TAMPA -- In a restaurant nestled in the lobby of the Hyatt Hotel, Rickard Rakell sits down for lunch with his guest, Katie Hawley. He's the Anaheim Ducks' All-Star, a 24-year-old Swedish center who leads his team with 36 points this season. She's a 17-year-old California girl who loves shopping sprees and the beach. He made his NHL debut at 19 and has yet to finish his high school degree; she's taking time off from AP classes and writing college scholarship essays to be in Tampa.
But as Rakell picks at braised short ribs and Hawley munches on a burger, any perceived difference between them melts away.