Airdrie residents had the chance to meet one of their hometown hockey heroes over the weekend as St. Louis Blues forward Jake Neighbours returned for a public autograph signing at Morrison Trading Post.
The family-owned business hosted the meet-and-greet on Saturday, allowing fans to collect autographs, take photos and receive custom trading cards featuring Neighbours.
Manager of operations Dallas Morrison said the event was about bringing the community together while celebrating one of Airdrie’s own.
“It was really cool to have a local person who played hockey in Airdrie come back as a full-fledged NHL player and interact with the community,” Morrison said.
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Inspiring the next generation
Morrison said one of the highlights of the day was seeing the impact Neighbours had on young hockey players.
He recalled one young fan becoming so emotional after meeting the NHL forward that he began crying before Neighbours offered to take a photo with him.
“It’s really heartwarming to be a part of that,” Morrison said. “Our goal with these events is to bring that connection to the sport, the people and the player. To be able to do that with a local player and the local community was amazing.”
The event also featured exclusive trading cards commissioned from local artist Matt Stewart, who created original artwork of Neighbours for the occasion.
More community events planned
Morrison said the signing follows previous athlete appearances at the store, including Calgary Flames goaltender Dustin Wolf.
He said the business intends to continue hosting athlete appearances but will remain selective about the guests it invites to ensure they resonate with local sports fans and collectors.
“We want to make sure we’re bringing people that the community wants to see and that are worthwhile coming out for,” he said.
Supporting the community
The event also included a fundraising component, with members of the Airdrie Techmation Thunder hosting a barbecue outside the store in support of the Airdrie Food Bank.
Morrison said incorporating a charitable initiative into public events is an important part of the family’s business philosophy.
“We always try to tie a charity component to any public event we do,” he said. “It’s really important to our business and our family.”
He also thanked the Airdrie community for supporting both the event and Neighbours during his return home.
“We appreciate the whole Airdrie community for joining us.”
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