Former billet family ecstatic to share AHL championship celebration with Protas

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“A couple of days ago, when they lost (game six) in Coachella, we texted him,” Pagé said. “We said, ‘No worries, you’re no stranger to game sevens, you’ve got this.’ When it hit overtime, we were like, holy here we go again. When they got that goal, we couldn’t believe it that the same thing played out.”

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Overtime was a nerve-wracking experience for Kim, but her husband Roger put on a confident face on social media all through it. Apparently, that online confidence was no act.

“He knew,” said Pagé. “He had his jersey on, he was standing up, he was ready. He just has so much confidence in that guy, and the team in general. Watching how they came back from 2-0 down to win three in a row in Hershey, we knew they had it in them.”

Coachella Valley is nearly 1800 miles from Prince Albert, but after the game, the Pagé family got to see the championship celebration up close. Protas called Kim on FaceTime and gave them an inside look at the party.

“We saw them singing, we saw them dancing, high fiving, celebrating,” Pagé said. “Then he just took some time by himself and we had some moments with him and my girls. It was so special that he included us in that.”

Protas has shared many big moments in his career with the Pagé family, including FaceTime calls after NHL games, and surprising their youngest daughter Cailin when the family went to Winnipeg to see him play an NHL game live. The bond between billet parents and the players they take in is often strong, but the Pagé family has a special connection with the young man who was their first ever billet son.

“He is literally our son,” Pagé said. “Just being a part of his everyday life, his failures and his achievements, he includes us in all of them no matter what is going on in his life. He could be a hockey player or he could be a schoolteacher, he means that much to us in everything he does. We’re always going to be there to support him.”

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rob.mahon@pattisonmedia.com

On Twitter: @RobMahonPxP