Parker Bell was sitting with friends and family in his hometown of Campbell River when he learned that his lifelong dream had just come true.
On the TV screen it was announced that the Calgary Flames had drafted him in this year’s NHL draft.
A video captures the moment: a quiet living room suddenly erupting in shouts of excitement.
“I was in disbelief. This has been a childhood dream of mine,” he later told the Times-Colonist.
Bell has spent the last three years playing in the WHL for the Tri-City Americans. He had an inkling that he might make the cut for the NHL this year, but didn’t suspect that the team would be the Flames.
“I was just trying to stay patient with it,” Bell told CHEK News. “I didn’t know what was going to happen. Obviously, I’m happy about where I went.”
“I’m just excited to get going,” he added.