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“So we make it turn-key for them, where all they have to do is pack their suit and their personal belongings and they’re on their way.

“With Rasmus, he was just at home doing some laundry. So he was ready to roll.”

Well, not quite.

Photo by Al Charest / Postmedia Network

“I just put in all my laundry. Like, everything,” Andersson recounted with a chuckle. “As soon as I got the call, I threw it in the dryer. But it was still wet, so I had to take a plastic bag with me. I had to hang everything up at the hotel when I got to San Francisco, but nothing dried. So then I had to pack everything back into the plastic bag.

“When I finally got here, I had to wash it all again. Just a mess, but I guess that’s kind of fun. It’s a little memory.”

A lifelong memory.

Andersson has now been scratched for seven consecutive games as he awaits his NHL debut and Gillies faced just warm-up shots and practice pellets before a return trip to Stockton, but that first call-up only comes once.

“For us, it’s ‘OK, how does it all fit in the big picture?’ ” Treliving said. “But you never want to lose sight of the fact that guys getting that call for the first time, that’s pretty special. When they’re coming up for the first time, it’s years of work and dreaming and all the people who were involved, friends and parents and coaches. So that’s always a special thing. But once they get here, you have to assimilate them and try to move past that as quickly as you can.”

“I’m not going to lie to you — if I get the opportunity to make that call, you’re just as excited as the player,” Pascall added. “It’s rush, rush, rush. But at the same time, you want to ensure they know it’s an important time in their lives. They’ve obviously done a lot of things to get to that point. To be able to play in the National Hockey League is a dream of theirs, and knowing that the time has come, it’s obviously thrilling for them and their family.