Pitafiric

It was a cold winter night in March 2013. I had finished work after 9pm. I was so happy because my weekend had started. A lot of times, when my ‘’Friday’’ arrived, after work, I would go get some take out from a fast food place. My days off, back then from work, were Thursdays and Fridays. It was not an easy job but I was good at it. I was taking calls and be on the frontline helping clients with their smartphones with technical issues.

After a long day of taking calls, and spending a lot of time with clients, listening to them, talking to them, sometimes arguing with them, and even sometimes sympathizing with them, I felt on that Wednesday night, after my work shift, to treat myself with something good. That means, not something too healthy, but hey, I earned it I think and I wanted to spoil myself.

From my workplace to that fast food place, it was a good 35-minute drive. Thank God I got a good car. My loyal Corolla 2014! So, I get to that place and I was able to find a good nearby free parking.

It was called Pitafiric. A Greek fast food joint. They had a lot on their menu. From fries, poutine, gyro, hamburgers, etc. My usual order was a Coke, small size poutine, and a chicken pita all dressed. Honestly, it is a lot of food for one meal for me, but I must indulge once a week, on my ‘’Friday’’ night.

While I was waiting for my order, I noticed that the restaurant had a hockey game. The Colorado Avalanche were playing. Most of their games start after 9pm ET because at home, in Denver, they start at 7 MT(local time). So usually when I am finishing work, that is when the Avs would start playing.

The cook looks at me and sees that on my winter coat I have the Colorado Avalanche pin. So, he does ask me if I am a fan of the team. I reply, ‘’Of course! I would not be wearing this pin for no reason.’’ He then starts asking me questions about the reasons I root for the Avs. He asks, ‘’Why is the Colorado Avalanche your team?’’. So, I start explaining the origins of my love for this team. ‘’Well, the first major reason is that when Montreal traded Patrick Roy, my loyalty towards the local team, the Canadiens, changed also.’’ Yes, I am from Montreal and living in Montreal. The Cook replies,’’ Oh I see! So you are no longer a Habs fan for that reason?’’. ‘’Yes, that is the reason. And…As you see, since the trade, Montreal has still not won a Cup, and the Avs have won two. Also, the fact that I am a big Patrick Roy fan, and to see him as the head coach in Mile High City, made me root for the Avs even more than ever.’’

After a few minutes of going back and forth, with why the cook was a Montreal fan and me, a Colorado fan, there was this young man, maybe in his late 20’s or early 30’s, eating at the dinner and watching the game, jumps into the conversation. He interrupts the cook and me and then starts explaining that the Habs have done nothing for a long time. No Cup since 1993 and the best run they had since then, was making the 3^rd round of the playoffs in 2010 versus the Flyers. The way the conversation was going, I had a feeling that this young man was backing me up. I was happy in my mind. The cook kind of backed off and he did not have too many arguments left to make a point.

The name of this young man defending me was Robert. A Montreal native like me. ‘’Hi, my name is Robert.’’, he replies. ‘’Hi, Robert, nice to meet you. My name is Michael. Friends call me Mike.’’, I said.

Robert starts talking about his love for the game and especially the Colorado Avalanche. I think he is a bigger fan than me. The reason I say that is that he a fan of the franchise even before they moved to Denver in summer 1995. You are reading it correctly. He was a fan of the Quebec Nordiques. Myself, I hate the Nordiques because they were big-time rivals of the Canadiens and not only that, geographical rivals of the same province. When I think about it today, if Roy was traded to the Nordiques, I am pretty sure I would have cheered for the arch-rivals of the Montreal Canadiens.

So for a few hours, we talked about just hockey, the Canadiens, the Nordiques, and the Avalanche. It has been a long time since I had the chance to talk like that about one of my passion. That is the National Hockey League and the Colorado Avalanche!

It was past 1 am and the place was about to close down. My intention was to pick my food, drive back home, then eat. However, on this cold winter night, I had the chance to discuss hockey and my favorite team with a couple of good people with respect.

The food was delicious and I think I will probably gain a few pounds by tomorrow morning. Robert and I exchanged numbers and talked about meeting up again soon to talk about hockey over a cup of coffee or maybe watch a game at a sports bar together. Before we left the place, I tipped the cook. He was kind and the food was good. I told the cook that the Canadiens will not win a Cup before 2028. Robert laughed, and so did I. The kind and respectful cook was a little upset but he still respected my prediction. He mentioned to come back again soon, maybe on a night when the Habs or Avs are playing, so we can watch a game all three together. ‘’Oh, by the way, my name is Peter’’, the cook replied. Robert and I looked at him and waved him goodbye with a smile. Looking forward to meeting up soon, talk, argue and laugh about the coolest game on Earth. Hockey.