Catching up, so to speak

Having grown up in Western New York, the Buffalo Sabres are my favorite NHL team. And, of all the players to toil for the Sabres, Danny Gare is my all-time favorite.

Though I loved his pugnacious style and goal-scoring abilities during his days with the Sabres, he became my favorite player after befriending my cousin Suzanne, who, at the time, was fighting an ultimately losing battle with leukemia.

Up until Wednesday, our paths crossed just once -- in Boston, of all places, when he worked Sabres' TV broadcasts -- where we had a nice conversation about Suzanne, the Sabres and our fondness for Buffalo. At the time, I had nothing for him to sign.

As you can see, I didn't make the same mistake twice. Gare, a TV analyst covering the Columbus Blue Jackets for FSN Ohio, signed this trio of pucks after Tuesday's morning skate.