Even after 90 years, birthday gifts can apparently still make you feel like a kid again.
Just ask Margaret Munro, the Penticton Vees superfan who says she felt stuck in a dream last week when her 93rd birthday present appeared at her front door.
Munro was expecting a visit from her daughter on Jan. 24, but instead felt confused when she opened her door and saw three men she didnāt recognize at first glance.
Taking a break from their Wednesday morning practice were Vees co-captains Callum Arnott and Thomas Pitchette, holding a jersey signed by each of their teamates with the name āMunroā and No. 93 on the back.
Joined by Fraser Rodgers ā the teamās play-by-play commentator and vice president of business operations ā the captains handed Munro the sweater, surprising her with something sheād always dreamed of owning.
āI darn near almost fainted,ā Munro said. āNever in my wildest dreams could I have dreamed of a scenario like this happening.ā
Munro has been to almost every Vees home game since 2007. Regulars to Veesā games know Munro will be sitting in her seat before every puck drop at the SOEC.
āThe Vees are the high point of my fall and winter, every year,ā Munro said. āI like being there with the communityā¦itās just wonderful.ā
The Penticton resident doesnāt drive anymore but that hasnāt stopped her from attending almost every game. Sheās had multiple drivers in recent years and has outlived two of them.
From the teamās record-breaking win streak in 2012 to the back-to-back Fred Page Cup titles in 2022 and 2023, Munro says her most recent birthday gift stacks up right next to all her favourite Vees memories.
Sharon Lusch, a community relations manager at Pentictonās Concorde Retirement Centre, was joined by Munroās daughter and the members of the Vees when the birthday surprise was unveiled.
When Munro asked why the three men were by her door, Lusch ā in an effort to cover up the surprise for a little longer ā said they were her bodyguards.
āI actually believed her,ā Munro said with a laugh.
Starting in 2007, it was tradition for Munro and her husband, Richard, to attend every Vees home game. The couple moved back to Penticton in 2006 after spending the early years of their life in the city. Richard died in 2017.
Munro couldnāt help but think of her late husband when she saw her 93rd birthday gift.
āHe once got a signed hockey stick from Mario Lemieux,ā Munro said while holding the prized collectible and thinking of all the times sheād watched hockey with Richard. āHe never missed a game on TVā¦that gift he got and this jersey here are the two most special gifts in our family now.ā
When asked who her favourite players are on the Veesā current team, Munro didnāt hestiate to respond.
āWell now it has to be Callum and Thomas,ā she said with a laugh. āIāll always remember this.ā
