Nicest and rudest NHLers you've met

[Bezer]

I *met* Ray Bourque once at the last time he played with Boston in the Saddledome. I was a Bruins fan before the Flames came to Calgary. So when I was offered a chance to do a meet with the Bruins outside their dressing room I jumped at it. I was super excited to meet Ray as he was pretty close to being my favorite all time player. So after the game I head down and I see Rob DiMaio (great guy) Byron Dafoe ( great guy too ) Then Bourque comes out and people go nuts. I must say I have never seen a guy act like a total a-hole to guys my age, I think I was 20ish at the time. After watching him shoot down a few guys asking for autographs just being a total prick while doing it too, I was just too afraid to say anything to the guy. I will say this tho he had a lot of time for young kids and old guys. So I guess take my story with a grain of salt.. But when he won the cup with the Avs I couldn't of cared less.


We met Adam Pardy at Flames Central last year during Family night. My wife, daughters and myself we sitting at a table and I look back and there is Adam Pardy sitting behind us with a few buddies. I notice he is eating and decide to let the guy finish his dinner before I let my wife know and unleash his worst nightmare. So he finished eating and I sigh and look over at my wife and say "Hey that's Adam Pardy right there." My wife's head snaps back and her eyes go wide open. And then it was on..for the next 30-45 mins he was signing autographs and jerseys, taking pictures and answering questions. I kinda felt bad for the guy but he was very patient and a really good sport about it. When I got up from the table to use the washroom (not sure where Pardy was) I apologized to his buddy for "unleashing the hounds on Pardy" and his buddy said something to the effect of "he was wondering if he was gonna be recognized" I chuckled and said "well he got his wish." He has fans for life, he had a very positive influence on my kids from just being a good guy and spending some time with them. I am definitely thankful.

[VT Isles Fan]

When I lived in NYC I used to see a lot of the players after the game.

Nicest: Ron Francis (multiple times), Joe Sakic; and I often found the so-called "goons" were awesome (Dave Brown, Mick Vukota)

Rudest: Steve Yzerman was an absolute jerk when I met him outside a game in Philly

Clueless: Vinny Lecavalier (not a bad guy, just a total space cadet)

[spuzzum]

I know how I'd feel if people kept approaching me day in, day out. If a person is in hurry, doesn't say much or doesn't feel like socializing - does that make them rude?

How do all of you feel and react when a homeless guy stops you for change?

[mennoknight]

Shane Doan is a saint. I was working the silent auction table at a Blazers alumni golf tournament, and we had a Ken Daneyko autographed jersey. Shane came up with one of his friends, who (inexplicably) was a huge Daneyko fan. The bid was already up to $150 - Shane's friend said it was too rich for his blood.

Later, Shane came up and asked me what I thought it would take to win the jersey. I joked, $1000. He signed a cheque, handed it to me, grabbed the jersey, went back to his table and put it on his friend.

He lived next door to a boss of mine, and one night a group of kids I was in charge of was playing a game called "Bigger or Better." (in essence, you knock on a stranger's door, give them say, a spoon, and ask for something bigger, or better). A few kids went to the Doan house, gave him a busted microwave, and he gave them a dozen autographed sticks and various other loot (provided they help him load his quad into his truck).

Other great guys I've met:
Devan Dubnyk (one of the smartest teenagers I've ever run into)
Cam Cunning (bit of a bonehead, but a real stand up guy)
Bill Ranford

Guys who may have been d-bags or may have been having bad days:
Darryl Reaugh
Mark Recchi

Guys who are definitely d-bags:
Erik Christensen.

[Erick Estrada]

95% of NHLers are super nice guys. I can't say any I have met were jerks but three of them acted as though their #### didn't stink;

Regehr
Modano
Kevin Hatcher

Best ever was Clint Malarchuk. Met him at a bar and one of my buddies was loaded and didn't believe it was him and asked; "You're Clint Malarchuk? Show me your scar!". He was totally cool about it and a real good guy.

[bubbsy]

i haven't met many...

i met mike keenan the summer before his second year as flames coach in the miami airport. He was approachable, and polite in his responses.

[troutman]

I would not really judge a player's character based on his interactions with autograph hounds. These people are a major nuisance to players, especially the "professional" autograph seekers.

[Walter Reed]

Originally Posted by jeremywilhelm

Hall, Hemsky and Smid were out tonight at a regular party place. They were surprisingly mellow. First time I have seen Hall out acting like man and not a boy.

Well he really is just a kid, at least through my eyes anyway.

[Erick Estrada]

Originally Posted by troutman

I would not really judge a player's character based on his interactions with autograph hounds. These people are a major nuisance to players, especially the "professional" autograph seekers.

I went to school with a guy that was playing for the Stars at the time and got to hang out with some of them. Trust me Mike Modano really likes himself.

[Weiser Wonder]

Yeah he really is just a kid. I don't know why people expect him to be mature. I remember myself at 18.

[Komskies]

Originally Posted by Mad Mel

In around 2001 or so I had been posting on a message board for a couple of years with this guy who was really knowledgeable about hockey. I had just moved to Calgary, and was a younger guy with not much cash. So he emails me and offers to send me a couple of tickets to a Canucks/Flames game (which he later did). And then tells me he was borrowing his friend's email, when I asked if he was that Butch Deadmarsh. Haha, you're a good guy, Butch.

Cool! Excluding the last 7 months, I lived in Butch Deadmarsh's old house for about 12 years. My parents still live there.

[Change of Heart]

My wife and I met Tom Poti in Hawaii two summers ago. Nice guy, really quiet

[CaptainCrunch]

Mike Eaves gave me an atomic elbow once when he joined us when were playing road hockey.

Jason Smith played on my slow pitch team one year, he was a pretty quiet guy, and he was lazy in the field, but he could hit home runs like nobodies business.

I met Pat Falloon and Boris Mironov in a bar in Vancouver after a Canucks Oilers game. Mironov was a typical heavy drinking chain smoking Russian. Pat Falloon thought that he was the ultimate alpha male and a bit of a joke, and we laughed him out of the bar when he picked up a chunky skank.

I got to talk with Gretzky for a few minutes and he came across as a very genuine nice guy, he also told me that I would have more luck scoring goals if I actually used my stick for shooting the puck instead of throwing cross checks.

I met Bobby Hull and was terrified by him, but I think I was 5 at the time.

My dad introduced me to Bobby Orr and he was very quiet and reserved but he was a nice guy, he signed an autographed picture for me that still hangs in my den to this day, I thought that was the end of it, but a couple of weeks later I got an envelope in the mail from him with a personally autographed picture of him scoring the goal.

Biggest jerk though, bar none was Glenn Anderson, I went to ask him for an autograph when I was about 13, and I was with a bunch of other youngsters and he basically told us all to f##k off.

[terryclancy]

Years ago, I worked at a bar on Grouse Mountain in North Vancouver. One evening most of the Toronto Maple Leafs dropped in. Darryl Sittler was a nice guy, but you had to feel sorry for him as he couldn't turn around without about 20 (usually hammered) people getting in his face. Wilf Paiement, a bit of an animal on the ice, was a good guy, as was Vince Tremblay.

Borje Salming pulled a bit of a d*** move. He wanted to go skiing, but couldn't fill out any rental forms (I assume he wasn't allowed to ski during the hockey season for contractual reasons), so pressured the rental kid to give him the gear for cash, with no paperwork being done. The kid did (risking his job) and when Salming came back he just dumped the gear and walked away from the kid (who wanted to talk to him) without saying a word.

My daughter has played hockey with the daughters of Ron Sutter, Kevin Haller, and Claude Vilgrain. All three are excellent guys, and Vilgrain is hysterically funny to boot.

I met Chris Mason as he was coming off the ice at a session at World Pro. He was willing to have a long chat, saying how much he'd enjoyed Nashville and its music scene, but was looking forward to going to St. Louis which had a bit of hockey history. He asked if my son was on the ice, and I told him it was my daughter and pointed her out. He commented that she was very good for her age and that he wouldn't want his daughter playing goal. He stuck around until my daughter came off the ice, told her she'd looked good out there, and gave her a tap on the pads with his stick before trundling off. Made her day.

[JDub81]

Mr Hockey, Gordie Howe was awesome.
Met him at an event and I had a copy of his book for him to sing to my Dad. He actually wrote "To Dad, You are lucky to have such a wonderful daughter ... " and then something else I can't remember. Then he asked what about me, I said, that's ok, I don't want to take up too much of your time and let the next person go. Later, he came up to me with another of his books, signed by both him and his wife, saying any daughter who would wait in that line and put her Dad first deserved her own book.
Awesome, awesome guy.

[Rampage]

Nicest guys... Iginla (above and beyond)
Dana Tyrell
Tommy Albelin
Wojtek Wolski
Val Bure
Fred Brathwaite
Devan Dubnyk


Jerks
Dion Phaneuf
Mike Ricci

*Note: All interactions were in a professional setting. Not in a bar or while seeking autographs.

[BigFlameDog]

Originally Posted by CaptainCrunch

Biggest jerk though, bar none was Glenn Anderson, I went to ask him for an autograph when I was about 13, and I was with a bunch of other youngsters and he basically told us all to f##k off.

At least he didn't run you over in his car.....or did he?

[CaptainCrunch]

Originally Posted by BigFlameDog

At least he didn't run you over in his car.....or did he?

No but he did invite me to a pool party

[cam_wmh]

Originally Posted by Erick Estrada

I went to school with a guy that was playing for the Stars at the time and got to hang out with some of them. Trust me Mike Modano really likes himself.

I think I speak on behalf of a few CP'ers, we trust you know narcissism better than anyone.

[Titan]

I was a kid at a hockey tournament in Edmonton. We were staying at the forum inn across from the rink. i guess the Oilers would eat their meals there. McSorley was just riding up and down the elevator chatting with everyone that got on, not that there was room for more than one or two people in there with him, huge guy.

Another time the oilers ate at a restaurant in Red Deer. A rookie was stuck with the bill and was freaking out as he had no cash. Gretz quietly slipped the waitress his card and picked up the entire tab.

A friend of mine's dad was a liquor rep and for some reason brought Kent Nillson a bottle of something. Nillson said thanks, I like to pour it on my wife's ***** and lick it up. My friend was standing right there and was about 7 years old.

Finally, I used to play hockey in Red Deer and over the summer we would play shinny to get in shape. Often pros would join us. Once Brent Sutter was playing and I stole the puck from him and scored the winning goal. The highlight of my hockey career right there.