Pretty far, Meadow Lake is quite far North. It's about a 6 hours drive from where I live.

Too bad, I'd like to see the GOAT sometimes.

That's probably on my voyage bucket list. It would be funny if I caught Blake grocery shopping.

I feel like I have to share a story as well, I'm at work but I'll make it quick.

When I used to work at Tim Hortons two years ago as a student, some guy came and ordered at the drive-through in English which is quite uncommon in my area. He came at the window and I recognized him partially because it was during his first training camp. I said:

Me-You look like a hockey player
Him-Oh yeah?
Me- Nick Suzuki
Him-It's me

I did not want to bother him with an autograph, but some coworker old lady did it for me lol. She said I had to do all the broom+mop on the floor for her and she would give it to me. I never swept a floor quick like that in my life and probably never will again.

Now I have a Nick Suzuki #14 autograph on the back of an Iced Cappucino receipt.

All these meeting people stories are exactly why i love the forums, we’re a great community here

Another story since everybody are sharing there's. I'm 99.9% sure that it wasn't Chara, but one time coming home from a road trip from Mount Carleton we stopped at a Tim Hortans to get food. Once in line I turned around and see a gigantic figure looking exactly like Chara (at the time I was like 5"7 so he was a whole foot plus some taller than me), he never said a word.

Chara if it wasn't you I've found your clone or long lost twin. If it was you, how tf did you get so tall.

I was at game 2 and 5 of those OHL finals game, it was sad to see Ottawa lose game 5 and then the series but seeing future Habs great Suzuki was cool

This is legendary

Canucks signed Dickinson three year 2.65M$ contract

Slight overpay but its in Benning's nature to do so

But man signing all your RFA's before your big stars isn't smart. Sends a bad message towards Petterson and Hughes lul. Expecting them to sign 5 year deals by September.

Came here to say this, since it hasn’t been officially announced yet by CF, my guess was 3x2.45, so not too far off. And yes, Probably a slight overpay if we’re being honest

Since we’re sharing hockey stories, I got to watch the Senators practice at Canada Olympic Park when they came to Calgary a few years ago (this must have been like 2014, I think Paul MacLean was still the coach). Got a ton of signatures (I had a couple Craig Anderson hockey cards, I think a Spezza one?, and most of the team signed a hat I had), altogether it was an amazing experience for me as a teenager. Bobby Ryan is quite possibly the nicest human on the planet, just a great guy. Erik Karlsson is kind of a dick lol. He wouldn’t sign anything, not even the jerseys of the little kids (like 8-10yo) that clearly idolized him. I can get not signing the pics that the middle aged guys are clearly gonna sell on Ebay the next day (they seemed to accept that fairly philosophically as well), but even they were like at least sign the kids’s stuff, my mom has disliked him ever since haha

I also met THE Walter Gretzky in an airport once, the only problem is I was like 1 year old and obviously don’t remember it lol, but according to my parents he was very gracious and outgoing, extremely friendly.

I’ve heard that Matt Dumba and Kelly Hrudey play at my local golf course occasionally. I worked there for a couple summers in high school but never got to meet them. I think I saw Dumba once, but it was at a distance as he was heading out so I wasn’t certain, and I saw Hrudey’s name on the tee sheet once, but I missed him for one reason or another (might’ve been at the range, it was a job after all lol, or he went straight to the first tee or something).

Probably nobody knows who this is, but Danny Lorenz used to manage the rink I played at as a kid in Seattle, so I saw him all the time, and have a signed hockey card of him (iirc he was surprised to see it lol, he only played 8 games in the NHL, for the Isles in the early 90s). Cool guy.

I was lucky enough to go to the Niedermayer hockey camp for a couple of years, they’re just awesome. I have a boatload of signed cards, pictures, etc. and a signed team Canada Scott Niedermayer jersey (with the C) that is my favourite piece of hockey memorabilia. I forgive those two (and Pronger cuz he’s my 2nd favourite player of all time, we were born in the same place in the middle of nowhere in Ontario) for beating the Sens in 2007, but nobody else lol

Guys I’d love to meet: Alfredsson, Pronger, Stamkos, Stone (my personal favourite players), and Lou Franschetti (one Christmas I got a set of like 300 hockey cards, and like 23 of them were the exact same Lou Franschetti card lmaoooo, would love to meet the guy now).

I know someone who once saw Eric Staal at a daycare

They're quite wholesome. I'm sure you'll get to meet one someday. It's just so hard up in Canada since the teams have what seems like a bubble around them.

One more player story:

So back in 2011 when we hosted the ASG, my dad got picked to be a shuttle driver for some of the players (even though hes a bit old and reckless). He got to meet Claude Giroux and the Sedin brothers. One of my cousins is a diehard canucks fan and my dad got the Sedins to sign a puck for him and we sent it to him. He was ecstatic when he saw it. Just a great heartwarming moment.

It depends who. 99.9% of professional Hockey players are nice, but there’s some that aren’t. One personnel story was when I went to Charlie Bourgeois’s hockey camp and let me tell you it was one of the worst experiences I’d ever had. 0/10 on quite literally everything. Now I go to the same camp that Myers went to when he was growing up and it’s 1000 times better.

K so with everyone signed Benning has his 2 big boyz to sign

Hughes and Petey

So based on some MATHS and stuff I figure were gonna see

Petey sign for 7mill x 3 yrs (Barzel deal) and for Hughes he will probs make 8.25x6years. Could even be more as their agent is notorious for getting the most money he can for his clients

Thats fine as they got 16.1mill once Ferland goes to LTIR

But the question becomes how do they afford Boeser

His QA is 7.5mill and they dont got the room. On top of that Miller, Hoglander, and especially Horvat are due the year after.

I got a feeling someone getting moved and I think we all know why as hes rumored to be on the block every year lul

In general Benning is gonna screw up somewhere as if he can give Poolman 2.5mill hes gonna give one of his guys way to much on his next deal.

Sorry I'm late to the hockey player story telling party, I just arrived in Houston, home of the Coyotes.

Ive met alot of current and former Devils players, including the greatest goalie of all time Marty Brodeur, the snake Zach Parise, elite Norris defenseman PK Subban, and more.

The most heartbreaking one was when I met Adam Henrique (and Will Butcher) after my birthday. About a week later, Henrique got traded.

The best moment was when I met the whole 2012 cup run team.

Ya. The thing is I don't live close to a team but I'm sure at some point I'll see one.

I've been off CapFriendly a bit lately (and will disappear again right after this), but popped in and saw it was story time.

I used to work at a school that Marty St. Louis' kids went to (long after they had left said school), and in one of the classrooms during summer camp we were going through the back of a desk drawer and there were a bunch of old class assignment worksheets stuck behind it, and one of them belonged to one of St. Louis' kids. I want to say it was Ryan's, but I do not remember.

Also, one year at the Valspar Championship my brother's friend's dad decided to start chatting it up with Paulina Gretzky. Shooters shoot I guess when DJ is busy.

Acquiring OEL screwed them long term, Benning gonna Benning I guess

The Canucks are the Charlotte Hornets of the NHL they both have awful gms that they refuse to fire

Adam Erne and DET settle at 2x$2.1M AAV

— Elliotte Friedman (@FriedgeHNIC) August 15, 2021

Arb for Kevin Fiala — MIN: $4M. Player: $6.25M

— Elliotte Friedman (@FriedgeHNIC) August 15, 2021

Woah, I did not expect that

My prediction was Fiala = 7.5, Minnesota =5.5

Remaining arbitration schedule:8/17 - Kevin Fiala8/18 - Juuse Saros8/21 - Dennis Gilbert8/26 - Nikita Zadorov, Travis Sanheim

— NHL News (@PuckReportNHL) August 15, 2021

Minnesota gotta quit lowballing everyone