Joey Guilmet and Dan Snyder shared a love of music.

One of the Thrashers' assistant equipment manager's favorite things about Snyder was that he was always up for going to a concert.

It didn't matter what the music was. An Irish punk band. A big Canadian band. A local hard rock band.

Some of Guilmet's favorite memories of Snyder are linked to concerts. There was a show in Florida where they sat on stage while the Atlanta band Sevendust played. (Sevendust's drummer, Morgan Rose, keeps a Thrashers' Snyder jersey next to him when he plays.)

There was another concert in Montreal in February 2003 where Guilmet, Snyder and Dany Heatley saw the Canadian band Our Lady Peace at the Bell Centre, a two-block walk from the team hotel.

"I often think back to when we were walking back, the three of us, me Dan and Dany, it's a short walk," Guilmet said. "We were hanging out backstage and just talking with the band about hockey. We were like three kids and we were just so excited it was like we had to slap ourselves. We could hardly believe we were back stage. Now every time I walk back [from the Bell Centre to the hotel] I think of that, how happy the three of us were. It was a pretty cool time."

Guilmet put Snyder in touch with a local musician to get guitar lessons. Guilmet said the same talent that allowed Snyder to become an NHL player was evident in his musical skill.

After Snyder's death, Guilmet and Snyder's family ended up, in a sort of way, exchanging gifts to mark their loss. When the Thrashers defeated Columbus 2-1 in their 2003 season opener the day before Snyder's funeral, coach Bob Hartley gave Guilmet the game-winning puck to present to Snyder's parents upon the team's arrival in Elmira, Ontario the next day.

Guilmet keeps in his possession an electric guitar that belonged to his friend, a gift from Snyder's parents.

Guilmet has other memories of Snyder that are dear to him, from around this time last year. When Guilmet and his wife Kim closed on their first home, Snyder was their first visitor.

"We closed up an hour or two before and it meant so much to me that he went out of his way to come by," Guilmet said. "And he was like, 'Geez, Joey, this is so awesome.' He was so proud for us."