Music: {allcanada} GRANDPARENTS SEE PATS RETIRE EBERLE'S JERSEY

Thursday, December 6, 2012

{allcanada} GRANDPARENTS SEE PATS RETIRE EBERLE'S JERSEY

47296_Free Shipping on the New iPads at Sam's Club

Jordan Eberle tells The Regina Leader Post he thought he had prepared himself for the feelings associated with having his number retired by the WHL's Regina Pats.

Even so, he was caught off-guard as he watched a banner bearing his name, smiling face and familiar No. 7 raised to the rafters at the Brandt Centre on Wednesday.

"I'm not an emotional person at all," the 22-year-old Reginan said after the ceremony. "Maybe on the ice I am, especially if we lose or we win. I didn't think I would (get emotional as the banner rose), but it was definitely surreal to see that."

Eberle's emotions were on full display during the 30-minute ceremony. The Edmonton Oilers star admitted he had to stop a couple of times during his speech to avoid tearing up as he recalled the help he received from family members, teammates, coaches and others on his way to the WHL and the NHL.

Eberle was particularly happy that his grandparents, Al and Lynn, were on hand for the event. Al has been undergoing treatment for lung cancer and Jordan said his grandpa has been looking forward to the ceremony for a while.

"He's been in chemotherapy for the last few weeks and he went off it for the last week or so so that he could be healthy for this," Jordan said. "My grandma, I knew she would tear up and she did. She didn't disappoint us."

Eberle, who billeted with his grandparents during his four seasons with the Pats, said having them on hand Wednesday was the highlight of the day for him.

"Say we did this 20 years down the road; maybe they're not with us," he said. "They're definitely a big reason why I'm here today.

"For a 16-year-old kid, even though I'm from here, my parents had moved away (to Calgary). It's tough to move away. In a lot of cases, for me it was easier. I moved in with my grandparents. Every kid dreams of that. You get home-cooked meals every day. They made a lot of sacrifices for me."