I GOT TO BE DIERKS BENTLEY’S HOCKEY MOM FOR A DAY!

What a weekend! When I planned to attend Dierks Bentley’s Mystic Lake Casino concert in Prior Lake, Minnesota on Saturday, April 25, 2009, I definitely got more than I bargained for! I had been wanting to watch Dierks play hockey, and I thought that I would have to go to Nashville to see him. I have heard that fans have done just that! This is how the weekend unfolded. For the Saturday evening concert, I was thrilled to have been selected for my annual meet and greet opportunity.

Dierks and Valerie @ Mystic Lake Casino

Here I am pictured with Dierks. He was wearing a New York t-shirt and I grew up in New York. How nice of him! I was wearing my Opry little white tank top and Dierks lives in Nashville as well as being a member of the Opry. What a great coincidence! Dierks had never seen this particular tank before. I had bought it in Nashville at the Opry gift shop last year when I was there for the CMA Music Festival. I collect them and usually have a different one on each time I get a photo op with him. Little did I know that there would be another one within a day!

Lucky Fan Club Members with Dierks at the Meet and Greet @ Mystic Lake Casino

During the Meet and Greet chat, Dierks mentioned that he had played in a hockey game that morning across the street. During the concert, he announced towards the end of the show that he might be playing hockey at 11am the next day. So I just Googled Ice Arena and found the Dakotah! Ice Center next door to the casino. Apparently, Dierks had told the radio station that had coordinated the games NOT to announce them to the fans on the air. Oops!

Here’s what happened at the Dakotah! Ice Center: I was the only Dierks fan there. It was a really strange experience to be alone at a place where Dierks would be “performing.” I met Dierks when he walked into the rink with a couple of other guys. I walked right up to him and said, “Hi, Darlin’! I came to watch you play. Which rink will you be on?” He laughed and said, “I don’t know. I’m just following him.” The guy he was with said it was Rink 1. I watched Dierks walk back towards the locker room and before he followed the guy down the hall he looked back at me and then said to him, “That’s Valerie.” I figured that guy was shocked that any fan was there and couldn’t believe that Dierks would know anyone who lived in Minnesota! I entered the arena and positioned myself next to the door to the ice. The players were trickling in from the locker rooms. Finally Dierks appeared at the end of the hall. When he reached me he let me take a picture of him.

Dierks the ICEHOLE!

Lucky Number 7

Dierks was wearing his ICEHOLES jersey. That’s the name of the team he plays for in Nashville. These are some pictures of Dierks wearing his ICEHOLES team shirt with BENTLEY 7 on the back! He wore it while he was warming up. For the game, Dierks changed into a black University of Minnesota hockey shirt. (The shirt is emblazoned with a large letter M in maroon and gold. He was on the black team and his ICEHOLES shirt was mostly white.)

Dierks scored a number of times and the crowd (by now there were six of us in the arena) went wild! Dierks raised his stick in victory and then skated by the fans! He tapped his stick on the plexiglass.

Dierks looked right at me and smiled for the camera as he left the ice.

I asked him if we could take pictures with him and he agreed. We waited for him to come out and he was so sweet. We had a great chat and he signed for us and posed for pictures.

Dierks and Valerie @ Dakotah! Ice Center

This little white tank was purchased at the LOVELESS Cafe in Nashville. It’s one of the best restaurants in Nashville (southwest of downtown at 8400 Highway 100) and they are famous for their biscuits. Pictures of country music stars cover their walls.

Dierks and Tiff with Signed Hockey Puck

Dierks and Samantha with Signed Hockey Puck

Kristin, Valerie and Smantha-Rae

Kristin is wearing a blue Dierks shirt and Samantha has on her black Dierks hoodie. I am wearing my one-of-a-kind Dierks Bentley belt buckle shown enlarged below.

Valerie's One-of-a-kind Dierks Bentley Belt Buckle

I gave Dierks a present called Fatherhood. It’s a set of poetry magnets for the fridge. He liked it. Then I also gave him a Derryl Perry CD from 2005 with a cover version of I CAN’T FORGET HER, which is on Dierks’ FEEL THAT FIRE CD.

Gifts for Dierks from Valerie @ Dakotah! Ice Center

Valerie Presenting Dierks with his Gifts @ Dakotah! Ice Center

Clay Walker recorded the original version back in 2003, which Dierks knew about. He did not know about the second one. I told him that it was cool for me to be able to give him a gift like that. I am a songwriter so I am keenly interested in the origins of songs. I was intrigued by that one because Dierks did not write it and he rarely records songs by other writers. Now for the fun part! I just love showing off Dierks. So I make buttons for every encounter with him. These are the buttons from this event!

Dierks Looking Cute as a Button

Dierks and Valerie Button

Hockey Mom All Buttoned Up