Embarassing player encounters

[troutman]

Originally Posted by habernac

now you're thinking Major League Baseball.

I think she has toured both leagues extensively.

[Diverce]

[Nage Waza]

In the early nineties a bunch of us highschoolers (Western) were drinking in a park area in Brittania. One of my bigger buddies was acting tough and decided to stand in the middle of the road drinking a Pilsner and not get out of the way of a SUVish type car. The car stopped about a foot in front of him, and he continued drinking his beer. The driver got out of the car (there were three other occupants) and walked directly into my buddies face and asked if was going to get out of the way himself, or with some help. My friend stepped aside and apologized, and Jim Peplinski quietly walked back into his car and drove away.

[THEflamesFAN]

Diverce.... I love you!!!

[Flashpoint]

Originally Posted by Cowperson

I was walking along the Bow River, contemplating another day of slavery, when out of the gloom, mist and heavy fog of a cold early morning emerges a man in a loose trenchcoat, a sad, defeated, wistful look across his face . . . . . . . Viktor Tikhonov, the great Russian hockey coach, wobbling from one heavy foot to the other., the weight of the world upon his shoulders.

Just him and me in the heavy fog . . . . passing ships. A glance of acknowledgemnt, no words exchanged.

And then he was gone, back into the fog, swallowed as though he were never there.

A very Russian, Dr. Zhivago, moment.

Cowperson

Cool.

It's the chance encounters with the legends that I find the most interesting. Especially when you have a dramatic setting.

[Flashpoint]

I frequent a hockey message board, and a guy by the name of Okotoker would post there from time to time...

[Roof-Daddy]

Just when I thought this thread couldn't get any better, all of sudden there are pics of Alyssa Milano.

[Ryan Coke]

2 for me.

-Boys trip to Phoenix a few years ago and saw the Leafs get embarrassed by the Yotes. Afterwards in what used to be a Fox sports bar a bunch of the Leafs players come in and end up sitting right beside us. I wouldn't make a big scene but one of my friends isn't shy about hassling them, and we end up all getting a picture with Darcy Tucker of all people. So we've got this picture with Darcy tucker looking mildly impatient, and the four of us with smiles on our faces but all thinking 'I hate this guy'.

-No details, but let's say that when my wife and I had just been dating for a few months, she had the opportunity to date Iggy (he wasn't married yet either). She didn't, apparently she was happy with me. So she had the opportunity to date a nice, rich, good looking, famous hockey player, or stay with me. I was happy that she stayed, but ever since I question her judgment.....

[FaninKorea#1]

Not really embarrasing story, well more dumb now that I look back.

Back when I was about 9 years old growing up in Deer Run, SE Calgary. I lived not far from Nick Fotiu and I would try to always catch him going to his car to ask for some sticks. Finally, after school I went there and he said, "Hey kid, come to my house tommorrow around 4pm and I will have some thing for you" I was so pumped I got there at 3:30 and was waiting, he pulls up to his driveway, opens his trunk and gave me 2 sticks. A Sher-wood John Tonelli and a Canadien Al Macinnis!

Unfortunatley, this was well before collecting sports memorabilia meant anything to me, so I cut down the John Tonelli stick (because it was a lefty) and used it in my next game. I pretened I was Tonelli and grinded hard on the boards like he used to and popped in 3 goals that game. Shortly after the stick broke.

Somehow the Macinnis stick got in the hands of my friend's older brother who used in it street hockey! Hmmm, Hall of Famiers Calgary Flames stick, wonder if that would have been worth anything now?

[wired]

I went to hook up a phone for one of the Flames owners (can't remember which one) in the E&Y tower. Man was his office cool, stadium chairs from the old Montreal Forum.
Met Lanny in the same building many times, never bothered him, except to say hello.
Almost ran into the whole San Jose team during the playoff run years ago as they left their hotel for lunch, Recci is so freakin ugly.

[Deuce Bigalow]

Not much of a story, but back in elementary I was playing kickball with a bunch of friends at lunch break. I wind up and absolutley nail the ball, in comes a kid not paying attention and boom, I nail him square in the face.... who was this? Fleury's kid. Oops.

[CaptainCrunch]

Originally Posted by FaninKorea#1

Not really embarrasing story, well more dumb now that I look back.

Back when I was about 9 years old growing up in Deer Run, SE Calgary. I lived not far from Nick Fotiu and I would try to always catch him going to his car to ask for some sticks. Finally, after school I went there and he said, "Hey kid, come to my house tommorrow around 4pm and I will have some thing for you" I was so pumped I got there at 3:30 and was waiting, he pulls up to his driveway, opens his trunk and gave me 2 sticks. A Sher-wood John Tonelli and a Canadien Al Macinnis!

Unfortunatley, this was well before collecting sports memorabilia meant anything to me, so I cut down the John Tonelli stick (because it was a lefty) and used it in my next game. I pretened I was Tonelli and grinded hard on the boards like he used to and popped in 3 goals that game. Shortly after the stick broke.

Somehow the Macinnis stick got in the hands of my friend's older brother who used in it street hockey! Hmmm, Hall of Famiers Calgary Flames stick, wonder if that would have been worth anything now?

Its sad how stupid we were when we were kids. My old man used to do some business with the Winnipeg Jets, and I used to tag along. One day I ran into a tall blonde over muscled type, and he saw a 7 year old CaptainCrunch hiding in the corner, so he grabs two sticks scrawls his name on them and walks over, crouches to look me straight in the eye and says "Here ya go kid" in a gravelly voice.

Then he turns around and vanishes.

Those sticks were two of Bobby Hulls Northland sticks that I promptly destroyed playing street hockey. But I have to tell you, the banana curve's combined with tennis balls made for huge slap shots.

Now I kick myself for not keeping at least one.

Then later on when I was about 15, my dad took me into work one day because it was a professional day. Of course I was board to tears, who cares about the tile business right. Anyways everyone goes into the board room and my dad goes to the door and this not very tall guy with Sandy brown hair parted to the side walks in and shakes my hand. He walks him over to me and I stand up and my dad says "Son, I'd like you to meet Bobby Orr. So being a stupid teenager and regretting it later, I shake Bobby's hand well muttering "Well Duh" and looking at my dad like he was taking a dumpsky in the middle of the show room.

Bobby was there to do some promotions for the company. After the meeting, everyone left, and I was bustled into the board room by my dads rather attractive secretary and I got to sit down and talk to Bobby for a couple of minutes, which was incredibly cool.

Then he pulled out some glossies of him going around a Hawks defenseman and signed them with a message wishing me the best.

I still have those framed and hung up in my office at home.

I have to say, Hull looked like a hockey player. Orr looked like an accountant.

[sevenarms]

Originally Posted by CaptainCrunch

I have to say, Hull looked like a hockey player. Orr looked like an accountant.

I think he looks more like an agent.

[Dentoman]

I was staying in downtown Vancouver for a conference a number of years ago and the Leafs were staying in the same hotel for a couple of days. Was in the same elevator with Corson and Tucker .... took them all of 10 seconds to start hitting on the dental hygienists!!
Did some work on Wes Walz the summer before he started playing for the Wild ... very friendly guy, talked about how good hockey players had it.

[wookster]

A couple of cool stories...

Me and a buddy went to watch the flames play LA one time, it was the early 90's and after the game we go for beers. We hit up a couple of pubs and our quest for beers eventually took us to the French Maid downtown, so we're walking down that bit of a hallway you needed to go down back then after you go in the doors and we pass two guys that were on the way out. After they passed us I stopped and punched my buddy and said "I swear that was Gretzky!!" He looked back but the guys were already around the corner so he goes "nah, couldn't be". We kept going inside and sure enough...almost the entire LA kings hockey team was in there. They weren't actually watching the "entertainment" but were playing pool off to the side. So we go over and my buddy puts a loonie down on one of the pool tables and asks Larry Robinson if we can play the winners, he goes "sure, but we're playing for beers...". We go "no problem" and started playing pool against Larry Robinson and Paul Coffee. Now being a flames fan I always thought Coffee was a jerk for being with the Oilers but after that I have to admit he was a pretty cool guy, talking and joking around quite a bit. We end up losing the first game but played them a couple more times and also played against Dave Taylor and Luc Robitaille. They were all pretty cool and even though we'd lost a couple of games to them, they covered our tab when we left so they bought all the beers anyway. Great time.

The other cool story happened this year at the flames vs Toronto game, but first a little history: I was at a flames - Toronto game quite a few years ago with a girl I was dating who happened to be a leafs fan. We ended up making a bet during the game that whomever's team lost, the loser had to buy a pro-jersey for the winner but whomever was buying got to choose the jersey. So the flames win and she has to pony up for a jersey and she ends up picking out a pro Jason Wiemer #24. OK, so now I'm probably the only guy in the world that owns a Calgary Flames Jason Wiemer jersey. So, its a nice jersey and I still wear it to all the flames games I go too, its also #24 so I think eventually I will get the name changed over to Conroy as well but anyways...I'm now at the flames-leafs game against Toronto with my fiance and after the end of the game we're still in our seats waiting for the crowd to disperse a little and she looks around and see's someone taking a picture of a guy in a box suite just behind us. (our season tix are in section 212) My fiance asks who that is and I turn around and its Lanny, turns out his company's box suite is just one section over from us behind 213. So, she's more excited than I am and we move over to there so she can take a picture. Lanny is busy talking to someone so I start talking to another guy in the suite who works for the same company while she's taking his picture. Then the guy goes "do you want to meet Lanny" and I'm like "yep" so he reached over the railing and goes "ok, I'll help you up"...So my fiance and I ninja over the railing from the 200 level seats into the luxury suite and got to meet Lanny and got our pictures taken with him, chatted with him a bit and he signed my Jason Weimer jersey, lol. I think fiance had the pictures posted on facebook before we even got home.

[Huntingwhale]

Originally Posted by Diverce

The coolest thing, and it speaks to Iggy's character. Iginla came back about 2 hours later and gave him 2 tickets to that nights game... told him that maybe it's time he sees a hockey game.

To this day, my friend says he is the nicest guy he has ever met.

That is just awesome. Not only is Iggy a true ambassador for hockey, but for Calgary in general. Stories like this are what makes me hope he stays a Flame for his entire career no matter what his stats are. He brings so much more to this city then just what he does on the ice.

[THEflamesFAN]

Originally Posted by Diverce

cuz the computer lets me..

[Redliner]

During the 1999-2000 season I went to a game with a girl I knew from work. The Flames lost pretty convincingly but we went down by the dressing rooms after to try and get some autographs anyway. We were just standing there waiting when Freddy Brathwaite comes out, looks at her kind of funny, then comes over and starts talking to her. Turns out they had been good friends back in Ottawa and had kind of lost touch since. I didn't really know what to do so I just kind of stood there like an idiot while they got caught up until he turned to me and introduced himself. (like I didn't know who he was) We ended up hanging out with him for over an hour, and he signed one of his sticks and gave it to me. As we were leaving the weather was really cold & snowy and he asked where I was parked. I told him I was way over by the Calgary Transit facility and he said it was too far to walk in the cold and gave us a ride in his Grand Cherokee back to my car. One of the nicest guys I have ever met. Didn't have a swelled head at all and just seemed like a normal dude. He actually called my friend a couple of months later and invited us both to a BBQ at his place. I already had plans out of town that weekend & couldn't go, but I was amazed that he would even remember me at all. I was sad when he got traded to St. Louis.

[Tron_fdc]

Wasn't me, but a funny story from a pal of mine he told me the other day.

He was down at the Eau Claire Joey's only lounge after work one afternoon, and as he was expecting a large group of guys so he pulled a pile of tables together (enough to seat about 20). As he was waiting (alone) some guy came in, looked at him and all his tables, walked over, and told him (didn't ask) that he was going to take all his tables as he needed them. My buddy said no, and told this guy he was expecting a large group, and needed them. All the while wondering how he knew the guy.....

Mystery man tells him he's taking them, my buddy (ex rugby player, about 6-2') stands up, and tells him to f-off, they're his tables, and he's not giving them up, and to find seats somewhere else. A few words are exchanged, and the guy walks away, seriously pissed off.

About 10 minutes later half the Detroit Redwings walk in, and he realized that he told Mike Babcock to beat it.

[CaptainYooh]

I believe the thread should have been closed after BBF's "Bobbie" story, because you just can't beat that one. But since it's still open, here's my second embarrassing hockey star encounter:

A whole bunch of us were in Phoenix and the hotel we're staying screwed up on room reservations. So, after fixing the mishap, as a gesture of apology, they'd offered us their corporate suite at the Glendale Arena for the Phoenix-NYI game free of charge. We took it, of course. For those who have not seen it, Glendale Arena is really nice, comfy seats, great concession stands, lots of parking etc. When we were there it was simply brand new and half–empty. Our suite was also big and comfortable. Viewing was great, complementary game magazines and beer nuts, the good stuff. So, Phoenix is loosing 0:1 a few minutes into the game, I am sitting with my beer and game magazine not really caring about the game too much. Turning my head to the left and go in the state of shock. Wayne Gretzky, himself, is sitting RIGHT NEXT to me over the partition pony wall in the next suite. As the shock wears off, I notice his father, Walter, his wife and kids all in the suite as well. I look at the game magazine back cover and see Gretzky's portrait on it. Without a second thought, I stretch the magazine over the partition and say:"Hi Wayne, we're all from Alberta visiting here. Would you mind signing this magazine for me?" And then it happened... He goes totally red on the face and shouts:"Don't you see that I'm trying to watch the game? Don't you know that I'm working here?". Dead silence in both suites. Everyone on our side is looking at him and thinking:"What a jerk!". Everyone in his suite was probably thinking: "oh, @#$%, that didn't come out well."... He snaps out of it first, and says to me: "You know, I am very sorry and apologize. I overreacted. Please wait until the end of the first period and I will sign whatever you have, OK?" And he extends his hand for a handshake. We shook hands. All the guys in our suite heard him and ran to the store buying all kind of Coyote's memorabilia. I didn't go anywhere, just sitting at my seat next to Gretzky's suite and waiting. As soon as the period ended, Gretzky came straight to me, took my magazine, asked who should it be addressed to and signed it for me, shaking my hand and apologizing again. Then, of course, there was a line–up of grown–up men with little Coyotes' mini–sticks, flags and other stuff to be signed. Wayne's son comes close to the line and says:"Did you guys really buy all this crap just to have it signed?" Wayne gave him a look and the boy stepped away... Anyway, Phoenix won 4:2 at the end and we all got in a large rental van to go back to the hotel. So, we're driving in silence and one of the guys turns to me and cackles:"Here's another proof that you can piss anybody off, man!". And without thinking, I responded: "Yeah. Even the GREAT ONES"...