How a Simple Conversation Turned Into a Lifetime Memory
Last week, after an Ottawa Senators game, I had the opportunity to meet Alexander Ovechkin. the NHL’s all-time leading goal scorer, alongside my two daughters and my father-in-law. It was one of those moments that instantly locks itself in as a core memory. Equal parts excitement and nerves, and something our family will be talking about for years.
What stuck with me most wasn’t just the meeting itself, but how it came together. It was a reminder of something I’ve always believed in, but haven’t prioritized enough lately: the quiet, compounding power of relationships.
My father-in-law, Sergei, is a soft-spoken but passionate man originally from the Soviet Union. He once played professional soccer in Moldova and has continued playing recreationally since moving to Ottawa. One evening after a casual pick-up game, he grabbed a drink with a teammate. As conversations often do, it drifted toward sports and eventually landed on hockey.
Sergei mentioned he was going to attend the Washington Capitals vs. Ottawa Senators game on January 1st and shared that meeting Ovechkin would be a lifelong dream. As it turned out, the teammate he was chatting with happened to be a cousin of Barry Trotz and had connections within the Washington Capitals organization, including their Director of PR.
From there, things moved quietly behind the scenes. Sergei was contacted by the Capitals’ PR team and asked to write a short letter explaining who he was and why meeting Ovechkin mattered to him and to me.
Fast-forward to two days before the game, and our family was scrambling to track down two Ovechkin jerseys to bring for him to sign. By the end of the night, we were guided to the visitor area beneath the Canadian Tire Centre, where players exit the building.
In a moment that felt both surreal and brief, jerseys were signed, photos were taken, a few Russian words were exchanged, and just like that, it was over.
Looking back, the experience reinforced a valuable lesson. None of this came from formal networking, business cards, or forced small talk. It came from a genuine conversation, shared interests, and the kind of relationships that form when you’re simply present.
Marriage, kids, and COVID reshaped my world over the past few years. Before that, I thrived on being out traveling, attending events, meeting new people, and building connections wherever I went. Networking came naturally, and business development often followed organically.
During and after COVID, my focus shifted inward. I buried myself in operations and deprioritized networking. It was easier and in many ways necessary to simplify and spend more time with my family. But somewhere along the way, I lost a bit of the curiosity and energy that came from putting myself out there.
As we head into 2026, my goal is to flip the way traditional business development is done. For me, the standard routine of dinners, lunches, and rounds of golf can start to feel repetitive and stale. What excites me now is finding ways to connect that feel authentic and fun, such as ski trips, cycling, fitness-related activities, and concerts. Shared experiences that naturally lead to stronger relationships.
This experience was a reminder that relationships don’t need to be transactional to be powerful. Sometimes, all it takes is a casual conversation to open doors you never even knew existed.
