Avs fan is banned from the arena in Colorado after making a nice gesture and it goes viral

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Jeff Drouin
June 24, 2022 (7:13 PM)

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On what is possibly a very special night for the Colorado Avalanche and their fans, live from their home arena (the Ball Arena), there is a story that is getting a lot of attention.

It's a loyal Colorado Avalanche fan, Ryan Clark, who has his season tickets for a long time in Colorado and shared his side of the story.

First of all, it's important to know that Clark was just banned for life from Ball Arena.

Why? He wanted to pay tribute to his best friend, Kyle Stark, who passed away unexpectedly in December 2021.

The two buddies were regulars, at Avalanche home games.

After the funeral, Stark's parents invited Clark to an Avalanche game at Ball Arena, and he brought some of his friend's ashes with him.

"We had it in a little bag. We got Kyle over the glass and then into the ice. A security guard came up to me and said, 'Hey, man, what was that?" and I said, "Well, to be honest with you, that was my best friend Kyle. He's dead,'" Clark said.

The security guard in question remained dumb, but Ryan Clark was very cooperative. (In his words) He thought the whole thing was over and he was glad he did it for his best friend, but no, it wasn't over.

A few days later, he received a letter informing him that he is now banned from the Ball Arena, at least for the rest of the season.

This story is getting a lot of buzz today because Clark is really sad and disappointed that he won't be able to attend tonight's game, THE game he and his best friend have been waiting for for so long.

Because of the tribute he wanted to pay to his tragically deceased best friend, this Avalanche fan will not be able to be there tonight and has had to watch every one of his team's playoff games from his living room.

If he had it to do over again, would he do it again? He is unequivocal:

"I would do it again with the biggest smile on my face like I did the last time. I know in my heart that this is where he wanted to be. When people constantly ask me, "where do you think he is?" Well, this Zamboni has taken it all over the ice. I admit, again, it wasn't the brightest idea, but in my heart, it was the best way to honor my friend for what he truly loved more than anything in the world."

A truly touching and disappointing story from the Ball Arena staff. I really hope he is not banned again for next year.

There would have been a way to warn him, without banning him so curtly, right?

Credit: MarkerZone