Growing up we all had our childhood heroes. Mine was number 93 for the Toronto Maple Leafs, Doug Gilmour. I grew up as a Habs/Patrick Roy fan until I was seven-years-old and in grade one.

Then my Uncle Charles knocked and talked some sense into me and turned me into a blue and white Leafs fan for life. I thank you for that Uncle Charles. At the time I became a Leafs fan, Cliff Fletcher was being named the GM of the team. The Leafs were really shitty and Fletcher help turn them around with bold trades and smart free agent signings.

Some of my fondest memories are of my friend Graham and I, as we would go outside and brave all types of weather and pretend we were Gilmour, Wendel Clark, Nikolai Borschevsky, Dave Andreychuk and many others. We would practice right before school and then after school at our babysitter's house. We would act out that we were winning the Stanley Cup on a game seven overtime goal over the Montreal Canadiens.

I, like many young Toronto fans, had my room covered with Leaf memorabilia and none more so than Doug Gilmour. I had posters, clocks, paintings and cards of him. I collected the starting line-up figures and would always ask for a Doug Gilmour one for my birthday and Christmas.

I also collected autographs as a kid. Every Christmas my dad (Santa) would give me a pair of Maple Leaf tickets. This would be the highlight of my Christmas break; heading to Toronto with my dad to go watch a game and meet as many players as possible. My dad would stand in the freezing cold weather while I ran down Carlton and Church St, going back and forth from the two entrances of Maple Leaf Gardens to get the players to sign my mini sticks. I met Dave Andreychuk, Mats Sundin, Peter Zezel, Pat Burns, Dave Ellett, Jamie Macoun, Curtis Joseph and many others. I had over 20 mini sticks in my room signed by over 200 different players.

During one of my trips with my dad, I ran onto Church St to try to catch Felix Potvin and get his signature, and if it wasn't for my Dad pulling me out of the way, I would have gotten hit by a car. I literally would have died to get his signature.

While I met so many Leafs and visiting team players, I never was able to meet my hero, Dougie.

Then one Christmas I got a Doug Gilmour autographed hockey stick and I was so excited to finally have my hero's autograph. However, deep down it wasn't the same. I didn't get to meet him. I didn't get to ask him for his autograph, I didn't get a picture with him. I love the stick, but it just wasn't the same.

Finally after cheering for Dougie since 1992, I finally got my chance to meet him. Last week the man they call ‘Killer' was in town for the London Sports Celebrities Dinner. Children from the London Children's Hospital had a couple of hours with the former Leaf along with other retired and active athletes.

When it was the media's turn to talk to the sports stars, I jumped at the chance to not only say hello to Dougie and shake his hand, but to interview him. I must say he was as nice as I ever imagined he was going to be. I had a one-on-one interview with him for a class project and he made sure to answer every question I had. He could have easily blown off the media to go relax before the dinner but he didn't.

My dream had finally come true to meet Dougie and get my picture taken with him. For those wondering, no I did not break the number one rule of a journalist and ask for an autograph. I will just have to go meet him in Toronto at the Air Canada Centre as a paying customer or at an autograph session. You can be damned sure I will have the picture of him and me together for him to sign.