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ThorntonisTHEMAN
PickupHockey Pro
499 Posts |
 Posted - 02/07/2009 : 19:24:44
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I was thinking there was an old forum about this but I looked back and couldn't find it so here goes. Which current/former hockey players have you met? Like, not just got autographs from but actually had a conversation with?
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ThorntonisTHEMAN
PickupHockey Pro
499 Posts |
Posted - 02/07/2009 : 19:26:56
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| I have met Matt Johnson who was Minnesota's goon for a while. Funny thing is, he's a big tough guy but in person he is pretty quiet and shy! Um, also had a nice little conversation with David Clarkson back when he was still in the OHL. He's an extremely arrogant guy! Oh, and Dennis Wideman comes to my church when he is in town. Pretty arrogant but a nice enough guy. |
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fat_elvis_rocked
PickupHockey Pro
Canada
902 Posts |
Posted - 02/07/2009 : 19:57:36
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I got a great one.....
I took my 4 year old to Chuck E Cheese for lunch and fun earlier this winter, and as she was off tearing around, I heard this guy at the next table talking to his kids, and it sounded like he had gargled broken glass.
I glanced up and didn't think much of it at first, but the voice kept niggling at me, I had heard it somewhere before. Then it dawned on me, Dave Manson got a shot in the throat from, Momesso I think it was, during a scrap on the early 90's? and his voicebox got partially crushed or something, hence the growl. I took a second look and saw the guy was big...6'2" or so and wide but athletic looking. Then I noted the NHLPA fleece, so once he was standing alone, I thought what the hey...I walked up and asked, 'Excuse me, are you Dave Manson?'
He said he was, we shook hands, and chatted amiably for about 10 minutes. During the course of our conversation, I asked him what he was doing in Regina, and he said his kid was playing in a tourney here. Because he seemed like good natured guy, I asked him smiling, if his kid played like his Dad, or did he leave his gloves on?
He is a good natured guy obviously as he chuckled, gave me a playful shot in the arm and said 'The kid has more skill already, than I ever had'
My arm still has the bruise 
I also met Rick Vaive at an Under 17 tournament that Regina hosted that I was at. His kid played on the team and we ended sitting beside each other. Nothing like being able to talk hockey with an ex-captain of the Toronto Maple Leafs and NHL 50 goal scorer, it was very cool. He must have figured I was an ardent fan, he brought Basil Mcrae over so I could meet him too.
Last one,  , not so much met as was friends with Garth Butcher, so every time I see him, it's good for a quick brew and good stories. Same goes with Mike Sillinger if I run into him, knew him since he was a little kid, as his older brother and I played hockey together for about 10 years growing up. He always said he would a pro hockey player...we just used to laugh and say sure Mikey, sounds good...still bug him about that... |
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hanley6
PickupHockey Pro
Canada
674 Posts |
Posted - 02/07/2009 : 20:38:14
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Fred Brathwaite, Tie Domi, Tom Fergus, Brendan Shanahan, Maurice Richard, Colin Campbell, Steve Yzerman, Bob Probert, Johnny Bower, Steve McKichan..
I went to Colin Campbells (he brought guys like Steve Yzerman and Bob Probert out to talk and do some drills) hockey school and Steve McKichan's goalie school in Tillsonburg.. And I actually talked to Fred Brathwaite on a phone conversation |
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Porkchop73
PickupHockey Pro
640 Posts |
Posted - 02/08/2009 : 05:20:31
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Talked with Dale Hunter in a Macs Milk variety store. Was coached in midget hockey by Bob Gould. I also escorted Steven Stamkos to my childs school for where he read a book for the class.
My favourite story is when I came back from vacation and flew in to Detroit. There waiting for their luggage with me were Nick Lidstrom and Pavol Datsyuk. I had a brief conversation with both about the all-star game from which they were returning from. It is my favourite because we talked about every day stuff and they were totally cool. I did not bother them for an autograph or anything, just played it cool. |
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rross
Top Prospect
Canada
58 Posts |
Posted - 02/08/2009 : 05:27:14
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I sat on a plane with Frank Caprice (Canucks goalie mid 80's). Not a big deal but being a goalie it was a thrill for me. I've met Lyle Odlein twice in one day in Montreal. Once at the forum on an off day and later that night at the bar. I've been to Guy Lafleur's house too(My uncle ran a gas station near Montreal and Guy, Yvon Cournyeyer, and Yvon Lambert were some of his regulars so he got to know them well and set up a meeting for me and my brother back in 84'.
Go Habs Go!! |
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Bruins Fan
Top Prospect
Canada
5 Posts |
Posted - 02/08/2009 : 08:27:08
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n/a
deleted
4809 Posts |
Posted - 02/08/2009 : 08:40:05
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Well, I told a couple of stories about my brushes with a few of the big stars, so I won't go into it here too much. The biggest stars I met back around 2000 (or was it 1999? can't remember) when the NHL had it's hockey awards in Toronto and I was working as hotel security at the time for where they stayed.
I escorted and had a few words with Jaromir Jagr, and Mario Lemieux. Also had a short conversation with Guy Lafleur, on how we were to deal with people around the old star he was taking care of, Maurice Richard (never spoke to him). Also at the time, I got to speak with Dominek Hasek when he called on security while being asked for his autograph, and I got to escort (but didn't speak with) Selanne and Kariya. Most cherished moment wasn't with a player that weekend, it was with the Hitchcock, who had just won the Stanley Cup the year previous. Really nice guy.
Biggest disappointment for me that year was - Gretzky was the only star staying at another hotel.
At other places, and at other times, I've had chats with: Brett Lindros (at a store I worked at way back in the day, what a nice guy), Eric Lindros (he was about to take on my buddy the bouncer and me, but luckily decided better of it - a prick), Kirk Muller (super nice guy, met at a casino).
Also, saw Belak be an supreme a****** at a bar, but never spoke with him, just watched a parade of hot bunnies follow him and a few other stars of baseball around. Also saw Domi, Sundin and Gary Roberts on the streets of Toronto back in the day, but never spoke (they were being mobbed).
"Take off, eh?" - Bob and Doug |
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Beans15
Moderator
Canada
8286 Posts |
Posted - 02/08/2009 : 11:05:50
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I went to school with a current NHL. If you look back at my old posts, you can figure out who is is.
I golfed with a current NHL player.
I have seen various current and former Oiler players in and around Edmonton. Some are great, others are real jerks. More often than not, those who portray themselves as such great people in the media are complete tools.
However, all of these hockey players are people too and I would not like people posting stuff anywhere if they thought I was a jerk. I won't do it to anyone else either.
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Alex
PickupHockey All-Star
Canada
2816 Posts |
Posted - 02/08/2009 : 12:08:16
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My list is pretty nice.
1) Ken Dryden.
Met him at a skate session when he was campaigning for office. Nice guy, got a picture with him. My dad had a ten minute chat reliving the glory days.
2) Mats Sundin, Shayne Corson, Carlo Colaicovo
We got into the Leafs change room in a preseason game once. I asked Mats to sign my Habs jersey, which he did, but said ''wrong team, bud.'' Corson then chimed in - he had been recently traded from Montreal - and said something along the lines of ''No, he's got the right team.'' And Carlo was just there.
3) 2003 (?) Ottawa Senators team
We told the guy in charge we were from out of town and he got us into the parking lot. We got the autographs of every player as they left the rink, except Hossa, who wouldn't stop to greet the fans.
''Yes we can!'' -Obama |
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Guest4556
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Posted - 02/08/2009 : 12:37:19
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ok i got a good one for you guys. i was in vancouver for the super series
a couple years back for the last game
of the series and of course canada kicked there ass and me and my buddy
got on the jumbo screen cuz we were the human score board lol i let him be
canada so his stomach was red at the end of the night from erasing and
rewriting the score all night well anyways we go clubbin after the game and
were already pretty drunk so we head down to the roxy and party well i go
outside for a smoke and i am to drunk so they dont let me back in!! so i head
across the street to a bar i see this chick who is just smokin hot so i go up
start dancin with her were havin a good night and go and take a couple
shots at the bar when some guy comes up just hammered and gets up in my
face and is like hat you doing with my girlfriend shes like thats not my
boyfriend i dont even know who that guy is and this guy isnt as big as i am
so im thinking i can take this guy so i tell him to back off then his buddy
walks up who musta had like 6 inchs on me and probably a good 55-60 lbs
so im like f*** what am i gonna do..... well yearlier on in the night i ran into
MILAN LUCIC thats when he still played for the giant's and i was talkin to him
because my buddy i was there with his aunty was his high school principal
and they were really close throughout his years at highschool so i talked to
him about that and what it was like to play for team canada.. well back to the
bar i was standing there thinking im gonna die when Lucic walks up tells
buddy to take a hike and kicks him outta the bar and get this after he backed
me up he bought the whole bar a round :O yeah he bought the bar either
tequila or hienkins it was a sweet night. he was a pretty big dude. so when
ever i watch the bruins and he gets into a fight im like that guy right there
backed me up. i also watched a concert that weekend but thats for another
time.. |
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fat_elvis_rocked
PickupHockey Pro
Canada
902 Posts |
Posted - 02/08/2009 : 20:27:21
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Geez, I forgot one of the best ones from when I was a kid....
I am of first nations ancestry and live and played all my hockey in Regina. When I was a kid, I think it was about 1975,76, around there, there was a summer 2 week hockey school, that ran out of the Residential boarding school in Lebert, Sask.
It was designed as a hockey school for first nations kids only, and you stayed in the dorms at the school during the time and did some dryland training, classroom work, regarding officiating and rules and the like, and of course the twice a day 2 hour on ice sessions with the instructors.
The one year it operated and I was fortunate to be able to go, the instructors were Hugh Huck(brother of famed NHLer Fran Huck, Lawyer, and accredited Referee), teachig the classroom stuff and current NHLers at the time, Morris Mott(California Golden Seals), and Tiger Williams who was a Leaf at the time. Both are from Saskatchewan, and actually stayed in the dorms with us for 2 weeks!
It was very cool, as Tiger was very interactive with the kids, having us try and come up with a better goal celebration than his trademark 'riding the stick' move, BBQing us burgers, and genrally just hanging out with us outside of the scheduled on ice sessions.
Now that I'm older, I can really appreciate the time he spent, that he didnt' have to, and the program wouldn't have been near as memorable if not for the time and caring of these 2 NHLers.
PS. The school only allowed kids between 10 and 14 if I remember, and it was subsidised, allowing kids from some of the poorer families, to attend. I remember there were a number of kids that showed up with borrowed skates, gloves and helmets, with nothing else, due to financial situtations. Again, with age, I realize how unimportant the actual hockey part was for these kids, and how important the time the pros spent with us was, as these kids were in the mix like everyone and treated no different. It makes for a pretty nice memory. |
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Guest0474
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Posted - 02/08/2009 : 22:48:33
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Craig Weller from the Wild.
Went fishing with him.
Cool guy, not a jerk, and built like a brick s***house. |
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Who Have You Met? 
