Shawn Mendes Imagines !!

Baby's First Game

The large crowd that filled every single seat inside Scotiabank Arena was only growing more and more excited with each passing second. It was opening night for the Toronto Maple Leafs and fans loved a home opener for a new season more than anything. Watching their favorite players skate out onto the ice and give it their all against the opposing team during the sixty minute play time was always thrilling.

But my heart was racing in anticipation for a different reason.

Sky, my three year old daughter was against my hip as I held her close. Her cheeks were rosy like always, something she inherited from her father and a bright smile had been on her lips since we found our seats right behind the glass in the front row.

With her tiny blue Maple Leafs Jersey on paired with a pair of pink noise cancelling headphones, she looked absolutely adorable. Her small hand clutched onto the fabric of my identical jersey, both of ours with the name 'Mendes' and the number 98 stitched onto the back, she blabbered on enthusiastically about her surroundings.

"She has absolutely no idea what's going on does she?" Brian asked with a laugh, holding his beer in one hand as he smiled at his niece in my arms.

Just as I shook my head, Sky giggled with a clap of her hands and exclaimed, "Daddy! Daddy's here Uncle Bri!". My heart soared with happiness and Brian's smile only grew at her words.

"Oh really, Skylar? So where is he? I don't see him anywhere." Brian said playfully, looking around the large crowd and Sky laughed again. As if on cue, the arena went dark as blue and white lights danced across the ice. The booming voice of the sports announcer came over the speakers and the energy level rose to an all time high.

"Anddd, for the first time in the 2019-2020 season, let's welcome your Toronto Maple Leafs!" The announcer's voice was almost drowned out by the uproar of cheers from the thousands of fans.

As I bounced Sky up and down on my hip happily and Brian yelled along with the rest of the crowd, the players began skating onto the ice one by one. Sky's big hazel eyes were trained on every man in a blue jersey with a leaf on the front, looking for the familiar face she loved so much.

And then suddenly, her face lit up with joy and she started waving and pointing frantically.

"Look, look! It's Daddy! Momma, Uncle Brian, that's Daddy!!" Sky exclaimed, nothing but happiness radiating from her tiny body as she watched her father skate out onto the rink. The crowd went wild at the sight of the well known 98 now on the ice.

Since his debut in the NHL only a few years ago, Shawn quickly proved himself not only as one of the best players on the team but in the whole league and his skills certainly didn't go unnoticed by the dedicated Toronto fans. Earning the high honor of becoming the Maple Leaf's captain just last year, everyone's eyes were constantly on Shawn whenever he touched the puck during games.

"That is Daddy, sweetie! You see him?" I chuckled, getting a little closer to the glass boards to point Shawn out for Sky. She nods quickly, hands still in the air as she waves with wonder dancing in her beautiful eyes.

I've been to a countless amount of games over the years just to see Shawn play but it never got old watching him do what he loved. And for Sky, the magic of her first hockey game was paired with seeing her father play which practically tripled the excitement. The first game is always so special and I know in Sky's case, she certainly will cherish these memories forever.

"Whoa," Sky whispers as she admires Shawn wind up to take a shot, the puck finding the back of the net perfectly. "Can we say hi to him, Momma?" she asked sweetly, tearing her eyes away from the curly headed man I was lucky enough to call my husband to look at me.