DENVER — The Avalanche players who won the Stanley Cup will have their names engraved on the cup forever – and a pair of fans in northern Colorado also wanted to make sure the memory of the championship title was permanent.
Inside Mike Keever’s home in Loveland, hockey fills every inch of the basement wall.
"This is my man cave," Mike laughed. "I love hockey. I can’t get enough of it."
Mike and his son Dillon might just be the biggest Colorado Eagles fans in the world. They’ve watched future Avalanche players play for the team year after year. The Eagles are the minor league hockey affiliate of the Avalanche.
"I’m just as much an Avalanche fan as I am an Eagles fan, but living in Loveland, Colorado it’s 20 minutes away from here," said Mike.
For decades now, the Keevers have bonded over hockey. Then the Avalanche won the Stanley Cup and Dillon showed up at his dad’s house after the win with a plan to celebrate.
"I haven’t told him one bit what we’re doing. I told him we’re going somewhere, we’re going to Old Town Fort Collins. Let’s go," said Dillon. "We finally get to the shop and he said, ‘What are we doing?’ I was like, ‘We’re both getting tattoos.’"
Now hockey doesn’t just fill the walls – their love for the Colorado team is on their skin.
"I was like, 'Oh my gosh, OK, we’re getting a tattoo,'" said Mike. "It’s an honor for me to share something with him that we have on our bodies that we enjoy together. Now we’re going to have it forever. Yup, we’ve got the memories. Memories."
Matching memories of the day they dreamt about that will never fade.
Mike and Dillon have been to dozens of Colorado Eagle’s games, but never to an Avalanche game. They watch nearly every game at home, but have never stepped inside Ball Arena to watch the team in person. Now, with their new tattoos, they’re hoping to change that next season.
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