OT: My time in Vancouver was not in vain...

[Hurst2112]

Hey guys,

Spent a week in Vancouver/Seattle. First time in either of the cities. Just got home a while ago so I won't be long.

We were in the Vancouver airport today. We were flying out at 3:15. We checked our baggage when, out of the corner of my eye, I spotted...

Joe Sakic, carrying a big bag and a bunch of hockey sticks!

I fumbled for my camera and ran up to him. I think i was the only person around who knew who he was. I asked him if I could get my picture with him. He seemed kinda stressed but was nice enough to oblige. The picture was the first of a disposal so I have to figure out what I am gonna do (damn, I NEED another digital camera!!!).

Anyway, just letting all the cats here know that he was a pretty nice guy. They had an olympic meeting in Vancouver or something. That is why he was flyng back. He took a flight to Denver. Had a couple other moments to chat with him and thought it best just to let him be. He was a bit short but not rude.

anyway, I am home safe and back in the saddle.

rock

[Pyser]

you probably couldve made him cry if you asked him about forsberg...

[Hurst2112]

You know, it was a moment where I wanted to ask him a bunch of stuff. I have learned that saying 'good luck this year' was the most political thing to say.

I was talking with my wife and thought that maybe he was A)wondering how he was gonna spend his 5+ million a year or B) figuring out how he was going to poop in a public place. you get the idea.

Maybe he was mad because Stevie Y got more Vancouver air time with his interview on TV.

either way, he could have been a bigger jerk than he was(n't)

[sterlingice]

neat :)

SI

[Hurst2112]

neat :)

SI

I must admit, there was 1 girl who worked for NWA that came up and asked me "who is that guy, I might know him". I kinda chuckled.

My wife didn't know who he was, but despite my Red Wings favoritism, I was happy to meet such a great hockey player.

rock

[Zippo]

I think people will recognize Joe Sakic in Vancouver, Sakic was born and rasied in Vancouver and they had a street named after him too. Probably no one bothered him because they see him too often. ;)

[Ryan S]

The hockey sticks would also be something of a giveaway....

[Draft Dodger]

you thought my favorite hockey player would be anything other than a nice guy?

a couple years ago, my wife bought me a ticket to the NHL All-Star game in Tampa. My flight stopped in Pittsburgh...where Jaromir Jagr and Martin Straka got on the plane. Jagr ended up sitting behind me.

I'm not the type to go up and talk to these guys, or ask for an autograph or anything. But I did sort of position myself so I was walking down the runway right in front of Jagr - I thought it was going to be really cool sight gag for my buddies picking me to see me walking off the plane with him. But they weren't there - delayed by weather - and to this day I'm not sure if they even believed my story.

[FrogMan]

From what little I remember of him when he was here in Quebec City, yeah, he was a pretty nice guy. As I think I've said before, I was a hockey referee (linesman mostly) for 8 years and our group was the one "officiating" the intra-team scrimmage in the Nordiques' preseason camps. Had the chance to drop a few face-offs between him and some other no-names.

Anyway I was lucky enough to do that for three or four seasons in a row and always found it to be really cool. Cool to drop a face-off between Joe Sakic and Mats Sundin for one, and also pretty cool to split a fight between John Kordic and any other young rookie trying to make a name for themselves. "split a fight" is another way of saying "pick up the gloves, sticks, helmets of both fighters", but it was still cool :) Kordic had one of those amazingly curved blade on his stick, no way that stick was by the rules ;)

FM

[Hurst2112]

Better late than never:

http://img330.imageshack.us/img330/8670/meandjoe7ti.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

[sovereignstar]

Now that's a handsome man!

[Logan]

You're a big dude.