Dressed in their Toronto Maple Leafs jerseys, they were among the first ones through the gates at Tim Hortons Field for the PROLINE+ NHL PreGame when it opened at noon, two among hundreds of fans that perused the festival in the hours leading up to the 2022 Tim Hortons NHL Heritage Classic between the Buffalo Sabres and Toronto Maple Leafs on Sunday.
"I got to do everything," said Peyton, 10. "So far, it's so epic. I'm so speechless."
The Myatts drove from Port Elgin, Ontario, nearly three hours northwest of Hamilton, on the shores of Lake Huron, for the game.
"My first-ever NHL game," Peyton said. "I've been living for 10 years and I haven't been to one but now I'm here and I'm just like, aaahhh."
One of her favorites was the chance to meet the Canadian women's Olympic hockey team, who were on hand to sign autographs and boasted one of the longest lines at the festival.
"I was so speechless," Peyton said. "I couldn't talk at all. My dad had to step in for me and say some things for me."
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It was one of numerous attractions that filled the south plaza outside the stadium. Fans could test their skills at the Accuracy Challenge presented by Oikos, KitKat Hardest Shot, Olymel Target Practice, get their own Tim Hortons Upper Deck trading card, get their picture taken with NHL trophies as well as the Stanley Cup, meet NHL alumni, including former Maple Leafs and Sabres forward Doug Gilmour, and more.
Myles Gilbert of Dundas, Ontario, made his way through all the events wearing his Sabres jersey but liked Clorox Beat the Sneeze best, in which fans show off their fastest slap shot to beat the speed of a sneeze.
"They're all really fun," he said. "The Clorox one, you shoot and there's a leaderboard. And it's like saying how fast you shot it. So yeah, it was really fun."
Lines were especially long for the trading cards, the trophies, and Gilmour.
"I'd have to say getting a chance to see some of the some of the player trophies was my favorite," said Maple Leafs fan Pat Fournier, who drove from Thunder Bay, Ontario, nearly 900 miles away.
Sabres fan Samara Hutcheson and her son Justin drove from Buffalo on Sunday morning and made their way through the festival.
"I think it's awesome," she said. "We saw the Stanley Cup. He's done a couple of shooting things, playing hockey. It's just fun to see everybody out here enjoying each other, see people's faces, and see people smiling at each other and just having a great time. It's really great."
It's a day that Jeff and Peyton Myatt were thrilled to enjoy together.
"It's been an amazing experience overall," Jeff Myatt said. "One we'll remember for the rest of our life."
