Best Player you've played with or against?

[Law Goalie 147]

yeah last i heard.. Tyson Nash plays for the Nikkon Paper Cranes (Japan) based out of Asian League Ice Hockey.

Along with his buddy, the reknowned lunatic Noodles McLennan.

[lampliter87 8]

Eric Cole... he's one of my friend's uncles and came to skate with our team which is coached by his brother in law (my friend's dad).

He's fast as hell.

[Aussie Joe 0]

EDIT: Change mine slightly, best Inline player I've skated with is Ollie Rozdarz from ACT. Amazing hands, quick take off, tries things no one else does and most of all great guy to talk to off the ice. Class act the whole way.

http://www.canberraknights.com.au/profiles/rozdarz.htm

[Hooah4 12]

Just have to update. Last night was our game and Jim Campbell, and Frank "the animal" Bialowas showed up to play with us. Campbell scored the first 5 goals, etc..and then continued to set up the rest of the team. Our goalie sprained his ankle and sat out the third period. We still won 13-5. Afterward we all went out to a local bar w/Campbell. Great guy. You'd never know he'd spent 16 yrs in the NHL. He's invited us out to the Flyers game tonight for the Hextall retirement game. He's also invited us to go out afterward w/some of the Flyers. I'll add that to the "best player you ever drank with" thread.

[Hooah4 12]

Update: Went to the Hextall retirement ceremony last night in Philly vs Caps. Jim Campbell got us passes to the Lexus club. Some pics with the players. Ovie:

[cj190 0]

What was he like in person? Cool guy?

[15yearsofhistory 0]

I've done some drills with CJ Yoder and Brian Yingling down in Colorado Springs at a camp. Those guys both have amazing speed and puck handling skills.

[fastbrother7 0]

Scott Gomez. High School. Him and this other talented player(that should have made it,Josh Kern (Mankato State), but just didnt) got in so off ice trouble so thier coach told them they were demoted to JV for like 1 game. I was a freshman on the opposing team and Gomez was a sophomore. We were ahead like 5 nil, then those two guys decided to start playing, and the game ended in a 5-5 tie-With them being the only ones who scored for their team I think lol. Its funny cause my parents were in the stands and they were watching and my mom remembers some parent saying oh that kid (Gomez) is too small he wont make it that far, and he's not that good. Yeah.......Anyways lol He was slippery as an eel. Guys were trying to knock him off his feet and they would just slide right off him. Just a superb player since day one.

[SidCaeser 0]

I played a game at Joe Louis Arena during the lock-out against Mickey Redmond, Pat Verbeek, John Ogrodick & Dave Lewis. It was amazing how silly they could make us look.

I play play in a beer league on Rocky Trottier's team. He had a cup of coffeee with the Devils back in the day. He can stick handle in a phone booth. It's amazing to get a glimpse at what it takes play at higher levels.

[JamesCL 2]

Use play against Mike Cammaleri (sp) and brad boyse(sp)

[JamesCL 2]

John Tavares, would be the best player that i played against, we lost the game 12-9, i know high scores haha, but Tavares got 11 pts that game. Another great player that probably nobody knows of, is Chris Bryson, hes 21 now and done hockey but I played against him in the Dudley Hewitt Cup last year he finished with 23 pts in 7 games,and his stats during regular season were 42 games played and 125 pts in total , which in my books insane, but he had the worst attitude ever.

He plays with Prembroke lumber kings...

[LarrieNation9 0]

I play against Bryson this season in the CJ. I played against Pat Kane 2 summers ago in Empire State Games.

[RadioGaGa 162]

I was on the ice tonight with a bunch of OHL guys at an Open Shinny. Among them were:

Zac Rinaldo of the St. Mikes Majors

Conor O'Donnel & Ryan Ellis from the Windsor Spitfires and another guy wearing a 'Spits jersey (#12), but I can't find him on the website.

Wow...They all had great speed, great hands & great shots.

[bucko 0]

Played against Marco Sturm, Dennis Seidenberg, Christoph Schubert in Juniors.

Most impressiv guy i practiced with was Jim Sandlak when he played in germany, great guy and great player!!

[shooter27 116]

With: Tyler Kolarik (Harvard, CBJ draftee), Tony Voce (BC All American) and David Schneider (Princeton, Finnish Elite League)

Against: Rick DiPietro, Tim Connolly, Scott Gomez, Chris Higgins, Ryan Shannon

[willsnipe 0]

I played with Colorado 2 round pick T.J. Galiardi, who is currently on the Calgary Hitmen. Great skater, with even better vison. Just named the WHL player of the week also.

[Cheesehead 0]

I went to a Penguins camp and did some drills with Angelo Esposito and around 8 or 9 other AHL/NHL prospects and players. But i think the best person at that camp was Besa (don't know what his last name is), but he is the power skating coach for the Pens. He was too small too be a hockey player (probably could have played now-a-days) so he was a figure skater. It seemed like he would melt the ice every stride. I know you guys probably wont believe this, but he could do a backflip on ice. He would skate backwards, then dig one of his heels into the ice, flip and land. It was amazing.

[this guy 0]

Scott Gomez. High School. Him and this other talented player(that should have made it,Josh Kern (Mankato State), but just didnt) got in so off ice trouble so thier coach told them they were demoted to JV for like 1 game. I was a freshman on the opposing team and Gomez was a sophomore. We were ahead like 5 nil, then those two guys decided to start playing, and the game ended in a 5-5 tie-With them being the only ones who scored for their team I think lol. Its funny cause my parents were in the stands and they were watching and my mom remembers some parent saying oh that kid (Gomez) is too small he wont make it that far, and he's not that good. Yeah.......Anyways lol He was slippery as an eel. Guys were trying to knock him off his feet and they would just slide right off him. Just a superb player since day one.

Did you happen to play against Ricardo Hernandez? I believe he played with Gomez in high school and they both played for the Alaskan All Stars.

[pantherfan 0]

I went to a Penguins camp and did some drills with Angelo Esposito and around 8 or 9 other AHL/NHL prospects and players. But i think the best person at that camp was Besa (don't know what his last name is), but he is the power skating coach for the Pens. He was too small too be a hockey player (probably could have played now-a-days) so he was a figure skater. It seemed like he would melt the ice every stride. I know you guys probably wont believe this, but he could do a backflip on ice. He would skate backwards, then dig one of his heels into the ice, flip and land. It was amazing.

It's pretty cool to see, one of my buddys (ex-barrel jumper) used to do that as a party trick.

[hamstercaster 2]

Briere in a pickup game in Gatineau

Ribiero in Brossard

Christian Matte in a tournament

I played Softball with Christian Matte and his brother.. Eric I believe. Used to go to school with his cousin so I've knowed them for quite a while. Not friends or anything, just people I know. Never got to play hockey against them though.

I have played in summer pick up hockey with Craig Martins I think he was called and Ian McIntyre, two goons, one who has played with Detroit and maybe another team for a bit. The other, McIntyre, was at the Canucks training camp in the 90's. Made us look like fools as they dandled through everybody effortlessly. I was a netminder at the time and there were a couple other junior and AHL players which I can't remember their names and I literally looked like a cone in nets. They scored on me on each and every single shot they took except for when they hit the post lol...

I also played street hockey with Steve Averil, Benoit Brunet and Luc Robitaile when they were playing for the Hull Olympics. Avril a goalie played forward that day and was taking slap shots on Luc Robitaille who had no goalie equipment whatsoever. We were using one of the somewhat hard orange street hockey balls... Ouch!! lol

[fastbrother7 0]

I'm playing on a summer men's league team for the first time this summer. Most recently I arrived at my game and was quite surprised at who showed up to play. I guess it shouldnt surprise me since this players brothers are all on this team as well, but it was funny none the less. The summer hockey rule is if you arent on the roster, you cant play, so obviously this guy was on the roster but he just missed the first 2 games due to some "prior work obligations" lol. In any event, I arrived to the locker room to see that there was an NHLer (as in played 82 games plus the playoffs in 08 ) amongst us. I merely figured he was there to hang out with his fam and bullshit. Mind you, most of the players that play any kind of elite hockey and come back home usually play in the elite summer league here (which this player does). However, there was a bag with his teams' logo on it and he began to suit up lol. Now I'm not the star-struck type, especially since this kids dad used to coach me and was brought to our midget practices to skate back when he was little. Needless to say, we won our game, but our team was pretty good already. I just thought it was pretty funny. I'm not going to name names but i think the guy is a 40+ point rookie though:)

[Smitty34 0]

I've played with and against a few pro roller hockey players. I also played pick up with Dave Maley for a little bit.

[dix0r 0]

i play "elite" pickup occasionally (quotes because i'm definitely NOT one of the elite). usually it's a good level for pickup, and then there's a few guys who can really skate. however, now that it's summer, there's been a lot of major junior / ex-pro / minor leaguers out there. best i've played against would probably be jeff friesen.

[lampliter87 8]

I've been part of a semi-elite open hockey experience; we usually get a fair number of D-1 college players and the odd OHL guy. Got to play against Zach Bogosian, projected #2 draft pick today. Let's just say he'll do well in the NHL.

[english15x 3]

I went to a Penguins camp and did some drills with Angelo Esposito and around 8 or 9 other AHL/NHL prospects and players. But i think the best person at that camp was Besa (don't know what his last name is), but he is the power skating coach for the Pens. He was too small too be a hockey player (probably could have played now-a-days) so he was a figure skater. It seemed like he would melt the ice every stride. I know you guys probably wont believe this, but he could do a backflip on ice. He would skate backwards, then dig one of his heels into the ice, flip and land. It was amazing.

I believe it, I watched the pens open public camp one time 2 years ago and he was there, if its the same guy, he didn't do a backflip but he was an awesome skater.