Article content continued

“I’m so proud of them,” said Salami. “They are hockey players and they know what it takes.”

Photo by Bruce Bennett / Getty Images

Salami grew up a fan of the Detroit Red Wings but is now firmly in the camp of the Knights, an expansion team that has taken the sports world by storm. Salami is at ice level during games so he can rush out and go to work if glass breaks or blood spills and said the spirit of exuberant Knights’ fans is incredible.

“No matter how loud you scream you can’t hear yourself,” said Salami. “When the first buzzer goes off and the people are going nuts and your body is vibrating you’re like ‘Oh, my God!'”

Salami showed up for Game 1 of the finals wearing a black suit and tie emblazoned with small Knights’ logos. It caught the eye of dapper Don Cherry who asked if he could wear it to kick off the television broadcast. Salami was happy to oblige.

“When Don saw me wearing the jacket before the first game, he just lost his mind,” laughed Salami, who refers to the broadcaster by his nickname Grapes.

Cherry praised Salami’s ice-making prowess following Game 1 and talked him up again during the Coach’s Corner segment in Game 2, prompting calls and texts from Salami’s friends living in Detroit, Windsor and Alberta.

“He’s a good guy. It’s a good feeling being recognized for what you do and what your passion is,” said Salami. “It’s awesome. You work your whole career and you just hope that one day you get to this point.”

Salami, in turn, praised his colleagues in barns across the NHL as the “best ice makers on the planet.”