Tough Guy Encounters

[straka91]

I love reading stories like these, where I am from the chances of me meeting any NHL player is nil.

[NameyMD]

I couldn't make it myself but after Jared Boll's first game here with Tuto of the Mestis league (against Kiekko-Vantaa on Nov 21st), my girlfriend tried her damnedest to sorta accost him for a signature to give to me but some douche from the team staff kinda stopped her short as the players went on their way down to the lockers..
She was way more disappointed than I was at that, poor dear

And that's the the epic story of my near-run-in with a real NHL enforcer!!


Also: seen big George Parros real close when the Ducks came over a couple years back, LIKE WITH MY EYES AND STUFF. I remember the teenage girls giggling over the pictures they'd taken of him, all a-fluster

[brawl lover]

Back in the early 90's me and my wife lived in an apt. complex that the binghamton Rangers had an arrangement where a ton of their players lived during the season. Lived in the same Building as Tie Domi, Danny LaCroix, Dennis Vial and a ton of non fighters. At Games talked to Darren Langdon, Jim Mckenzie, Shane Churla, Eddie Kastelic,Rob Ray, Al Tuer and so many others. AHL rinks are the bombay.

[fansince65]

Over the years I have known some real tough players that have played for the London Knights that have made the show , Dan Maloney , Garry Unger , Louie Debrusk are some old time tough guys I have known , Zack Renaldo , Brendon Prust are more recent player that I have got to know , became friends with his father as well .
Most fans that have season tickets for their favorite junior team have known some real tough players that have made the NHL over the years , many have got to know their parents as well and have remained friends over the years , their has to be a he!! of a lot of fans on this site that know players that dropped the gloves in junior and made the NHL but just dont post the fact that they know said players for personal reasons , it's a dam shame they dont step up and acknowledge knowing said players ..

[Phillyfan11]

Originally Posted by fansince65

Over the years I have known some real tough players that have played for the London Knights that have made the show , Dan Maloney , Garry Unger , Louie Debrusk are some old time tough guys I have known , Zack Renaldo , Brendon Prust are more recent player that I have got to know , became friends with his father as well .
Most fans that have season tickets for their favorite junior team have known some real tough players that have made the NHL over the years , many have got to know their parents as well and have remained friends over the years , their has to be a he!! of a lot of fans on this site that know players that dropped the gloves in junior and made the NHL but just dont post the fact that they know said players for personal reasons , it's a dam shame they dont step up and acknowledge knowing said players ..

What's Rino like? Heard he's a good dude. Personally disapointed in his season down in Adirondack so far this year. Hope he turns it around when the NHL starts.

[bustoff]

Had Schofield pissed at me one time. Don't know why though.

[smashem]

Drank about 8 beers at Bella's in Norwell, Ma. with Chris Nilan, Talked with and became friends with LB when i signed him up at our club in Framingham, Ma. Mike Hoffman does his off-season boxing at my new-club. Also met Shawn Thornton, Taz, Schultz. Nilan did not talk about fighting that much other than saying OD was very tough, LB is a riot always talked about beefs. The others i never really asked.

[Broons66]

Met Neely at a card show in 92-93 in Southern MA, and one of my biggest regrets is not buying a game used, beat up CCM helmet for 175$ Neely was pretty cool, quiet.

[blockerpunch]

I've met a few NHL tough guys and former/current players I live in Muskoka where many of them spend their summers cottaging so there's lots of them around.

Brad May I met at a local sporting goods store, really cool guy and pretty funny. It was right when he was traded to the Avalance. He was joking about how his team was going to suck that year and how Eric Goddard would be a top 5 heavy for sure. Came back into the store five minutes later and jokingly said "Oh don't you guys tell anyone I said my team sucks or I'll fukkin kill ya!"

Kris King is from my home town, used to go to his hockey school when I was a kid (guys like Kay Whitmore were there and Jody Hull etc.) Won a Shane Doan autographed stick when he was just a prospect (probably during the last season before the Jets moved to Phoenix) and joked about 'who the hell is Shane Doan?' Kris assured everyone that this Doan kid was going to be an elite player in the big leagues. Dallas Eakins was an instructor there too, never really liked him seemed like an a$$hole at the time. Also met Kurt Russell and Goldie Hawn there as their son Wyatt was a goalie and so was I.

Paul Coffey also used to be an instructor there too but I never met him back then. about 6 years ago I was working on a barge on the lake, this guy comes up to us in a kayak and starts grilling my friend and I about if we were wearing sunscreen or not. "The UV index is super high today guys. Don't be jerks. Put on some fukkin sunscreen." Kayaks away. Ladies and gentlemen Mr. Paul Coffey.

Nick Boynton is a family friend (was in my cousin's wedding party), great guy for sure. Got to see the Stanley Cup at his family farm before the big home town Stanley Cup party. He also brought the Memorial Cup to our cottage when he won it with the Ottawa 67's in the late 90's. He's a beauty and a good cat to party with too.

Eric Lindros, met him at a party at his brother's cottage, and partied with him another time that I don't remember cause I was black out. Brett Lindros I also have met but don't really know him.

Met Wendel Clark at a gas station up here just in passing.

Darcy Tucker I used to cut his grass as well as Shayne Corson's. Tucker always had a chip on his shoulder, nice enough guy but you could tell he was always on edge and ready to scrap at the drop of his hat. Corson was cooler than Tucker, he was really nice to us and made sure his dog didn't attack us.

Ray Emery I met briefly at a party, and Tim Brent I met at a bar.

Rick Hampton who played for the California Golden Seals is a family friend, still has a killer shot.

Wayne Simmonds was at one of my stand up shows in the front row, really nice guy, partied with him after.

That's all I can think of off the top of my head but there's probably a few more.

[Flyer_Frank]

Originally Posted by blockerpunch

Paul Coffey also used to be an instructor there too but I never met him back then. about 6 years ago I was working on a barge on the lake, this guy comes up to us in a kayak and starts grilling my friend and I about if we were wearing sunscreen or not. "The UV index is super high today guys. Don't be jerks. Put on some fukkin sunscreen." Kayaks away. Ladies and gentlemen Mr. Paul Coffey.

There's your winner! One of the best hockey brushes with greatness I've ever heard.

[NameyMD]

Originally Posted by blockerpunch

Corson was cooler than Tucker, he was really nice to us and made sure his dog didn't attack us.

wow that's soooo nice and kind of him!!

[blockerpunch]

Originally Posted by NameyMD

wow that's soooo nice and kind of him!!

He also helped make sure he didn't kick the $hit out of us lol

[Kid Roberts]

Not NHL, but I've had Lunch with Billy Siers a few times. I've also had lunch with Chris Chambers, Nick Guran, and Tommy Lange. The teeth marks in Lange's knucks were pretty sick! Lol. They're all really nice guys.

[fansince65]

Originally Posted by Phillyfan11

What's Rino like? Heard he's a good dude. Personally disapointed in his season down in Adirondack so far this year. Hope he turns it around when the NHL starts.

Ya he is a great kid , from talking to his dad he has been told by the Flyers to tone down his game some and stay out of the box , my guess is that is why his game has suffered , he is a hitter that needs a free reign to do his thing on the ice , it's like putting hobbles on a race horse to try and tone down his game ..

[GassiusClay]

Glen Cochrane:
When I was 14, I attended a hockey school where him and Sittler were the instructors. Sittler was super friendly (had his son Ryan there as well, who was way younger, fat, and really uncoordinated...was absolutely stunned to hear he was going to get drafted in the 1st rd years later!)...

Cochrane was scary to me before I met him, and he was scary at the hockey school as well. Just had that big scary mug, never smiled or joked...He was intimidating!!!

The last day, they set up chairs in the dressing room, and we all watched Slapshot together. It was my first time seeing it, and it was awesome to watch it with those two guys.

Paul Kruse:
I got to know Kruse pretty well, but the first yr we met was in Kelowna, houseboating on Lake Okanagan. He had not been drafted yet. It was a 3 day bender on the houseboat.
I was a big guy, and had a bit of a rep as a fighter (at least amongst the group of people we were with). We went to a bar, and drank the most alcohol I have ever drank in a bar. We were doing shot after shot. I hadn't really talked to Kruse a whole lot, but he is just as drunk as I am, he comes and grabs me and says something to the effect of 'let's go see if anyone wants any part of us."
I said 'let's do it', but someone could have pushed me and I would have fallen over hard. I was praying so hard we wouldn't run into anyone, and thankfully we didn't.

Kruse ended up being one of the nicest, most humble people I have ever had the privilege to meet. Outstanding human being.

I ran into Robin Bawa in the bathroom at a wedding. I was probably 22 at the time, and was very surprised to see he was actually bigger than I was (thickness). Most hockey players carry most of their weight in their legs. Rarely have I ever met a hockey player that is thick up top, but he was. But, he may have been a fat blob under there. I have no idea.
I just watched him throwing punches against Todd Gill, and man do those arms move slowly.

Met Link Gaetz (through Kruse). I only met him when he was sober (at a bar, and he told us straight up he was on the wagon, and didn't want any alcohol). He was quiet, but polite, and didn't come close to having a drink, even though all of his buddies were getting smashed around him. I think he'd been on the wagon for a few weeks at the time.
The funny part is he had bloodied knuckles on one of his hands from the night before.
This would have been in '90, two years after he was drafted, and before he totally lost control.