A hollow feeling didn't prevent Maxime Fortunus from soaking in the surroundings.
If an abrupt ending to the Calder Cup final wasn't tough enough to comprehend, the long-time Manitoba Moose defenceman quickly had to come to grips with another harsh reality.
Fortunus, who joined the Moose four seasons ago as a virtual unknown but grew into a steady contributor and fan favorite, is under contract to the Dallas Stars for next season and if he isn't in the NHL, he figures to be assigned to the Texas Stars in Austin, Tex.
"The last loss was hard and I knew I wasn't coming back next season, so that made it harder," said Fortunus. "I've had a great time here. I owe a lot to this organization. As soon as the game ended, it hit me. It's the last time I'll skate off the ice in that Moose uniform. I was the last guy to skate off the ice and I can remember looking up and saying, 'This has been amazing.'
"Who knows, maybe I can come back in a couple of years? You never know what can happen, I guess."
Moose forward Jason Jaffray also realizes he might have played his final game in antlers.
"There's a lot of emotions that go through your head when you leave the ice, but that definitely was one of them," said Jaffray. "You never know. One day they might call up and say they don't want to re-sign you."
Jaffray is set to become an unrestricted free agent on July 1 and as much as he's enjoyed his time with the Moose, there figures to be significant interest from other NHL organizations.
There's a chance goalie Cory Schneider has played his last game with the Moose as well, since many experts believe he's ready to move to the NHL on a full-time basis.
"I haven't really thought about it, it's a little too soon and a lot of stuff can happen," said Schneider. "It would be kind of bittersweet because I really enjoyed my time here. I like this organization and they've done a lot of great things for me.
"I'm really thankful and appreciative, but at the same time you want to strive to get to that next level and be as good as you can be."
