"I looked at him and thought he was going to walk on by," Oklin told NHL.com. "It made my day, my week, my year, everything. I'm so excited."
After Oklin watched Cheechoo drop the puck for the ceremonial face-off, she was randomly selected to win the autographed jersey, and surprise meeting with him.
"I was completely blown away to get this jersey," Oklin said. "I was so excited."
Oklin said she was never a sports fan until her son Chad got her into hockey while he was growing up. She particularly gravitated to Cheechoo during her early years as a Sharks fan, especially through his chemistry with Sharks forward Joe Thornton and his goal celebrations.
She has a dilemma with the jersey, though. Wear it or not wear it?
Her son suggested she not wear it out of fear of the autograph rubbing off. If she doesn't wear it, she said she'd like to display it in her home in Santa Cruz, California.
"I'm torn back and forth on that one," she said. "I don't want it to rub off. I'll probably hang it; display it as the memory of a really fun day. Maybe it'll get a little smile when I look at it."
No matter what happens to the ink, the memory of her favorite player will never fade away.
"What I liked about [Cheechoo] is he brought so much energy to The Tank," Oklin said. "He and Thornton were on fire. ... Every time Cheechoo scored a goal, his celebrations were amazing; so crazy and so fun. I just loved to watch him score."
