NHL players you've met

[cptjeff 0]

Ran into Martin St. Louis at work. Extremely nice guy. Very laid back and easy going.

I would never have guessed...

I've never had the chance to actually talk with an NHL player. Living somewhat distant from NHL teams makes that an issue. The only one I've really had any real personal encounter with was Ray Whitney after a game, he was talking to fans some before he left. Nice guy.

[jkud 0]

Well, I was drafted, so I went to two camps and met a bunch of dudes. They are all nice. Only dickhead was Hasek, didn't talk to me. I also played with a bunch of guys in the show and can't name one bad guy. Alex Burrows and I are still good friends. One of the funniest dudes going.

[furlanitalia 1]

I would never have guessed...

Wow, that's crazy how quick he gets his boot off and that he still has vapor xxx tongues

Well, I was drafted, so I went to two camps and met a bunch of dudes. They are all nice. Only dickhead was Hasek, didn't talk to me. I also played with a bunch of guys in the show and can't name one bad guy. Alex Burrows and I are still good friends. One of the funniest dudes going.

Funny, I roomed with Mike Wilson at a work even last year and he said Hasek was extremely focused and while Mike would joke about scoring on him in practice Dom always "not this time". I've heard the same mentality about Kariya, that sometimes these guys are just so mentally into the game they block everything else out. As for Burrows, him and Fiddler going back and forth last night was hilarious.

[jkud 0]

Oh super valid point with being focussed. But this was training camp, first couple days of it. All the guys were talking to the rookies,except Hasek. Guy needed to relax lol.

[furlanitalia 1]

Oh super valid point with being focussed. But this was training camp, first couple days of it. All the guys were talking to the rookies,except Hasek. Guy needed to relax lol.

For some of these guys though they just don't know any other way. Much unlike Drew Doughty who was singing and dancing on the bench during the gold medal game

[jkud 0]

Yeah Doughty is just that good eh? Hockey is just really easy for him. Does he have a shot at the Norris? Green Keith or him I think?

[furlanitalia 1]

Keith yes, Doughty maybe, I don't know about Green though. Anyway back on topic, the only other nhl guy I met was Darren Jensen (the guy who filled in for Lindberg after he passed away.) He was nice but not the brightest and constantly looking for an investment opportunity/get rich scheme.

Hearing him talk about his first game in the NHL and against Edmonton is hilarious. He talks about how he was standing in goal as they're doing the eulogy for Lindberg and he looks down the blue line and he sees Messier, Kurri, Coffey, Gretzky, Anderson, and just nothing but all stars. Says he was so nervous he wanted to grab the mike and say "if anyone in the crowd has goaltending experience, please come down to ice level" lol.

[JGraz15 53]

Well, I was drafted, so I went to two camps and met a bunch of dudes. They are all nice. Only dickhead was Hasek, didn't talk to me. I also played with a bunch of guys in the show and can't name one bad guy. Alex Burrows and I are still good friends. One of the funniest dudes going.

Which team drafted you?

[Chadd 916]

Keith yes, Doughty maybe, I don't know about Green though.

As a Blackhawks fan, I would trade Keith for Doughty in a heartbeat.

[furlanitalia 1]

I haven't see doughty play enough this year so I didn't feel I could really weigh in, but from what I have seen he is a pretty all star defencemen. And he excels in both offensive and defensive sides, unlike Green who is a fourth forward on the ice sometimes.

[RiSeOnFiRe 0]

Doughty is the best defencemen in the league right now. Hands down. But on topic, Ive only met Parish and Peca. Both pretty nice guys especially Peca.

[17D1998 1]

I met Maxim Lapierre last year, he was actually my captain's friend and someday he just showed up in the dressing before our game. A really WTF moment, funny part is that no one wanted his autograph, he had to say ''cmon guys dont be shy!'' ahah

[Chadd 916]

Only problem is that Drew isn't for sale, so, you wouldn't be trading anything. LOL

Unfortunately the Hawks seem enamored with Keith too. For some reason I don't think they would make the deal either. In any case, the kid is damn good and is going to be fun to watch for a long time.

[xrickyb86x 1]

As a Kings fan I can say a run at the cup is very possible within the next few years with young talent like Doughty and Kopitar. Not to mention Quick who has been absolutely stellar all year. Those are 3 guys you can definitely build a great hockey team around. Then you throw guys like Brown, Smyth, and Simmonds into the mix... wow.

Unfortunately I can see Jack Johnson and Frolov departing the team in the off season. I really hope they find a way to keep JJ.

(To keep the thread on track...)

I've never met any NHLers but a few guys from the San Diego Gulls used to run hockey clinics for us back in the late 90s. I remember one of the St Amor brothers telling me to try and stop his slap shot. I was absolutely terrified (I was only 10 - 11 years old). He puts the puck at the center faceoff dot and loaded up. It was coming about shoulder high and I jumped out of the way. It hit the butt of my goalie stick and broke it right off. Hahaha. He skated up as fast as he could and said "Dude stay here". He skated off the rink while I waited. Then he called me over. I followed him into the pro shop and he told me to pick a stick. It was a pretty awesome experience.

[beerleaguecaptain 999]

I've played pickup a bunch of times with Garry Howatt out in AZ. Very down to earth... doesn't like to talk about is NHL days. Benoit Hoque plays in my mens league but he's several divisions higher and I haven't played againts him thank god.

[slapshot2 0]

Gone to a few caps practices. Mike Green by far is the best with signing things. He signs every single last person's requests. Theodore is a good guy too. The one time I saw ovie he "had to go" and didn't sign anything. Brooks Laich is great too, as Erskine and Steckel. Somehow I never get to see Semin or Backstrom they sneak out in the elevator or something and park at a different section.

[Jason Harris 31]

Kevin Weekes-class act, also a hell of a guy

I'm glad to hear that. I've met his younger sister a couple of times, since she and the Gouche work with Shoot For A Cure. On maybe the third time of seeing her, I picked up that her brother played in the NHL. She's such a sweetheart, it was obvious her parents did a wonderful job raising her, and I was hopeful the same would be true of her brother.

As for meeting players myself, it's always more exciting when you are a child and meet players. At the time, it was a thrill of a lifetime to meet Phil Esposito for about two minutes when I was around eleven. That could have only been topped by meeting Bobby Orr.

Basically, the only current players I met for any length of time were Mikael Samuelsson (briefly, when I was involved with Salming), and Derek Armstrong and Ken Klee, when our kids were in the same hockey program. Then Ken and I coached together on our children's baseball team.

When I was about nineteen, I sat behind Gordie Howe and Jean Ratelle at a Kings game. The funny thing is I had totally forgotten about that until my friend reminded me, "Yeah, Jay, don't you remember you were pestering Gordie about what he thought of the Bruins' chances that year?!?"

Finally, since my time with Salming (and later with the Gouche), I had the opportunity to work with the Hockey Hall of Fame and have attended five of the last six Induction Weekends. I will readily admit this has turned into one of the highlights of each year -- one that I hope gets to continue -- although what makes it so much more fun is I get to hang out in the locker room during the Legends Game. At this point, I recognize them, they recognize me, and I'll have the chance to chat with a few of the guys.

I can't say much bad about any of them, but it's a relaxed environment anyway. It's a mini vacation for these guys and they're seeing friends they haven't seen in a few years. The only ones that get a bit standoffish are the Russians, but it's obvious that some of them have limited command of English, as well as they are usually tucked into the back locker room.

The only negative I'll say is one year, one of the HOFers was drinking WAY TOO MUCH, and I felt like saying, "XXXX, stop drinking! You're ruining my memories of you!!"

[kovyperron5727 0]

I'm glad to hear that. I've met his younger sister a couple of times, since she and the Gouche work with Shoot For A Cure. On maybe the third time of seeing her, I picked up that her brother played in the NHL. She's such a sweetheart, it was obvious her parents did a wonderful job raising her, and I was hopeful the same would be true of her brother.

That is how I met Kevin, I was up at the HHOF and I was participating in the shooting competition thing they had. But like I said earlier he was a great guy, definetly one of the most down to earth and friendliest people I've ever met in my life. Also thats pretty funny about that one player drinking so much, LOL, a lot of those players really over do it and have a good time.

[halfmoonyote 0]

I posted in the SIO thread, just got back from AZ (where I'm originally from) and got to spend some time with the Yotes.

Shane Doan is one of the nicest people you'd ever want to meet, in any sport. He's as humble and 'normal' as there could possible be for a pro athlete.

If you don't fan out, a lot of time pros will stop to talk. It's the grown men who act like idiots, pushing kids out of the way to get to them, that give everyone a bad name.

On the flipside of Doaner: Danny Briere, Jeff Carter, Mike Richards and Ryan Parent are probably 4 of the biggest douches in the NHL. The funny thing is, Ryan Parent is a borderline NHL'er, should probably be playing in the AHL, and it's hilarious to see the attitude and surly demeanor he walks around with. He's the worst.

[zebra_steve 11]

Made a quick list and got to 25 (mostly Pens from the '90's cup teams, a couple current players, a couple guys that used to coach the Pens). Met them at rinks while their kids were playing, alumni games, seminars, officiated their games before they made the big time, etc.... Not gonna list names, I didn't treat them any different than any of the several dozen people I talk with every time I walk into one of the local rinks.... Most are great people, a couple are not on my favorite people list....

[MattyBoy 1]

I've had the chance to meet a few NHLers. I used to work in MSG so I mostly met Rangers players Jagr and Colton Orr are both hilarious and I think, probably surprisingly to most people, that Sean Avery was the nicest one that I've met. I met Martin St. Louis one time a few years ago, spoke to him for probably about 25 minutes and not one word of it was about hockey, he was a pretty cool guy... Plus it made me feel good that I'm a short guy and I was taller than him.

[Boostinmister2 16]

Joe Thornton - Very nice guy, loves kids

Patrick Marleau - Very nice as well but more shy

Rick Nash - He was ordering a drink right next to me at a bar in Campbell, CA. This was right after the olympics so he just won his gold medal. Really cool guy, pretty damn tall too, I was wearing my Sharks Jersey too but he was still cool to me.

Scott Nichol - Great guy, loves kids as well, gave a little kid next to me his S19 stick and signed it

Devin Setoguchi - Signed, but seemed kind of cocky

Manny Malhotra - Really cool guy

[GuitarAwesome 1]

I met Robert Lang in Montreal at a hotel bar, when he was rehabbing his achilles tendon. He clearly didn't want to be seen, and wanted to keep lowkey, but even then, he was an incredible guy. He was eating with some friends, but even then, he gave us pictures, autographs, then quietly slipped away before anyone else would notice. Class act, really good guy.

Torrey Mitchell, I grew up with, and played hockey with him. He's an incredible guy. I'll tell a story that happened to my friend last month:

So my friend coaches pee wee, here in Montreal, and they had a great season, won a bunch of titles. To reward the kids, they all flew out to San Jose to see a sharks game. Little did they know, we played with Torrey, and had arranged to watch a sharks practice before the game. All the kids got Mitchell sharks jerseys as well. Best part, at the game that night, Torrey got the 1st star, and while on mic, gave a shout out to the kids, which made them go insane! The kids didnt know, but after the game, Torrey arranged a private room, and all the kids got to go back and meet him, while he signed everything. Torrey also brought a very special person with him, to meet the kids and sign stuff. I was expecting Malhotra, or someone like that. Nope, DANY HEATLEY. Heater came out, talked with all the kids, signed all their stuff, and all around, was an incredible guy. Before this, we always imagined Heater as kind of a douche, but nope, in real life, SUPER nice guy, and incredible with the kids. Just goes to show you, don't judge a book by it's cover!

[dsjunior1388 81]

I met Robert Lang in Montreal at a hotel bar, when he was rehabbing his achilles tendon. He clearly didn't want to be seen, and wanted to keep lowkey, but even then, he was an incredible guy. He was eating with some friends, but even then, he gave us pictures, autographs, then quietly slipped away before anyone else would notice. Class act, really good guy.

Torrey Mitchell, I grew up with, and played hockey with him. He's an incredible guy. I'll tell a story that happened to my friend last month:

So my friend coaches pee wee, here in Montreal, and they had a great season, won a bunch of titles. To reward the kids, they all flew out to San Jose to see a sharks game. Little did they know, we played with Torrey, and had arranged to watch a sharks practice before the game. All the kids got Mitchell sharks jerseys as well. Best part, at the game that night, Torrey got the 1st star, and while on mic, gave a shout out to the kids, which made them go insane! The kids didnt know, but after the game, Torrey arranged a private room, and all the kids got to go back and meet him, while he signed everything. Torrey also brought a very special person with him, to meet the kids and sign stuff. I was expecting Malhotra, or someone like that. Nope, DANY HEATLEY. Heater came out, talked with all the kids, signed all their stuff, and all around, was an incredible guy. Before this, we always imagined Heater as kind of a douche, but nope, in real life, SUPER nice guy, and incredible with the kids. Just goes to show you, don't judge a book by it's cover!

Or his youtube parody presence. lol

[TheEdge27 2]

Ken Wregget- great guy, met him at a signing when he was having one of his good years in pittsburgh. even though there was a huge line, he still talked with each person.

German Titov was a total ass, just walked passed me and 3 of my friends. Looking back its funny that i wanted his autograph to begin with. It was kind of scarring as 10 year old though.

Alexei Morozov was a complete tool. met him at a fundraiser where they players all over mellon arena were doing different things. he signed our program after we made a donation to whatever charity he was representing and he didnt look up or anything, even after we thanked him for his time.

Kelly Buchburger was one of the coolest. all smiles the whole time we were around.

Marty Straka was polite, you could tell he didnt want bothered, but still signed everyones stuff until he could get his car out of the lot.

John Leclair almost hit 3 people speeding out of the parking lot, guess he didnt wanna sign anything.

Brooks Orpik was awesome. there was a problem with the get, so he actually let me sit in his bmw and chatted until the gate was fixed.

Sebastion Caron was scheduling a booty call as he was signing, was on the phone the entire time fans were around. heard him ask "what room are you in?, be there in 25"

MA-Fluery was nice. met him at camp his rookie year, he was standing by the glass in awe of the first group on the ice. he looked like just some scrawny kid who shoveled the ice for the zamboni driver. Nice guy though, signed all of our stuff and talked with us (well tried, english wasnt good yet) for about 10 minutes.