What athlete have you run into and hit it off with?

[Kazparov]

Ran into Tie Domi at a sport shop in Hamilton during the neutral site era. He told me to eff off & I did.

Not surprised. All interactions I witnessed with him were simply awful.

One night he came into the restaurant, he was/is super close to the owner Ted. Tie would always order the gelato plate but wanted it without the fruit garnish or the chocolate script the pastry chef would normally do.

Well a new server took his order, brought him the gelato done in the normal way, w/fruit and chocolate and Tie lost his mind. Screamed "WTF is this!?" Literally slapped the dish off the table smashing it on the ground yelling "Do you know who the f*** I am??!!"

Unfortunately not the only story like that...

Respect the fact he bled and fought for the team but wow . .

 

[Once]

I met Chad Ochocinco in Montreal when he was playing for the Allouettes at some random (not fancy whatsoever) restaurant. He was out with his girl but was on the phone the whole time. When he got off the phone I just blurted "is that Chad Johnson?" and he responded with "Hey big homie", paid for our meal and that was that.

In a way I wish I got a photo but I didn't want to be that fanboy lol.

 

[therealkoho]

when I was in Atom way back when Leo Reise Jr was my coach, Red Kelly would drop by practices occasionally if the Leafs were at home(Leo was Red's Dpartner in Detroit, not one of us kids knew Coach Leo played in the NHL until Red showed up one friday night)

Bobby Hull and Donnie Murdoch on a train, got well lubricated and had quite the laugh, Bobby doesn't tell stories as well as his brother Dennis, but man oh man was he funny

Brian Kilrea I used to hang out at his favourite drinking spot

Jason York, his house was on the 9th fairway of the club I used to golf at, got to know him over the back fence one day, long story( I knew one of his brothers quite well) I played a few rounds with him and few more in the 19th hole over a couple of years, like his brother a really good guy


I knew lot's of CFL guys years ago as a team-mate from high school had an 5 year CFL career with the Ti-cats and Argos, some of the craziest people I ever knew

 

[ShaneFalco]

Eugenie Bouchard and I met at a bar in NY. Next thing you know she's buying me drinks and then stated that it was "too loud" and "should we go somewhere else"
I don't have to tell you what happened next

 

[Obliviate]

I got obliterated with Brodeur and his brother (I think) at Hemingways (in toronto, for you locals) the night of the NHL awards back in the day. Nice dude. I wish I didn't get as drunk as I did because I remember very little...dude liked jagerbombs, though.

Hemingways is a great bar.

 

[nsleaf]

Eugenie Bouchard and I met at a bar in NY. Next thing you know she's buying me drinks and then stated that it was "too loud" and "should we go somewhere else"
I don't have to tell you what happened next

Oh, was wondering why her tennis career went in the tank, explains a lot.

 

[mapleleafs34]

Ran into the GOAT AM34 the night he got drafted

 

[nsleaf]

if people are into meeting them that's cool, it does make me happy to know some are really good guys though (sundin) I hate arrogant pricks who act arrogant because they play a sport (or star in movies).

Can't dis-agree, there are lots of Tie Domi's out there for sure. I met Don Cherry at Pearson airport once and he was a total asshat.
Also met Pierre Trudeau many, many years ago (I waited on him at a fancy resort I used to work at). He was your typical politician but did tip well.

 

[MagicalRazor]

I took my lady to a Justin Beiber connect lol it was a highly exclusive one you had to win tickets just to attend , there was only maybe 1000 people at the venue. It was held at the Danforth music hall. Before the concert started i was scouting the area & I seen JVR / bozak / Rielly and they were standing right beside me (10-12 feet away). I was super fringing excited so i went up to them and tried to tell them that they were some of my favorutie players. JVR & BOZAK frigging curbed me so hard, look at me like i was crazy , stared me dead in the eyes and than just turned away and whispered something to each other and they laughed. Rielly kinda gave me an awkward smile like he almost wanted to say somthing back to me but didn't because jvr & bozzy didn't want anything to do with me. and than some big security guy came up to me a told me to walk away , and they didn't wanna be bothered . the concert was full of little kids no one noticed them the whole night besides me. i tried to be super discrete and not cause a scene, i went over to them super collective and calm, i was losing my shit on the inside but didn't show it lol. kind of turned me off of them after that lol i was kinda mad i can't lie . My girl was more mad than me i think , I was like i hope JVR and Bozak get traded after that lol anyways yeah .

 

[Gabriel426]

When I was a kid, I remember getting on the same flight as Joe Carter(after winning the 1st WS). Asking for his autograph while his daughters were giggling two feet away from us.

Then there were the time playing Bball and Carlos Rogers and Another Raptors( forgot his name) came in the court and play 3-3 with us. My friends and I almost cried due to all the crap Rogers was saying to us.

There was also the time watching a hockey game at shoeless joe in Kingston and Cap Kirk Mueller was next to us.

Then there were the Soccer 7s tournament in HK, where after a few pints Teddy Sheringham was telling us how he used to take money from Beckham, Neville bros and other young kids during the travels between games.

Lastly, having a beer with Reilly at a Country Club was kind of kool.

 

[sittler rules!!!]

Myself and my wife were coming back from our vacation in Quebec and ran into Michael Campoli. We hit it off and invited him and his mother to sit with us. Great people. He just made the Seadogs. We talked hockey for about an hour. I hope he does well. Michael Campoli at eliteprospects.com

I have bumped into a few guys. I ran into Theo Fleury at a function. He was very interested in my jersey that I was wearing. We sat and chatted for about 30 minutes, then I golfed with him and a few of his pals. Great day.

I ran into Lanny Macdonald in a mall in Calgary. It was a Tim Hortons Kiosk back in 1986. We chatted for a few minutes, then he paid for my coffee. Great guy. Most hockey people are good folk.

I also ran into Cliff Fletcher outside the old arena in Toronto. Basically just shook hands and he was on his way.

In 1990, I sat with Eric Lindros's mother in Germany. After his practice, she got me an autograph and chatted with him. I also got a stick signed and given to me by Marcel Dionne.

In 1994 I was at a conference in Florida and the guest speaker was Mike Ditka. I sat at his table and talked football all night long.

My family is personal friends with Ted Nolan. So I talk with him quite a lot.

In 2007, I was in Michigan at a sub shop and in walks Prince. He went straight to the front of the line and told the staff he would be paying for everyones orders in the line behind him. (about 12 people). I didnt get to talk to him but hey, Prince bought me lunch.

I'm 55. This happened over many years, not like it all happened in a week. For you young guys, you will get your bump into's also.

Tell me about your run-ins with athletes or celebrities. I'm interested in hearing your stories.

 

[sittler rules!!!]

Back in 84, after a Canada/USA Canada Cup game in Halifax, bought Chris Chelios a beer. About 10 of us saw him and Dave Ellett {forgive my spelling} walk into the bar and we all dove in to buy one for him. Chelios reciprocated about 10 minutes later. Just chatted briefly with him.
In 2013, wife and I ran into Jarrod Saltalamachia, of the Red Sox walking in to a local Boston diner for brunch. He was with his wife and kids, but I did hold the door open for them. Wife recognized him, right away. Me, being the big SOX fan didn't have a clue. They sat down next to us, and the wife and Salty's wife chatted briefly. Wife got pic with the big guy. Me, I am still a Pudge {Fisk) fan.

 

[namttebih]

Haha! I once took a leak at the urinal next to Sami Salo. I said something like "good game". He didn't respond.

Not sports related, but I was once friends with Tom Green. He had a rap band called Organized Rhyme and I would go to his apartment, where he had a little studio, and record there with my band. We would walk around the Rideau Center afterwards and he would pretend to take a nap in a bed on display at the Bay. I was about to start a hip hop band with him, but his TV show started to get popular at that time. Damn, missed me opportunity for fame! LOL

Check the O-R, I love the O-R! Say what you will about Tom green, dude has talent

 

[Stigma]

Check the O-R, I love the O-R! Say what you will about Tom green, dude has talent

Yes! You remember that glorious tune. Tom and co. visit the Jane/Finch mall in the vid.

He was legendary in the early years of his career. His Ottawa public access show was actually really funny. He used to have guest bands on the show, including us. It was quite an amazing experience playing that.

 

[namttebih]

I met King Clancy at a mall food court at Christmas time when I was a kid. He and my dad chatted for quite a while.

I met Bobby Orr in a hotel lobby in Boston. He couldn't have been more down to earth. He asked me questions about myself and we had a nice conversation.

I met Belak at a sportsman show. Dude was huge with a bigger smile. I was 19 years old at the time and 150lbs soaking wet. I jokingly slapped him on the back and he laughed and pushed me away.

I was at Tie Domi's book release in NYC and got to meet Lemieux, Aki Berg and Floyd Mayweather jr. I couldn't believe how Mayweather was.

I met Eric and Brett through work.

I met Wendel up at Seneca King campus and he couldn't have been nicer.

 

[namttebih]

Yes! You remember that glorious tune. Tom and co. visit the Jane/Finch mall in the vid.

He was legendary in the early years of his career. His Ottawa public access show was actually really funny. He used to have guest bands on the show, including us. It was quite an amazing experience playing that.

It was hilarious. I had a VHS with a bunch of stuff from his PA show. Do you know where to find any of it now? I can't see any of it on YouTube.

 

[Stigma]

It was hilarious. I had a VHS with a bunch of stuff from his PA show. Do you know where to find any of it now? I can't see any of it on YouTube.

Unfortunately, I have no idea. I also have a VHS full of that PA stuff! One day, one of us fans has to convert that stuff and post it on youtube. I'll admit, it's a "long-term project" for me for now (meaning it will take me years to actually do it...lol)

 

[Man Bear Pig]

Used to be a golf pro at a nice course In the GTA so you can imagine how many players I've run into. Gilmour,Clark,Robert,Lindros,Subban,Palmateer...The list goes on. I used to live in the building beside Madrid so I'd see him quite a bit while walking the dog. I'd run into him at bars and stuff too. I'd never bug him or anything, just nod at each other and that was it. Used to play golf with Dale Hawerchuk every week. Great golfer, great guy as well. Wendel Clark almost killed me with a golf cart while i was marshalling a tournament once. I'll never forget that. Wendel enjoys his beverages as much as anyone, put it that way. The only bad experiences I've ever had was Paul Coffey and Mike Palmateer. They were absolute dicks to everyone. I'm not one to get star struck at all and wasn't nice to them either. Thought I'd return the favour. The vast majority of players are humble, good guys in my experience. The nicest guy, and it may be a shock, was PK Subban. This was right after he was in the WJC. I was sent out in a shuttle cart to pick him up and he was driving this piece of crap Nissan Pathfinder. Totally rusted out and looking like it was held together with duct tape. He got on the cart, i drove him down to the course and he wouldn't get off the cart. We ended up chatting for about 20 minutes. It's funny because years later my buddy, who runs a restaurant downtown, told me Subban comes in every few weeks and he absolutely hates the guy because he drinks a bit and basically turns into the cocky PK that you see on t.v.

 

[GoldenGOOSE]

My dad was a major Canadian celebrity and I had a high profile sports job, so I pretty well have met everyone and hit it off with most of them.

Mats is yes, a very humble and nice guy, same for Salming. I have done some insane partying and carrying on with quite a few of them. None of which I really want to go into, because some of it was totally off the map.

Hockey players are very much so, some of the nicest athletes out there though, I will tell you that. I don't know why that is, but its fact imo.

I have a Chicago Blackhawks jacket from the 1960's that the hockey hall of fame offered me a huge amount of money for, so far I have resisted the offer.

Tie Domi is a total jerk.... I have too many stories about him.

Sports are fixed, its not real. I seek safe harbour and that is my opinion.

 

[shortfuze]

Actually just met Raffi Torres yesterday. Didn’t talk hockey or anything but seemed like a really nice guy.

 

[Craig Button]

actually I just posted a reply to Keanu Reeves on a message board, so I do have a run in with a celebrity

Sorry for the late reply.

Here's an autograph

 

[Darcy Tucker]

I went to High School with goaltender Brian Elliot. He won a championship for our school.

 

[Macallan18]

I used to golf a lot at Glen Abbey. Went with two friends one time, and they matched me up with Damon Allen, who completed our foursome and rode in the same cart as me.
Absolutely wonderful person, had a great time. Great athlete, hit the ball a mile!!!
Oh yeah, this is a hockey thread!
Had lunch and played pool with Wendel Clark back when he was captain. Had a mutual friend who invited me.
Very nice person, a touch shy actually.
Oh, bought a round of golf with Dennis Hull at a charity event, had a great time, it included a lunch, and Dennis stayed with us for dinner too. He was charming with everyone who approached. Smoked like a chimney on the course! Said Dale Talon taught him how to play.

 

[TOGuy14]

Eugenie Bouchard and I met at a bar in NY. Next thing you know she's buying me drinks and then stated that it was "too loud" and "should we go somewhere else"
I don't have to tell you what happened next

You woke up from your dream?

 

[pylon17]

Brock Lesnar. I used to live close to him.