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Wings_Rule_1010

Best Player Interaction

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I went to the Dan Cleary signing last Friday and had a pair of game worn skates of his. I didn't want to spend $20 per skate to get signed, so I just decided on getting one signed. The guy sitting next to Cleary was adimant about making sure I only got one signed. And when I got to Cleary he told him to sign only one. Cleary told him that was ridiculous and signed my other skate too. He was not how I imagined. He was very nice, talkative, stood up for pictures, shook hands. Employees at Hockeytown Authentics had told me he was an ass, so I was surprised. So it got me thinking, what was the best player experience you ever had?

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While I have never met a famour hockey player I did meet Jens Pulvers from PRIDE/UFC/WEC. He was so cool and easy going. We sat there and talked for like 30mins before my friends fights.. he was nice and introduced me to his wife and kids. It was like two weeks before his 2nd fight with Uriahj Faber, If i do meet a hockey player I really hope they're as cool as Jens was.

That's pretty cool of Cleary though. I never would figure him to be a jerk to people. It's just the way he carries himself on the ice that makes him look nice I guess (if that makes sense). I am glad he was kind enough to sign your 2nd skate, that's sweet.

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I went to the Dan Cleary signing last Friday and had a pair of game worn skates of his. I didn't want to spend $20 per skate to get signed, so I just decided on getting one signed. The guy sitting next to Cleary was adimant about making sure I only got one signed. And when I got to Cleary he told him to sign only one. Cleary told him that was ridiculous and signed my other skate too. He was not how I imagined. He was very nice, talkative, stood up for pictures, shook hands. Employees at Hockeytown Authentics had told me he was an ass, so I was surprised. So it got me thinking, what was the best player experience you ever had?

They might have been viewing Cleary through the eyes they wanted to see him with- they expected him to be an ass, so that's what they saw. Everything I've ever seen says hockey players are some of the most down-to-Earth sports people there are, and your experience demonstrates that.

I've yet to be lucky enough to meet a player, though it'll come sometime. :) Football players, on the other hand, I've met a few. Chester Taylor of the Vikings, for example, went to my undergrad. Heck of a nice guy- I've a poster he signed during spring practices one year.

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Okay this is actually really neat... I have basically a connection with McCarty in my family, he's my uncle's wife's first nephew. So basically at the odd weddings or family events he might be there, but I've never met him before... So he was at a wedding my parents were at, and my parents were drinking and mingling or whatever... My mom calls me onthe phone and says "hey there's someone here to talk to you", then some guy says "hey Bryce, what's up" and then he tells me tips on how to be more aggressive or whatever then he says "it's Darren McCarty", I was pretty much in awe. That was the best interaction I've had.

I've actually met and talked to Probert a few times as well, he's my dad's friend's close friend.

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I've met a few players, mostly at signings where I really didnt have much of a chance to talk or anything with them. But my favorite time was after Game One of Round One of the playoffs last year. We stood outside the Joe waiting for any players to stop and sign. Franzen stopped and we got his autograph and he was really nice and let us take his picture. While we were standing there, a guy got out of the backseat of Franzens car, ran around to the side we were all on started chanting "Lets Go Wings!" and told us all to squeeze in together and took our picture :lol: then he ran back around and got back in he car. Franzen mumbled something about him being from Sweden and being crazy. it was just so random and awesome.

Edited by wingnut22

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I met Niklas Kronwall and Johan Franzen at the Post in Novi. Franzen was absolutely drunk and was all over the place, never much got to talk to him except for hi. I talked to Kronwall for a while just about how the season was going and the strengths and weaknesses of the team. He talked to me like a fan, not like a player. It was the night the Sharks came from behind to win. Him and Franzen were injured and did not play. He ended up buying me and the girl I was with at the time a shot and when the bar was closing I stood in the middle of Kronwall, Franzen and a friend of theirs, arms around eachother, screaming the song 'don't stop believing.'

I look back and think I must have been way too drunk and imagined it all because it was way to crazy to actually happen. But it did.

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Mine isn't all that great in comparison to the ones above. I mean, Killer got to drink with them. No fair. I am j-e-a-lousss.

But I met Pavel Datsyuk twice. Once at a soccer game and another at my brother's company. I got his autograph both times and in both instances he signed and joked afterwards, "Good? 30 bucks." Well, it was 30 the first time. The second time it was 50 because I asked him to write "Happy Birthday" for my Dad. He had some trouble writing it and actually, looking back on that experience, I wish I would've just asked him to write it in Russian. It would've been more genuine.

I'd really like to meet Zetterberg. From what I've heard, he can be very, very unassuming in public; even to the point in which some misjudge him as stuck up and not particularly friendly.

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I've yet to be lucky enough to meet a player, though it'll come sometime. :) Football players, on the other hand, I've met a few. Chester Taylor of the Vikings, for example, went to my undergrad. Heck of a nice guy- I've a poster he signed during spring practices one year.

I think it was a year or two after he gave up football but I met Barry Sanders. At a friggin' Kroger too. I was kind of surprised but a friend of mine told me that at that time he would use Rochester High's track during the summer.

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A long time ago, I went to one of the Wings charity open practices where your only fee to get in was canned goods. After watching the practice the Wings players started tossing their equipment into the crowd. I caught Cheveldae's trapper, but some slime took it away from me. I was pretty upset by it. I think I was like 15? Well, while the crowd around us was trying to get the guy to give me back the trapper, there was a trapping on the glass. (It was the short glass around where it starts to get tall.) It was Steve Yzerman. He pointed at me, and started to hand his stick over the glass. People around us were starting to grab for it, and he pulled the stick back and said "No, its for that kid right there in the Fedorov jersey" and pointing at me. He started to put the stick over the glass again and people started to reach for the stick again. He points to me and points for me to go over by the bench. I work my way over to the bench and Stevey hands me the stick, and says "Do you have a sharpie so I can sign it?" I didn't, but luckily there was another player close signing cards for fans. Stevey got the sharpie from him for a sec and signed the stick for me.

This is just another of the thousands of reasons why Steve Yzerman was the friggin' MAN.

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My old neighbor in Saginaw used to play for the New York Rangers. His name was Mike (something that started with a G I think). He would come over and play street hockey with us in the driveway. His stick handeling and such was amazing even though I'm sure he was a lower forth liner or something. He was a really nice guy.

That's the only professional hockey player I've ever met. It's nothing amazing I guess, but I think it was cool that he took the time to play with us a lot :thumbup:

Edited by 19Hockeytown5

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A long time ago, I went to one of the Wings charity open practices where your only fee to get in was canned goods. After watching the practice the Wings players started tossing their equipment into the crowd. I caught Cheveldae's trapper, but some slime took it away from me. I was pretty upset by it. I think I was like 15? Well, while the crowd around us was trying to get the guy to give me back the trapper, there was a trapping on the glass. (It was the short glass around where it starts to get tall.) It was Steve Yzerman. He pointed at me, and started to hand his stick over the glass. People around us were starting to grab for it, and he pulled the stick back and said "No, its for that kid right there in the Fedorov jersey" and pointing at me. He started to put the stick over the glass again and people started to reach for the stick again. He points to me and points for me to go over by the bench. I work my way over to the bench and Stevey hands me the stick, and says "Do you have a sharpie so I can sign it?" I didn't, but luckily there was another player close signing cards for fans. Stevey got the sharpie from him for a sec and signed the stick for me.

This is just another of the thousands of reasons why Steve Yzerman was the friggin' MAN.

Thats awesome .. I never got why adults would try and steal something that was cleary given to a kid.. crazyness ..

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I've got to go into the locker room a couple times. Once before the playoff game with Calgary a couple years ago, and last year before McCarty's first game back. I work with the media so I got to stroll around and interview a bunch of different guys. Mac is cool for sure and Maltby and Drapes of course had a lot to say. People who like to avoid us are Lids, Cheli, Dats, and a couple others, but most are willing to talk. As long as it is not after a loss. Then no one wants you there.

Here's a list of guys I've interviewed.

Steve Yzerman, Henrik Zetterberg, Pavel Datsyuk, Kris Draper, Kirk Maltby, Dominik Hasek, Mike Knuble, Ryan Miller, Marty Turco, Adam Hall, Chris Kunitz, Brian Rafalski, Chris Chelios, Jiri Hudler, Valtteri Filppula, Jimmy Howard, Matt Ellis, Ken Holland, Mike Babcock, Darren McCarty, Derek Meech

the ones that aren't wings I interviewed at a Golf outing that Knuble puts on in Grand Rapids except for Kunitz who I went to school with and interviewed after he brought the cup to Ferris. Yzey, I interviewed at Van Andel during a Griffins game as well as Holland.

So all in all, it was a cool experience, it kind of sucks though because you have to be professional when you're in there since you are working for the media. I can't go around asking for autographs or anything which blows because I would have quite the list piling up if I could.

Oh Knuble is a great guy, super nice. I wish we could get him back. He won't flat out say it but he has suggested that he would love to come back home.

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Guest E_S_A_D

Probably having Pizza with Darren McCarty in his RV in the 1990s outside of Frasier Ice Arenas. Good guy, really funny, and outgoing.

Gordie Howe calling me a big bozo. I had asked for an extra autograph (it was my third time to see him in a game he was at to watch his son coach in minors) and he said "How many brothers you got you big bozo!?" Ahhh, wonderful. Yes, he signed the third autograph.

Aaron Downey has always been nice when chatting with him in Grand Rapids. He'd probably win the award for most likely to sit down and have a beer with you contest.

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I was at a signing for Dino Ciccarelli and handed him a hockeystick. Much like the one he used at the time.

He shook my hand and stated a great choice in sticks, I asked what his after game ritual consisted of and he told me it was a ICE-Bath then a Hot tub soak.... I loved that guy... he took such a beating night after night.

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This is not famous by the definition that you MI folks are used to. This is small town famous, but I think it illustrates what good guys hockey players are at heart.

I work in a convenience store. This kid comes in and buys a candy bar. As I'm ringing him up, I notice he's wearing a t-shirt that says "real men play hockey". He had another button-up shirt over it, with the front unbuttoned. I said, "so...do you play hockey?" He looked at the counter, grinning and blushing, and said, "yeah. some." He took his change, politely said thank you, and left.

I thought he looked familiar, but had just figured I'd seen him in there before. The next morning, his pic was in the paper for scoring the GWG for our local USHL team.

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i waas as open practice a few years ago and won a prize ,that got me on the bench and get a photo taken with a player,i chose malts.he had some nice words to say,only if i could remember.i was on the bench with players all around so i was just awestruck,i just stood there with my mouth wide open,thinking i was dreaming.

so after snapping out of it,i shook his hand and thanked him,he then gave me his stick.\

oh he also was gonna personalize a autograph for me on my malts jersey,but i passed like a ****** bag.i couldnt believe i was standing on the bench.it was somthing else.the powerfull feeling of being were all your favorite players are.

that by far was my best expierence and i will always have my pic to proove it.

good times

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So far I've met 13 Wings, and all have been nothing short of awesome. I think the best would have to be Darren McCarty at a signing in Meijer about a week before the season started. I went with my friend, Kari, and her friend, Kaylyn. Kari's dad had a Stanley Cup hat that was already signed by Drapes that he wanted us to get signed by Darren, too. So before we left, we made sure we had everything we wanted to get signed; I got my hat and my sister's card, Kaylyn's got her calender, Kari's got her book written by Darren's dad. All set, lets go!

We get there and the store lady tells us that we can only get one thing signed at a time. So we're thinking that we're gonna have to get back in line so we can get everything we want signed, a daunting task since the line went all the way from one end of the store to the other. We stand in line for about half an hour (I don't remember exactly how long) until we're about 10 people away from Darren. That's when I notice that he is signing more that one thing at a time for people. Kari digs in her giant purse for her dad's hat so she can have it ready when we get to the table. It wasn't in there, so we assume we just left it in the car and decide to get it signed by him later.

Once we're at the table, we notice a big stack of pictures of Darren. They were supposed to be for people who didn't bring stuff of their own to get signed, but Darren signing one for everyone, as well as asking their names and personalizing it. He signs all our stuff and gives each of us one of the pictures (he had a little bit of trouble figuring out how to spell Kaylyn's name). The whole time he was very nice and kinda joked around with us a bit. We say our goodbyes and went back to the car to get Kari's hat.

The hat wasn't in the car. We practically tore it apart looking for it, double checking every single place it could be. It was no where to be found. That's when we started to panic. Where the heck could it be?! We were absolutely sure we took it with us! Is it in the store? The Tim Horton's we stopped at on the way? The parking lot? What if someone stole it?! Carl (Kari's dad) is gonna kill us! Desperately, we went back in the store and looked everywhere we were before we got in line. No hat. On a last ditch effort, we went to the Customer Service desk and asked the lady behind the counter if it was in the lost and found or something like that. "Today? Sorry, but that thing is gone!!" <_< Thanks for the help, lady.

That's when we realize that if someone in the store had stolen the hat, they would take it to Darren to get it signed. I mean, who wouldn't want a Stanley Cup hat that was signed by 2/3'rds of the Grind Line? We get back in line and decide to do two things; look for anyone wearing a Stanley Cup hat and see if it's ours and ask Darren if he had seen the hat to determine if it really had been stolen. About halfway though the line, we smack ourselves on the forehead, remembering the distinct posibility that we just left it at one of our houses! I call home and my sister answers...

"Hey, you know Kari's Stanley Cup hat that's signed by Drapes?"

"You mean the one sitting right here on the counter?"

"IT'S THERE?!?"

"Yeah..."

"THANK GOD!!"

We had never been so happy to have forgotten something in our lives. But there was still the fact Carl would still kill us if we didn't get the hat signed, stolen or not. I remembered the stack of pictures on the table and suggest we get one of those for him.

We get back to Darren, and the conversation between him and Kari went a little something like this...

"Hey, it's us again. So, I got a funny story for you."

"Ok, tell me a funny story."

"Well, it isn't really funny."

"Then why didn't you say you had a sad story? Or a tragic story?"

"Ok, I got a TRAGIC story to tell you..."

So she tells Darren the whole story about the lost hat and how her dad will kill us if she doesn't get it signed.

Although he told us that he didn't think the story was all that tragic, Darren grabbed one of the pictures and wrote,

"To Carl,

This is WAY better than the hat!"

Even though he was a bit mad at first for forgetting the hat, Carl loved the picture and now it's hanging up on the wall at their house :lol:

(Sorry for the wall of text)

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I was at a signing for Dino Ciccarelli and handed him a hockeystick. Much like the one he used at the time.

He shook my hand and stated a great choice in sticks, I asked what his after game ritual consisted of and he told me it was a ICE-Bath then a Hot tub soak.... I loved that guy... he took such a beating night after night.

I'm friends with the Ciccarelli family and Dino is the man :)

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I have met a ton of the players the nicest ones are as follows

Ryan Kesler

Sergei Fedorov

Todd Bertuzzi

Chris Osgood

Sean Avery

Rick Nash

Jeremy Roenick

The worst one i have ever had meeting wise was

Slave Kozlov

Henrik Zetterberg (but that was more the way it was laid out to meet him... the workers were dicks making the experience sucky)

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This year at this pond hockey tournament in New Brunswick Bobby Hull was there signing autographs, but he was staying with one of the teams we played. Well, later we got invited back ot the house they were all staying at for some beers and some food. We all sat around tallking to each other and Bobby for a couple of hours, and let me tell you Bobby got pretty drunk. Strange thing was, was that the Stars were playing the Blackhawks that night and he had me look up the score for him on my phone as there was no tv in the house, and he used my dad's phone to call Brett and give him hell about losing. He signed the crest of our our entire team's jerseys, and signed pictures for us too. It was a great time, he was very funny and down to earth. My buddy even told him he should be the commisioner.

Another strange thing I am just remembering was that he said Cheli would be gone next year because him and Babcock don't get along, or that Babcock just doesn't like playing him.

Something funny I remember is that he singed a picture for my buddy where Bobby himself was in a fight and bloodied up, when we asked him if he ever got back at him he just said "well he's in the coffin, and I'm still standing here" it was pretty funny.

Edited by Bluedevils_13

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I went to the hotel that the Wings were staying at, in St. Paul, 3 years ago. Henrik Zetterberg was walking through the the lobby on his cell phone. As he walks by me, I asked him for an autograph. He shook his head no and kept walking.

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Best one ever:

Sergei Fedorov: I was about 7 and the security guy let me follow Feds into the lot, as he stepped out of his car I was waiting for him and he asked "What are you doing here" I responded "getting your autograph" and he responded "Okay"

Worst:

At the Bowman cup Scotty Bowman was walking out from the aisle next to mine, I went out to the lobby to meet him and asked for his autograph, he said angrily "if i stop for you i have to stop for everyone" and reluctantly signed my ticket.

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I have a few but this one was special and unexpected.

I was working in an office building in Bloomfield Hills in 1991. I needed to get some money out of the ATM, so I was waiting. And waiting. For this guy to finish with it.

I was like "Jesus, is this guy refinancing his house or something?"

He finally finished and turned around and it was Bob Probert. He and I were alone in this vestibule and I was so glad I didn't say something out loud.

I did the "hey, you're Bob Probert!" thing and he said yeah, and I told him I was a big fan, blah blah blah, we talked for about 10 minutes then he asked me if I wanted to see his new motorcycle, I said, SURE!

So we walked outside and there was this new bike, we looked it over for a few minutes and talked a little more and shook my hand and he took off.

I was like......wow. What a great guy.

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When I was in high school I was at a restaurant in Wayne and saw Gordie and Colleen Howe. Surprisingly not many people were bugging him, so naturally it occurred to me that I should. They were very nice, Mrs. Howe pulled out a picture and Gordie signed it. Very gracious.

More recently my brother and I very nearly ran into Mikael Samuelsson at the Twelve Oaks mall. He was with his wife and family so I didn't bug him for anything.

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Guest E_S_A_D
I have a few but this one was special and unexpected.

I was working in an office building in Bloomfield Hills in 1991. I needed to get some money out of the ATM, so I was waiting. And waiting. For this guy to finish with it.

I was like "Jesus, is this guy refinancing his house or something?"

He finally finished and turned around and it was Bob Probert. He and I were alone in this vestibule and I was so glad I didn't say something out loud.

I did the "hey, you're Bob Probert!" thing and he said yeah, and I told him I was a big fan, blah blah blah, we talked for about 10 minutes then he asked me if I wanted to see his new motorcycle, I said, SURE!

So we walked outside and there was this new bike, we looked it over for a few minutes and talked a little more and shook my hand and he took off.

I was like......wow. What a great guy.

Great story!

Thanks all for sharing, I enjoy these today as I 'work'.

I have another quick one to add. Back in the days in the early 80s with Mickey Redmond and Dave Strader, I walked over as a kid and told my Dad and Grandpa I was going to go talk to Mickey Redmond. Mickey was so cool... at the time he was smoking like a chimney in the press box. I walked up, he held his cigarette to the side, and asked how I was doing. I said great and that I'm a big fan. I asked for his autograph while they were on commercial break. He signed my ticket stub. You can always tell when they're on the air, because the bright white lite is on from the press box. That's how the refs know when commercial is over as well, fyi.

Anyways, he ended up telling me to hold on a second, kid. I did and he walked over to an assistant and brought me out a plate of popcorn. I proceeded to eat popcorn with Mickey Redmond and Dave Strader for a while. Two great guys, Mickey was awesome. I still have the signed ticket stub. Since we were season ticket holders I would go over and say hi and if I remember correctly, he'd usually call me by name and say hi back. Neat guy.

WORST experience was Sergei Fedorov:

The guy was just not friendly; period. At an autograph signing at Gibralter in the 1990s he did not take off his sunglasses (quite the rockstar), didn't look up at us, and rudely slid the autograph back accross the table.

One more thing I might add...

My grandfather and Dad back in the old Olympia days would hang out, Grandpa probably smoking his pipe, and my Dad a cigarette and wait for the opposing team to come out. It was different in the 50s/ 60s. You didn't ask for autographs... In fact, my Grandfather would give opposing players rides to their hotel room so they didn't have to wait for a cab. It was a common thing then. So here was my Dad and Grandpa driving with 4 Toronto Maple Leaves in the car with them down Woodward.

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