Noteworthy First Pucks
On October 6, 2002, in front of a crowd of 18,000 at General Motors Place, Queen Elizabeth II dropped the ceremonial first puck for the National Hockey League exhibition game between the Vancouver Canucks and San Jose Sharks; this was the first time any reigning monarch, Canadian or otherwise, had performed the task.
The 2007 NHL All-Star game first puck was dropped by Texas Governor Rick Perry and Dallas Stars center Mike Modano on January 24, 2007.
California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger dropped the ceremonial first puck on May 27, 2007, when the Anaheim Ducks hosted the Ottawa Senators.
Brian Leetch dropped the first puck on October 4, 2007, at a New York Rangers game.
Capitalizing on her well-publicized advocacy of ice hockey and her self-identification as a "hockey mom", 2008 Republican Party Vice Presidential nominee Sarah Palin was invited to perform the ceremonial first puck drop at NHL games during the campaign, including the Philadelphia Flyers hosting of the New York Rangers on October 11 and the St. Louis Blues hosting of the Los Angeles Kings on October 24.
As a native New Yorker and former Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Colin Powell dropped the ceremonial first puck at a New York Islanders game at Nassau Coliseum on November 11, 2008, in recognition of Military Appreciation Day and Veterans Day. Powell, the first black U.S. Secretary of State and first black U.S. National Security Adviser, had earlier dropped an Islander puck on January 21, 2008, in honor of Martin Luther King Day.
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