On October 6, 2002, in front of a crowd of 18,000 at
General Motors Place,
Elizabeth II, the
Queen of Canada 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. At her Philadelphia appearance, Palin was booed by a number of fans in attendance. 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.
Newark, New Jersey-native NBA legend
Shaquille O'Neal dropped the first puck on January 11, 2014 at a
New Jersey Devils game. == Literal "first" puck ==