As a teenager, around 16, I didn't follow the Flames that much, I had just moved to Alberta from BC, and my first summer here I tagged along with some buddies to attend my first Calgary Stampede.
My buddy had to take a leak, or grab a hot dog can't remember, but he was the die hard Flames fan at the time. While I was waiting for him, I was hanging out watching guys try to ring the bell with the hammer.
This big blonde guy comes and leans on the rail beside me and starts chatting with me about the game asking if I thought there was a trick to ringing the bell. We both agreed yes because some small guys had hit it once, while big brawny guys had failed lots. So this guy says he is going to give it a shot. When he got to it my buddy was back from wherever he went, and his jaw dropped. "Holy ####, do you see who that is?!?, That's MacInnis!"
He cranked that bell hard 3 times in a row, and I felt pretty stupid for not even knowing who I was talking to.
