What happens when you show up to your beer-league hockey game and you see Jason Pominville on the other side? For most players in Amherst's Performax Hockey League, they have two realizations.

"Some of us were kind of excited," says Vinnie Christiano III, a Canisius student who plays for Ellwood Fire and has faced Pominville's team multiple times. "I thought it would be cool. Some of the older guys were not really too excited about having to play with somebody who was going to be that fast. That's something that you just think, 'This is crazy.'"

"I actually was waiting out in the lobby to see if I could see him," says Jon Sherman, a Tonawanda resident who plays for Fighting Trout. "Then I saw him come in, and I said, 'Oh. I guess we're playing Jason Pominville tonight.'"

Then the puck drops, and Pominville crushes your hopes and dreams.

"I thought maybe he'd just hang back. Play defense, not try too hard," says Sherman. "Then you get on the ice, and he's just snapping it around, picking corners left and right."

"I think he scored two goals in the first minute," says Christiano. "That whole first game, we were starstruck. One play, he got the puck, and then suddenly it was in the back of the net. I didn't see him shoot, I didn't see the stick move."

Pominville, who totaled three hat tricks in an NHL career spanning 14 seasons and 1,060 games, averages three goals per game with P22 North. His team is one of the better groups in their division, but Christiano and Sherman found ways to score against them, leaving lasting memories.

"Easy, tap-in goal backhand," remembers Sherman. "Of course, I had to do a Patrick Kaleta celebration as an ode to the Sabres in front of him." 

"We were down 6-0 at the time, it was still the first period. I stuck my stick out, intercepted it, walked in, made a move on the goalie and scored. Jason Pominville said, 'Hey, nice move.' I was like, 'Wow! This is awesome! I think I should hang my jersey up in the rafters now,’" recalls Christiano with a smile.

Despite the dominance, or maybe because of it, Pominville is known as a gentleman within the Performax Hockey League.

"One of his teammates punched me in the face," says Sherman. "He actually came over to make sure I was OK, and he apologized. It was nice of him. Felt great." 

A few other players around the league complained at first — who wouldn't? — but the allure of playing against Pominville outweighed any sense of annoyance.

"He was one of my favorite players growing up," says Sherman. "Obviously, we all remember that scary good goal he scored against Ottawa. I was a little starstruck seeing him out there and playing against him."

"Obviously, I don't think he goes full speed," says Steve Kopf, a player for Grand Island Fish. "It's nice to see him out there. Playing, having a good time with us." 

"The reason I started playing hockey was because of that year with the Sabres," says Christiano. "I remember watching several of the Sabres moments. The Brian Campbell hit on RJ Umberger, the Danny Briere goal in the same game, Pominville's goal going around Alfredsson against Ottawa. His jersey was the same number as my birthday, so I liked him particularly because of that too."

Other teams look for ringers — Jay McKee showed up for a playoff game against Pominville's team last week. That's the fun of beer-league hockey in Buffalo: you never know which former Sabres might show up.