Duchene shines on and off the ice for the Senators

Sens centre Matt Duchene has been turning some heads lately on the ice but you can rest assured he's doing the same off it as well.

Your memory from last night's 5-3 win over the New Jersey Devils may be Duchene setting up Mike Hoffman for the Sens' first goal or his deadly backhand shot to extend the lead or perhaps assisting on Colin White's first career NHL goal.
For Owen Cunning, a long-time fan of Duchene, it was the night his idol went above and beyond.
On a whim, Cunning and his mother, Karen Baker, decided to attend last night's game so that Owen could see Duchene live for the first time since he joined the Senators back on November 5th, 2017.
"He's been a fan of his for years," said Baker. "He wanted to make sure we were there for warm-ups and his dream for that night was that maybe he'd get a puck from Matt."
Being a die-hard fan, Owen knew about Duchene's pre-game rituals and wanted to be there to see them all.
"I like to sit out on the bench before and visualize the game, listen to some music and get focused," said Duchene. "I looked up and saw this kid showing me his old Colorado #9 jersey. That's obviously a kid who was a fan of mine before I got to Ottawa."
The pair exchanged some thumbs ups and Duchene returned to the Sens locker room before re-emerging for warm-up where he made sure to find Owen and toss him a puck over the glass.
"It made his night." said Baker unaware that her son's night was just getting started.
"After the first period a member of the Sens staff flagged us down," recalled Baker. "That's when she gave Owen a brand new Ottawa Senators Matt Duchene jersey from Matt."
The jersey also came with some upgraded seats for the final two periods so Owen and his new jersey could see his favourite player up close.
"Honestly, it was something I didn't even need to think about," said Duchene. "It was automatic. A kid has an old jersey of mine…let's get him a new one."
Following the game, in which Duchene was named the first star, he invited Owen and his mother to a VIP area so they could all meet.
"Matt signed both jerseys for him and it was just unbelievable. Owen even said to me that he felt like he was in a dream," said Baker. "It was probably something small for him but it was humongous to my son. It was the greatest day of Owen's life and one of mine too."
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As a kid, Matt Duchene was a lot like Owen Cunning. The walls in his room were plastered with Colorado Avalanche posters and jerseys and he knew everything about all of them.
"I was like Owen growing up and I think I maybe forgot that," recalled Duchene. "You don't ever put yourself on a pedestal like that and think that there are kids that look up to you and follow your every move. To hear that is humbling."
Like Owen, Duchene also shared a small moment with a hockey idol of his that ended up having a big impact on him.
"I remember going down to an Anaheim Ducks pre-game skate at Maple Leaf Gardens and getting to meet and take a picture with Paul Kariya who was one of my favourite players as a kid," said Duchene. "10 years later, my second game in the NHL during the pre-season was against Paul Kariya."
"I've never spoken to Paul other than that one time in Toronto when I was 8-years-old but that had a huge effect on me," he said. "It was pretty cool to have had the chance to meet some of my heroes and to find out that they're as amazing off the ice as they are on it."
Duchene also spoke fondly about his early years in Colorado where he was flanked by players like Peter Forsberg while also getting to play for Patrick Roy and Joe Sakic. All of whom held prominent places on his bedroom wall.
"If I can inspire Owen to work a little harder to be a better hockey player or a better person or to make the NHL one day then that's what it's all about," he said.
Who knows, maybe one day Owen Cunning will line-up across from Matt Duchene during an NHL game? I asked Duchene how that would make him feel and he jokingly responded with "old".
"You never know what legacy you're leaving behind and you never know what impact you're having on people and I think that when you come to the rink every day, it's an opportunity to build on that," he said. "We're selling ourselves and the fans short if we don't come here every day and try to be the best we can be both on and off the ice."