British Army Vet Honored at US Hockey Game

The Colorado Avalanche and the Dawg Nation Hockey Foundation named former British Army soldier Andy Barnard "Hero of the Game" Thursday Jan 8, 2015. In 2008, while serving in the British Army in Afghanistan, Barnard became close friends with a U.S. Marine from Loveland, CO named Isaac Palomarez – who would change Barnard’s life forever. During their downtime, Palomarez educated Barnard about the game of hockey and shared his passion for the sport and the Avalanche. When the two parted ways, Palomarez gave Barnard his beloved Joe Sakic jersey under the condition that Barnard would visit Denver in the future and the two would attend an Avalanche game at the Pepsi Center together. Tragically, Palomarez was killed in an IED attack about one month later. Several years later, Barnard held up his side of the pact. The 26-year-old arrived in Denver and attended Thursday night’s game where he was surprised with this great honor.