And yes I know, I promised on Twitter I would have a post yesterday, and that didn't happen either. I ran out of daytime to write anything and this is the first chance I got, so I'll likely have a couple of posts today, one now and one later.
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For now, I'm going to talk about the 5* coolest hockey-related people I've had a chance to meet in my lifetime. I haven't had a chance to meet most of my hockey idols growing up, such as Iginla and Hasek, but I have been able to meet and even play with some of the NHL's biggest names. Some of these players were some of my first favourite NHL players, and were the first players that I really got to idolize.
5. Ray Ferraro / Wade Redden
I put these two together because I met them in the same fashion, in the same place, and idolized both growing up. I got to go to the Okanagan Hockey School, where Redden and Ferraro were both mentors. I went when I was really young in my hockey career, and had the most troubles skating. Redden and Ferraro were both known for their skating abilities, and helped me plenty with fine tuning my technique. At the time, these were two really big names in hockey, one was an established veteran, the other a young star in Ottawa.
4. Brian Burke
Also at the Okanagan Hockey School, I got to meet Brian Burke, the well-known NHL General Manager. Although, for the most part, I disagree with his management style and decisions, it was really cool meeting a real-life NHL executive, and learning what it takes to make it as a pro from someone who actually scouts for pros. Pretty neat.
3. Dion Phaneuf
He's probably the biggest name on this list now, but I wouldn't put him higher just because of the circumstances I met him. He was doing some sort of tour of Canadian Tire stores, and stopped at my hometown's store to sign autographs and meet fans. Yes, it was totally awesome to meet a star player like Phaneuf, but I had to wait in line to see him, saw him for about a minute, then left to let hundreds of others get the same brush with fame. Still was a really cool experience though.
2. Jason Krog
Conversely, he's probably the least known on this list, but anyone who shares my hometown probably knows him as well. He was another Fernie, BC product, who made it to the NHL and was a big part of Anaheim's Stanley Cup run in 2003. He's been the AHL's MVP and scoring leader numerous times, and has played all over the world. I believe he's currently playing in Sweden, and doing very well for himself there too. Anyways, he was the first person to taught me how to skate (after a few months in a figure skating program), and I attended his hockey camps in Fernie on a yearly basis. We chatted quite a bit, talked occasionally on the off season, and got to know each other well. His rookie NHL card, autographed, is still one of my favourites in my hockey card collection, and he was my first real mentor to the game of hockey.
1. Scott Niedermayer
Phaneuf is the biggest name on the list right now, but of all time Niedermayer is definitely the biggest. I actually got the chance to meet him several times in my life, some with the company of hundreds of others, and some in more personal quarters.
I got to meet Niedermayer, from Cranbrook, BC, first at one of our year-end hockey banquets, when he attended as a guest speaker. I was young, and didn't get much of a chance to talk to him, so it was hard to really get to know him, but it was really cool to meet someone who was, at the time, as big as he was.
The second time was when he and brother Rob won the Stanley Cup with Anaheim in 2006. Since Scott Niedermayer currently made his home in Fernie, he brought the Cup to the city, so I got to meet both brothers and the Stanley Cup for the first time. It was honestly life changing to be with the Stanley Cup, and in the presence of an Olympian, Stanley Cup champion and (now) Hall of Famer.
But the third biggest meeting between the two was a really cool experience. My family was selling the house in Fernie, to move to Lethbridge, AB (where I live currently), so we had visitors regularly looking at the house. Jason Krog showed up to take a look at the house as well, which was cool in itself. But one day, in the summer of 2010, after reading in the local paper that he was vacationing in Canada, we had a couple come in to look at the house. I didn't notice until about halfway through the tour, and even then I wasn't 100% sure, but he looked so similar to the guy I met back in 2006, sans beard. I looked at my dad, who had the look of curiosity that I'm sure I had while thinking of the possibility of such a player in our house. We decided not to say anything, distracting from the tour and being rude if they chose to stay private. But at the end, before they left, I shook his hand and said "Thanks for stopping by, Scott". He chuckled a bit and gave me a smile, the same smile I know I saw with the cup 4 years prior. That was definitely the coolest brush with hockey fame I've had.
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So now its your turn. Who was the coolest hockey player you've meet? How did you meet them? Share your stories with me or leave a comment below, I'd love to hear your own brushes with hockey fame.
So I'm glad I'm back to writing again, and as promised I'll try to leave another post later today. Goodnight everyone, and thank you for reading!
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