Have you met any current/former Red Wings? If so...

[Winged Scooter 0]

do you recall the brand???

I sure do, it was the liter sized bottle of Absolut! The cashier and I were joking about the little braided beads in his hair after he left.

[Andy Pred 48 337]

More for the older fans here, Garry Unger finished his playing career over here in the UK playing for my local senior side the Peterborough Pirates in the late 80's. He was in his 40's but what a classy guy and player. Met him on a few occasion's after games. Also ex 1st round pick Mike Blasidell played for the Nottingham Panthers over here in the mid 90's met him at the playoff finals in '95.

[Legionnaire11 0]

I've met Greg Johnson and Danny Markov. Can't recall if any of the other preds i've met have ties to the Wings. Legwand grew up as a wings fan if that counts

[JeeSpot82 10]

Back in the day, they used to put a carpet over the ice and have dinner with the Red Wings -- each table featured a Red Wing (or two if they were the newcomer, call-up types). Obviously, they don't do that anymore because they've grown to be so popular, but in 1993, I had the opportunity to escort my mother (as a fine-lookin 11 year old).

I made friends with Mike Sillinger. Another time, two of the young guys (I don't even think they stuck with the team) jokingly fought over who got to finish my meal because (obviously as a youngster) I couldn't.

Nick Lidstrom was a rookie that season and NOBODY knew who he was, so I talked with him and his then-fiance, now-wife, for HOURS, and she explained that he was learning English and that it was nice that I talked to him for so long.

One thing that sticks out is that I really wanted to meet the goalies - and I was really upset to see Vincent Riendeu wearing glasses. I asked my mom how he could see the puck on the ice, and she replied "Well...not very well to be honest."

I wore a Red Wings jersey and just had everyone sign my back. Gordie Howe signed it right by the neck hole and I remember it creeping me out. Anyways, I just found that jersey last time I went home to Michigan and was rummaging through my mom's basement.

Paul Ysebaert was cool, I have the MEANEST looking picture of Bob Probert, and my mom has one of her punching him and he's laughing his ass off. Sheldon Kennedy was on the team then. Yves Racine brought his little boy - who I believe suffers from Downs Syndrome, but both of them were SUPER COOL. Konstantinov didn't speak English.

-----

On another occassion, I had the opportunity to meet Ted Lindsay. Still smart as a whip, he definitely moved a little slower than I thought he might.

-----

A couple months ago, I went to the Red Wings game in Jersey, and after the game, my girlfriend and I went to an Italian restaurant down the street from my apartment on the east side of Manhattan. It was about to close for the night, and who else but Mike Babcock, Ken Holland, both assistant coaches wander in. They sat down right next to us and were talking shop. Of course, I eavesdropped like crazy, and anticipated the team walking in shortly after.

I work in television, and I know that nothing annoys people who are "of noting" like going up and saying you're a fan and interrupting their meal, so I kept to myself. Gave them a little bit of a head nod and a "great game today" and was on my way.

Edited March 6, 2007 by JeeSpot82

[WingNutt 12]

I sure do, it was the liter sized bottle of Absolut! The cashier and I were joking about the little braided beads in his hair after he left.

Absolut huh Sergei I'm disappointed man.

Cool story though that would be funny seeing a Red Wing buying Liquor at Rite Aid. thanks for sharing

[Winged Scooter 0]

Sergei was my funniest Wing encounter, my coolest one was in September of 98, my wife and I were staying at Grand Traverse resort for our anniversary. We came back from dinner that night, and there are all kinds of SUV's and limos in front of the main lobby. We walk in, and I see the WINGS, all of them..the WHOLE STINKIN' TEAM!! I was freaking out, my wife told me to take a deep breath. I had my Wings jersey on at the time, and right then and there I got Aaron Ward, Kirk Maltby, Norm Maracle, and Mike Knuble all to sign my jersey. The next morning, i just happened to pass the CAPTAIN in the hotel resturant after breakfast, he was so very cool about signing my jersey as well, I felt like I was a 5 year old kid when I met him!

Edited March 6, 2007 by Winged Scooter

[BetweenThePipes 0]

I met Gordie Howe at the openning of Menards in Bay City. They had him placed in the back of the store so while you were waiting in line you could look at all the stuff they had to offer...Very clever...Anyway, Him and his wife were there and I got his autograph on a CD they were giving out. It's called "Mr. & Mrs. Hockey's Greatest Hits" It's really just 5 songs either about Gordie Howe or old time hockey. The booklet is really cool though! He reminded me of my grandpa: kinda quiet and not real sure what's going on...

[Guest paveldatsukthenextsavard]

ahah, i met frederik olausson when he played for the ducks. got him to sign my wings hat, and thanked him for his overtime contribution against the avs.

[Adidarw 35]

I met Joe Kocur.

My friend's dad has this woodworking company and Joe Kocur hired him to build a tiki bar in his yard down by the lake. He also had his company paint his deck to look nice for a party he was having that weekend with the Stanley Cup on display (this was after we won it in '02). Well they invited me to come help paint the deck with them. So basically I got to hang out in his back yard and Joe was out there all day helping with the painting and whatnot. So we hung out with him for the day it took to paint his deck. My friend's dad spent like a week or so there building the tiki bar though. Joey is a really funny guy. My friend's dad was pointing out how he's just your 'average joe' because he was wearing the same shorts, tshirt and hat every time he came out when they were building the tiki bar. He invited us all to his party with the Stanley Cup there and we all got pics with it. My friend and I had this whole plan of getting pics of us holding the cup up in the air but they wouldn't let us pick it up, we could only stand next to it on display. That was a tad dissappointing but there really was no room for complaints considering we even got to see the Stanley Cup and hang out with Joe Kocur in his backyard.

Now everytime I drive by his road I always have to look at his house just because I know it's there and he lives there.

Dave Lewis also has a house around there around another friend of mine. We used to see him driving by almost every day. Apparently his wife still lives there or visits there or something like that. My friend's family owns this business called Diehl's Orchard and Cider Mill (ADVERTISEMENT...great place by the way, they have some excellent doughnuts they make right in front of you and hand you a freshly made batch of doughnuts, and you can watch them make the cider!) and Dave went there once in a while.

[Inultus 12]

My friend and I had this whole plan of getting pics of us holding the cup up in the air but they wouldn't let us pick it up, we could only stand next to it on display.

I'm surprised that as a hockey fan you don't know that you aren't supposed to touch the Cup unless you've won it (handlers excepted, obviously).

Very cool story about Kocur though.

Edited March 6, 2007 by Inultus

[wingsfan979802 0]

my dad met ted lindsy. my dad was going to the bathroom with ted right behind him and my dad sais, do you mind? ted responded, you want privacy kid, go home. He was just jokeing though

[mcgarnicle19 7]

It wasn't a Wing that i met the other day, but there is a Wing tie in to it. Ron Hextall was at his son's hockey game in Penticton BC and i noticed him in the standing room section, oddly enough. Just before i went to ask for a picture, i considered being a bit of a jerk and asking if the McCarty goal from the 1997 final was the nicest goal he'd ever let in!! In the end i just said hello and ask for a picture and asked him who the Kings were gonna name their new captain now that they traded Nordstrom. No surprise, he said it would probably be Rob Blake.

[Wingsfan72 198]

My mom was a highschool friend of the equiptment maanger of the Blue Jackets so I got to see the whole team and Babs leave the dressing room every time they were visiting.

Once I went up to talk to Kris Draper but the fat bouncer ***** wouldnt let me near him ...I had to live with a crappy cell phone picture.

I stood two feet from Jason williams and his girlfriend while one of the pepsi girls were hitting on him.

The last time I went I saw Stevie Y across the room (no more than fifteen feet) he was talking to Gerrard Gallant and I was too much of a puss to ask them for an autograph while they were talking.

Steve saw me starring at him the whole time he looked uncomfortable after about ten minutes

Anyway those are a few times Isaw the team.

Oh yea my Dad got his picture with Mr.Hockey a couple years ago at the Joe.

My mom and her friend went water skiing with a Red Wing when we lived in Michigan but she doesnt remember who it was.

Edited March 6, 2007 by Wingsfan72

[redwingschick33 0]

I've met these guys at autograph signings:

1) Darren McCarty

2) Chris Chelios

3) Kris Draper

4) Igor Larionov

5) Scotty Bowman

I've interviewed Kris Draper and Jason Williams for about 1/2 hour apiece.

I'm an intern with the Plymouth Whalers and I talked to Joey Kocur really briefly while he was there for a game right before the Whalers' game. I have yet to meet Yzerman (that's the ultimate "goal"), but he did come to a Whalers' game this season and I saw him walk by. haha.

When I was in high school, my parents would sometimes take me to lunch at Andiamo on 15 and Telgraph. Whenever the Wings have a home game, a bunch of them like to go to Andiamo for their pre-game lunch. So I've seen a bunch of players from across the room there, but I didn't actually meet them.

[Offsides 21]

Sergei's definitely and consistantly been the best and nicest Red Wing that I've met...I think it's been about 4 or 5 times or so.

The first time I met him, I was pretty young (maybe about 15 or so?) and it was before we won any of the Cups. He was my favorite player EVER so I was really, really, really nervous. But then I had one of those little disposable cameras and it broke, and I was so mad. So, by the time I got to him I was mad at my camera. He was so nice though. I had drawn a picture of him to sign (I'm me, I like to be artistic). He said it was 'Super' and showed everyone, and was really nice and chatty.

The second time, I was determined to get a picture with him. (Nice new working camera and all) so I waited and it took a lot of courage but I asked him, and he was going to say, sure...but all of his people (actually people that worked at the place, I think) yelled at me, and told me that no, and had to explain all this crap. Seriously, it took they WAY longer to explain than to get a picture. By that point, I'm on the verge of tears...mostly because it took a lot of courage for me to ask, and partly because they were being kind of mean. Sergei felt really bad, you could tell, so he leans over and says that if I wait after the thing he'll come get a picture with me. And I waited and he did. He was so, so very nice, and thoughtful.

The other time of actual note was much more recent. We went to Columbus for a game. It was really, really close th when Sergei was traded, and naturally I already had a Fedorov Columbus jersey. No one else really did yet, because I got it the day after he was traded. Everyone in Columbus wanted to know where I got it because you couldn't get them there yet (I got it online of course!) so Sergei was all thrilled that I had his jersey...he was all "Cool jersey" ha ha. It was dorky, but in a nice, Sergei way...you know. So, I thanked him, and he was all "Where do you want me to sign it" me; ummmm. Him: "I'll sign it on the letters" at that point I had to ponder where he was GOING to sign it because it was a dark jersey...I had just thought he meant WHICH letter...ha ha. Brandon told him we were from Detroit (I was afraid to...would he hate us? Or spit on us?) Irrational fears. He totally lit up and was all 'Really?' and about how he loved it there and stuff, and he was totally thrilled that we'd go to see him. We told him it was too far to visit him in Anaheim, and he agreed with a big grin...ha ha.

Oh man, I do miss Sergei!

[edicius 3,269]

Met Gordie and Colleen Howe at the Denny's outside Lakeside Mall maybe about 8 years ago. Got to chat with them for a bit before their meal came (I didn't want to intrude, but they were both so welcoming) and got Gordie's autograph on a Denny's order ticket. Found out that at the time, they were living right near Chippewa Valley HS (my alma mater) at 19 and Romeo Plank...which in turn was practically walking distance from my parents' house. Really neat for me.

My dad's met more Wings than me, however. He used to work at Whole Foods in Troy and he regularly saw Shanny and Stevie in there (almost ran over Shanny with a pallet one day... "All of Michigan would have killed me if I'd injured him!" my dad said...Shanny was cool about it, though ).

And I remember one year when I was working carts at the Lakeside Toys 'R Us for the holiday, back when I was 15 (so it would have been 1994, I think), Dino Ciccarelli was buying Christmas gifts...unfortunately, I didn't get to see/meet him, just heard it secondhand from the cashiers.

I need to find out where Shanny hangs out in NY and just...bump into him one of these days.

[Wingsfan31 0]

I had some beers with Draper and Barry Smith at Andrew's about 8 years ago. Drapes was a very cool guy, he chatted with me for about 20 minutes, he had two very fine women with him, excused himself to dinner and that was that. Barry Smith is every bit the wild man off the ice as he is on it. He was buying rounds at the bar for everyone and whooping it up.

I did run into a very intoxicated Jeremy Roenick at a bar in Chicago in 1991 after a Wings/Hawks game. He was bombed, I didn't really talk to him aside from hello and I don't think he could have carried on a conversation if I tried.

We also stayed at the same hotel as the Wings in Columbus last year, it was very surreal, mulling around in the lobby with all the Wings players before they left for Nationwide with about 100 Wings fans roped off from the lobby area pining for autographs. I kind of felt like a VIP, although all the Wings players were listening to their MP3 players so I didn't get to talk to them, I did run into Mickey getting off the elevator and when I said "Hi", he offered a dismissive "Hey gang!" to me and scurried off, LOL.

[puckloo39 5,686]

The second time, I was determined to get a picture with him. (Nice new working camera and all) so I waited and it took a lot of courage but I asked him, and he was going to say, sure...but all of his people (actually people that worked at the place, I think) yelled at me, and told me that no, and had to explain all this crap. Seriously, it took they WAY longer to explain than to get a picture. By that point, I'm on the verge of tears...mostly because it took a lot of courage for me to ask, and partly because they were being kind of mean. Sergei felt really bad, you could tell, so he leans over and says that if I wait after the thing he'll come get a picture with me. And I waited and he did. He was so, so very nice, and thoughtful.

Oh man, I do miss Sergei!

that's the nicest story... I am so glad he was nice to you, since he was (and is) one of my favorite Wings ever. Still a Red Wing to me. And I have hopes he might be again before he's done for good in the NHL.

I miss him, too.

[BlakChamber 8]

I've met McCarty, Larionov, and Bowman at autograph signings, that's it.

McCarty seemed nice, didn't say much but did shake my hand. My buddy asked Larionov for a good wine, and he said "mine." Don't think Bowman said anything.

[AlinaG15 0]

I almost met all of the current ones besides a few. My favorite hockey player i ever met is stefan liv hes a kool one. Valtteri filppula is super nice. Kopecky kindof had an attitude. Andreas lilja i fricken hot and nice. Robert Lang is nice too. Heck they are all nice. Nick Lidstrom doesnt sign my stuff so i think he's mean haha. I met all these guys before I was 16, thats kool!

[Kira 451]

I thought Nick was really nice when I met him in Traverse last fall. I have a friend who is a big fan of his and I asked him to pose for a pic for Nicole...and he did. She loved the picture!

[amberlynn25 9]

I met Darren McCarty at Meijer and Igor Larionov at Best Buy. I also got to meet Ted Lindsay at Igor's party in 05 as well as Dave Lewis. I saw Jimmy Howard there too, but at the time I had no clue who he was. lol

[Jocu 0]

Today, I was at Troy Sports Center, and in the lockerroom for dropin, I realized I left some of my player gear in the truck. So just as I'm walking out, someone was walking in. I look up, and say "Hey.", you know, in a greetful manner. He said "Hey." back, and we both went our seperate ways.

Half way to the truck, I realized that was Chris Chelios.

......"Hey."

...I'm an idiot.

[Viperar 16]

HAHAHAHAHA...good story

[Jocu 0]

First time I've ever "met" a Wing, too.

I think my brain knew it was him, cause you don't just say "Hey." to random people walking in a door. It most of been him too, cause he has that easily recognizable ugly mug.