Fiddler's climb toward the NHL began in the hockey hotbed of Little Rock, Arkansas, where he played a few semi-pro games for the long-since defunct Arkansas RiverBlades in 2001. That stint earned him a contract the following year with the East Coast Hockey League's Roanoke Express, which in turn led to a promotion to Norfolk of the American Hockey League and to - lo and behold - a handful of interested NHL teams in the 2002 offseason.
"I just remember sitting at my kitchen table with my mom and dad that day, and I'm trying to pick which team to sign with," Fiddler said. "I remember saying to my mom and dad, `Wow, what's going on here? All of a sudden I've got NHL teams that want me.' It was really emotional for my mom and dad because it's every kid's dream to play in the NHL. I'll never forget that day as long as I live. It was pretty special."
He chose the Predators, who eventually called him up to play his first NHL game in November of 2002.
"I had to tell my dad three or four times on the phone that I was called up to The Show," said Fiddler, who was 22 at the time. "He kept saying, 'Called up to where?' I said, 'Dad, I'm going to play a game in L.A. You guys have to be there.' They were."
McLeod, too, took the road less traveled on his way to the NHL.
Not only was he passed over in the 2002 and 2003 drafts, but - after completing his junior-hockey eligibility - he came away from a 2005 Boston Bruins training-camp tryout without even a minor-league contract.
"I was there three or four days, and I scrapped quite a bit and did everything I could to get some attention, but things didn't work out," McLeod said. "I wasn't ready to give up on my dream. I knew I just had to keep working and keep plugging, keep proving myself to someone."