LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — On the morning of her 99th birthday, Vegas Golden Knights super fan Dora Walker was surprised with a pre-game Zamboni ride on the team’s New Year’s Eve matinee game.
“I almost fainted! I almost had a heart attack,” she exclaimed. “When they told me what I was doing I said ‘oh no! This is a dream.’”
As the nearly one-hundred-year-old fan— affectionately called Grandma Dora— rolled up to the Zamboni tunnel at T-Mobile Arena with her grandson, she was still in shock that she would have the opportunity to be on the same ice as her beloved Golden Knights.
It was something that I never dreamed I would do. Never came to my mind.
She admits that she wasn’t always a hockey fan due to the aggressive nature of the sport and fighting; however, once she got to know the team from watching countless games, she was hooked.
“They’re an inspiration,” she said. “They’re so energetic, they are family guys, they are handsome. You just can’t expect more! I wish I could find a guy – when I was younger – that was like the Golden Knights.”
While Grandma Dora knows she isn’t getting any younger, she says that the Golden Knights keep her alive— making her feel young and energetic again, which is why she can’t miss a game.
I have to watch them constantly. It’s my vitamins to watch them. I don’t watch other things. They are so inspiring. They give me energy. It’s hard to live longer and I enjoy every minute. I could live in the stadium watching them all the time. For me, it’s everything.
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Decked out in VGK earrings, a faux fur jacket and a ‘Happy Birthday’ tiara, Grandma Dora was ready for her close-up— spending extra time practicing her royal wave before her big moment: “This will give me another 50 years of life!”
When it was time to board the Zamboni, Grandma Dora ditched her wheelchair and fearlessly climbed aboard. She said being up on her perch felt like she was going to heaven.
WATCH: ‘Grandma Dora’s’ Zamboni ride
In front of an NHL crowd, Grandma Dora had no stage fright. She spent her ride smiling ear-to-ear, waving to the crowd and talking to thousands of fellow Golden Knights fans like they were her best friends.
When her ride ended, she pledged that it would be on foot the next time she took the ice at T-Mobile Arena.
“I’m not dying without learning to skate!” she said.
The Golden Knights couldn't deliver a win for Grandma Dora's birthday,snapping their 6-game winning streak with a 3-2 loss to the Montreal Canadiens, but she says their impact on her life is more than enough.
"They really made it special – all of them," she said. "Because they are unique. I have never seen in all my life anyone more energetic and human."
