'#1 Sabres fan' gets special game-day experience for her 80th birthday

Gail Colegrove had an 80th birthday celebration to remember.
After her granddaughter Kyla Tronetti tagged the Buffalo Sabres in a TikTok video expressing Gail's love for the team, the organization reached out to surprise her with a day of surprises.
Gail, who turned 80 on Sunday, spent Saturday at KeyBank Center to cheer on the Sabres, courtesy of the team.
She received her very own jersey from Sabretooth, rode on the Zamboni during the first intermission, and cheered on players and coaches in the locker room tunnel before the start of the third period.

"It's been great," Gail said during the second intermission while standing outside the tunnel that leads to the home bench.
As detailed in the TikTok video, Gail's fandom runs deep.
Almost 12 years ago, Gail and her husband's house exploded due to a gas leak while they were both inside, and both of them were transported by Mercy Flight to ECMC in Buffalo. While Gail was in a coma, her family would put Sabres games on the radio for her to listen to.
Gail and her husband both made miraculous recoveries and were eventually able to rebuild their home.
Her family said that she was a woman who had everything, but something that could make her even more happy was to get a message from her favorite team. Early last week, she received a message from captain Kyle Okposo, inviting her to Saturday's game.

When Gail was asked about her favorite part of her game-day experience, she answered without hesitation, "The Zamboni. They had told us (I could ride it), but I didn't think it would come true."
While the Sabres fell short against the Florida Panthers, Gail's joyful mood could not be dampened, and she looks forward to the next time that she will be attending KeyBank Center, especially if she gets to ride on the Zamboni again.
"I think I could drive it," she said. "I could do that."