St. Louis Blue Centre and Conn Smythe Trophy winner Ryan O'Reilly thanked the community of Huron County in a release yesterday.
In the written statement, O'Reilly thanked all his coaches and sponsors throughout the 25 years he's been playing hockey. He also thanked all of his teammates and their parents who would help drive him to practices.
He gave a special shout out to the staff at the Seaforth Arena: "(Graham, Kevin, Skinny, Todd, Doug, John & others), thank you for the countless times you let me come in and skate when the ice wasn’t being used. I fell in love with the game of hockey there and your kindness made the world of a difference. You were never obliged to let me skate there but you always did and I am forever grateful."
He also thanked the staff at the Goderich YMCA for providing him with a place to train and push himself, saying they've always been accommodating.
Of course the grateful hockey star thanked his family including his grandmother Deirdre O'Reilly: " I can still remember you buying me brand new skates because my other ones were falling apart. Thank you so much for being my biggest supporter and always having my back."
There are two parades planned for July 25th for O'Reilly as he brings the Stanley Cup home.
The first begins at 9:30 a.m. in Seaforth at the Seaforth Fire Department and ending at the Seaforth Arena. The second is in Goderich at 1:00 p.m. and ends at the Goderich YMCA. O'Reilly says he won't be signing autographs for fans so that as many people as possible have a chance to take a picture with the Cup.
