Best Compliment Ever Received

[splitbtw 2]

Whether during pickup, practice, a game, etc., what was the best compliment you received while playing?

I've only played ice for a couple years (23-25) and before that I played street hockey and roller up until 17. The first shot I attempted on ice was a slap shot and I fell on my face. The first pick-up I played, I felll going back to get a puck and had multiple guys let off to let me play the puck. Of course I freaked out and sent it flying. Though I appreciated the gesture.

Today, I had a few guys ask where I played and if I was past age. A couple weeks ago, a guy asked if I played college. There have been a lot of factors to have lead me to get better but it sure feels nice to get the questions that I want to answer with, "If you only knew."

What's your favorite compliment?

[fatwabbit 93]

Years ago when I just started playing... My team was due to play against another team on a basketball court in a quick 4 on 4 game. We had one guy who played a good level of college hockey in the US. The other team heard that we had this guy playing for us and expected pretty big plays during the game.

After the game one of the other guys asked me how it was to play in the US as he thought it was me!

[RussianDangler15 0]

One time at pick up a guy in the ushl asked how old I was and where I played. He said he was amazed when I said I was 15 and only played Tier II. He thought I was at least 17 and playing junior B.

[Jason Harris 31]

I've always hustled.

We were in the championship game of a tournament last summer and I was chasing down anything that moved. I came back to the bench and one of the guys who's a better scorer than me got into my face and screamed, "You keep this up! You are winning this game for us!"

When you're 48-years-old, it's nice to be acknowledged for hard work, even if it's not necessarily productive work.

[Capt.Hook 23]

In a rat hockey session I was playing D against a guy who'd played some Juniors, I think Junior B. He was outside and made the cut to the middle, for whatever reason I just at the last second lowered the shoulder as I cut in to him. I hit him hard, blew his helmet off and he went down. He was stunned but fine. I knew the guy and I was laughing and apologizing. Anyway, after the skate wouldn't you know he was in my locker room. He told me that in all his career he'd only been hit that hard 3 times . . . Brought a tear to my eye - ha ha. Seeing as I never even skated before 17, I took it as a compliment.

Another time a buddy of mine told me that "While you never run guys from behind or injure anybody, you are probably the dirtiest player on the ice and get away with more hooks and holding the sticks than anybody." I thought that was hilarious.

[Holmes_D_83 27]

We have an awards dinner every year at the end of the season, and in my rookie year I got awarded coach's player of the year. Meant so much to me because our coach has represented Ireland, and there were so many other players who I thought deserved it more. I only started hockey when I was 26, mostly to try to pick myself up out of depression and get fit, and that award means the world to me. When I'm feeling down, I look at it and photos of my girlfriend and I playing (I met her through hockey) and it gives me a focus again.

[Orange&Black12 1]

Hi guys. Nice to hear those great compliments about you. Keep it up. My best one came from an former 2. League player in my hometown. He is still pretty good and sometimes i play with him and his buddys a little pick up session and once he was behind me when i scored a goal and afterward on the bench he said to me: if i had your shot when i played at the pros i would probably scored 50 goals more. What a great day!

[Aaron26 2]

Best compliment ive got was that my flow made me look "like a young Jeremy Roenick".....yeah thats pretty much the height of it haha

[badger_14 601]

That one of the kids I coached this past season (my first year coaching) wanted me to come back and coach next year, I thought was a pretty high compliment.

[Harv 86]

''Sick gear..''

[kovalchuk71 212]

Probably the time I got asked if I played for the local AA team when I was 15, when I hadn't played a game of competitive ice hockey in my life.

[Holmes_D_83 27]

Best compliment ive got was that my flow made me look "like a young Jeremy Roenick".....yeah thats pretty much the height of it haha

You've got a badass flow bro, always admired it lol. Pity mine made me look like beiber...

[VakarLajos 5]

Buddy was a former D-1 goalie. I beat him twice. Thought he let me have them.

"No, man. Just got sniped."

[AIREAYE 248]

^Welcome back!

Mine would probably be when a customer returns and asks for you specifically for the great service provided in the past.

[vectoranalysisgo 3]

I have a dark navy jersey that says RMU Women's Hockey from a clinic I did a few summers ago with their women's coach. I like to wear it at pick up a lot because it fits well (i.e. not too big around, not too short, good arm length... hard to come by for women's jerseys) and it's not too heavy. I've been wearing it off and on since I got it, but in the last several months, I've started getting occasional questions like "Did you play for RMU?" or even better, "Do you play for RMU?" (Suggesting I look like I could be in college at age 30 is just icing on the compliment cake, haha).

I usually laugh because I've only been playing for about five years and in no way could I pass for a college or ex-college athlete. And there's always the likelihood that said complimenter is asking out of disbelief that I might have played for them, or the fact they've only been D1 for about a decade and aren't a great team. But every time someone asks me, in what seems a good faith curiosity, it's a little boost to think its not as absurd a proposition, and it definitely beats all the "____ for girl" comments I've heard over the years.

As for non-direct compliments, I've heard from guys, after the fact, that other guys have said in post-game locker rooms that I'm surprisingly hard to play against (I usually play D) and for some reason, I feel like a guy saying it casually to another guy when I'm not even present means a little more than the usual "hey you're all right" face to face comment. Those little mentions make me feel good.. I try to think of those when I'm body-to-body against a guy in front of the net who has 6 inches and at least 50 pounds on me... ha.

[esidebill 0]

Had a nice assist in my first ice hockey game ever. I got a nice stick tap on the butt from the other team. Sometimes a non verbal thing is the best thing.

[hunt3rsean 44]

Had a nice assist in my first ice hockey game ever. I got a nice stick tap on the butt from the other team. Sometimes a non verbal thing is the best thing.

Probably my favioret compliment. The butt/shin stick tap.

My favioret compliments are from teammates that give a nod to a non-scoring play that I made. Whether it was having a strong forechecking shift or a great PK shift...those are what I rank highest.

I also try to give those out too. Let guys know the play didn't go unnoticed.

[zachary 2]

Having a guy that played in the AHL within the past 2 years and played in the CHL recently at pickup complimented a play where he was shadowing me and a teammate made a pass to me from the point and I was in the corner and I immediately redirected the pass with my skate through my legs to a guy behind the net. Didn't expect him to say anything.

[Vulcan7905 88]

Mine came this past weekend when we made it to the Finals of our Mixer Tournament. A seasoned Women's Hockey coach (from the seagalls of FL) came up to me after I was done showering and said "You know, I'm so amazed by you. I thought you were just going to be the goon of the team, but nope. You skated all around like nothing I have ever seen before from some one your size. I commend you a lot and so does my whole entire bench and a lot of people in the stands watching." So then of course, I was flattered and as soon as I walk out into the lobby, her whole team is waiting there along with their fans and they all give me a nice little speech of how inspiring I am and how well I played. I will never forget it honestly.

[EBondo 233]

Hockey wasn't big in my town, so it was nice to have people fight over who would pick me first when it came time to play hockey in gym class. Other than that I've just had normal comments about my quickness. One goalie said I was the toughest player he's had to face because my release was really good, so he never knew what I was going to do.

[bnr032 11]

last night played my first drop in game in... well 8 or so years...

After the game a guy came up to me and said you know that goal you set me up for.. i just wanted to say thanks heaps as its my first ever goal..

it was just a simple pass from side/back of net to him in high slot... but to actually come and say thanks.. was good...

may not be the biggest 'compliment' on my game.. but was appreciated.

[tonguesOUT4life 17]

Had a girl tell me during pick up that I have a sexy mean face wen I play and she was hot ..

[Doctor Hook 0]

Being primarily a defenseman, I like hearing that I play solid D. That's it.

[cgrays12 0]

after being the new kid in a new town in Jrs, I was getting the shaft from a coach for ice time one game, the captain of our team called him out for short shifting us Dmen and when I scored the game winner the coach pulled me aside after and apologized. Didnt have a problem with icetime the rest of the season.

[danno25nh 3]

Skated against a player on one of my other teams. Young guy that is an excellent player. Somehow we ended up lining up against each other at center the whole game. At 3rd period face of he shook his head and told me he was sick of me being in his face all night. I told him I was tired of chasing him around as I'm too old for this. He told me he hoped he could skate half as well at me when he hits 50.

We played as team mates the next night in another league, he asked the captain to put me on his line.