had to arrive at the rink no later than 6:15 p.m. for a 7 p.m. game in order to get as close to the boards as possible to watch warmups.
Brandon’s euphoria didn’t stop there.
“He would stand the entire game just bouncing around,” Brigette…
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