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Johnnie Nantais, 78, says his travel began backmost erstwhile he was the billet genitor to an OHL player — and has taken decades to complete.
Johnnie Nantais, 78, completed his travel successful Utah past November
CBC News
· Posted: May 13, 2025 11:45 AM EDT | Last Updated: 2 hours ago
Windsor Morning9:50This Windsorite has seen a hockey crippled successful each NHL arena
A Windsor antheral has checked each NHL arena disconnected his bucket list.
Johnnie Nantais says his travel began aft an OHL player billeted with him — and it's taken decades to complete.
There are 32 teams successful the NHL, and he's present seen each azygous 1 of them play connected their location ice. However, he's been to 41 NHL arenas successful total, with immoderate teams moving into caller facilities oregon different franchises switching cities.
From Montreal, location to the largest arena successful Canada, to the raucous vigor of Las Vegas — he's been there.
Nantais says helium was calved with his emotion for hockey. He grew up successful the Ottawa area, and aboriginal moved to Windsor.
His archetypal crippled was backmost successful the precocious 1970s successful Washington, erstwhile helium was successful the metropolis for a conference.
The 78-year-old and his woman got the bug for travelling to much NHL arenas aft they billeted Windsor Spitfire Claude Loiselle in the aboriginal 1980s. Loiselle eventually made the leap to the NHL, playing for 5 teams successful the league. The Nantaises would travel him astir to assorted eastbound seashore roadworthy games.
Later successful life, Nantais bought a centrifugal home, which made it easier for longer roadworthy trips.
You person to beryllium cautious for hockey due to the fact that it's wintertime," helium told CBC Radio's Windsor Morning big Amy Dodge.
His granddaughter made him a motion that said he'd been to each NHL arena.
"They enactment it connected the surface and everybody clapped hands successful the arena. [It] felt good. I got goosebumps. Makes it worthwhile."
Nantais collected pins from each arena. While successful Edmonton, helium says they weren't selling immoderate pins astatine the time, truthful an usher who overheard him ended up giving him hers.
As for his adjacent bucket list, Nantais says helium wants to unrecorded to 100.
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