King: 'I couldn't have imagined the journey I was going on'

MONTREAL - Remember last Saturday night's comeback victory over the Maple Leafs? It was pretty special, right?

Let's just say it was extra special for North Bay, ON resident Michael King and his father-in-law, Robert Mantha, lifelong Habs fans who made the six-hour drive to catch their very first game at the Bell Centre.
Little did they know when they began their journey to Montreal together that the experience would "enrich" their lives in more ways than one.
During the second intermission, King purchased a 50/50 raffle ticket from a Montreal Canadiens Children's Foundation volunteer working their way through section 121 - and it ultimately proved to be the winning ticket.
The jackpot just happened to be a season-high $117,300, which meant that King would be taking home the hefty sum of $58,650.

"When I saw the numbers come up, I had no idea what the pot was. It was like the icing on an unbelievable weekend," said King, a physics teacher at St. Joseph-Scollard Hall Catholic Secondary School.
There was no way King, 50, was keeping the cash for himself, though.
The plan immediately was to split the prize four ways, between himself, his father-in-law, and two of his friends who were also in the building - Dean Evans and his son, Logan - so they walked away with $14,662.50 apiece.

Winning the 50/50 lottery presented by itravel2000.com was sweet for King, of course, but so was the quality time he spent with Mantha.
This was an important trip with plenty of meaning.
"I hustled my father-in-law to come to the game because my father passed away four years ago and this game fell on the four-year anniversary of my dad's funeral," revealed King. "Realizing that time had escaped me on that front, I didn't want to miss the opportunity to take my father-in-law to an Original Six classic."
King was already coming to Montreal to coach in a girls hockey tournament. He's an assistant with the Midget B North Bay Ice Boltz.
When he saw that the Canadiens were battling their archrivals that same weekend, he insisted that Robert accompany him so they could check another activity off their respective bucket lists.
"I was trying to create the trip of a lifetime for my father-in-law. We went for the Bell Centre tour on Friday. I've got pictures of him with Youppi! I got pictures of him in the Alumni Lounge. It was beyond magical," praised King, who hooked Robert up with an Henri Richard jersey at the Tricolore Sports boutique to mark the occasion. "I had it all decked out for him. That was his hockey idol when he was younger. Even though he was born much younger, he had a deep devotion to Henri, and I got pictures of him with everything Henri. There's no words that can capture the elation I shared with the three guys. We were all in."

King is still struggling to fully process the events that occurred during his stay in our wonderful city.
He was completely overwhelmed with the way everything played out - both on the ice and off it.
"I couldn't have imagined the journey I was going on. It's been moving on far too many levels. To me, my dad's spirit was with us that night," said King. "And my father-in-law saw Montreal win in overtime against Toronto. Priceless! Priceless! He was just beside himself. I got to take him back to his childhood. I can't wait to do it again."

When it was finally time to head back to North Bay, King spent the 550 km drive reflecting on the totality of the voyage.
And he quickly realized that his 50/50 win was far more significant than meets the eye.
"I finally learned a lesson my father had been trying to teach me my entire life while he was alive: Be good to the people you care about," explained King. "You don't buy 50/50 tickets because you're going to win, it's because of what it does for everyone else. It's a gift of giving. I play 50/50 because I know I make a difference. That's why you do it."
Talking 50/50
The 50/50 lottery, which celebrated its fifth anniversary earlier this month, has quickly become a staple fundraising activity on game nights.
Half of the amount raised is reinvested in the community, helping to fund the Foundation's programs benefitting underprivileged youth.
The jackpots have totaled $14.6 million over the years, with an average jackpot of $50,660 per game. The all-time record was $125,610 on February 9, 2019 against the Maple Leafs.
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Over 40,000 volunteering hours have been logged by ticket-sellers, distributing approximately 11.7 million tickets to date.
Tickets are sold from the moment the doors open until the end of the second intermission.
The jackpot amount appears on the scoreboard, on screens throughout the building, and on seller's tablets in real-time. A draw takes place during the third period of each game to select the winner.
To learn more about the 50/50 lottery presented by itravel2000.com,
click here
.