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Post by fiberglassmask on Mar 14, 2024 21:25:22 GMT
Just had a nice long phone conversation with a sports photographer from Germany. According to his information, Leon D. is "not the sharpest tool in the shed".
On the other hand, his team captain Connor McDavid is allegedly much better with fans than with the media - reportedly very relaxed when signing autographs, totally different from the impression one gets when he's bombarded with questions.
And, oh wonder, Sidney Crosby is also very nice with fans, and also very patient.
The best one, however, was (at least according to my friend's info) Bobby Hull. Had a long story for each autograph he signed, and he signed quite a few of them. I bumped into Bobby Hull twice… once at the Toronto memorabilia show when he pissed off the promoters because he was so friendly and gregarious and walking around giving away autographs he was making the pay signers look bad. And, at St Louis Marketplace Mall when his son had a restaurant there and he was walking that way. I caught his eye and he stopped and grabbed a Blues schedule and he had it signed for me before I said hello. He was incredibly friendly and gracious. My wife remembered that I said he had legendary sized wrists! So she asked to see his wrists and he laughed like hell. What a star. He should have put on a clinic for players on how to act.
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Post by MrHulot on Mar 15, 2024 0:58:55 GMT
Just had a nice long phone conversation with a sports photographer from Germany. According to his information, Leon D. is "not the sharpest tool in the shed".
On the other hand, his team captain Connor McDavid is allegedly much better with fans than with the media - reportedly very relaxed when signing autographs, totally different from the impression one gets when he's bombarded with questions.
And, oh wonder, Sidney Crosby is also very nice with fans, and also very patient.
The best one, however, was (at least according to my friend's info) Bobby Hull. Had a long story for each autograph he signed, and he signed quite a few of them. I bumped into Bobby Hull twice… once at the Toronto memorabilia show when he pissed off the promoters because he was so friendly and gregarious and walking around giving away autographs he was making the pay signers look bad. And, at St Louis Marketplace Mall when his son had a restaurant there and he was walking that way. I caught his eye and he stopped and grabbed a Blues schedule and he had it signed for me before I said hello. He was incredibly friendly and gracious. My wife remembered that I said he had legendary sized wrists! So she asked to see his wrists and he laughed like hell. What a star. He should have put on a clinic for players on how to act. Great story, thx, fibergm. R.I.P. Bobby Hull.
BTW, one thing I forgot to mention - Tim Stuetzraeder is another not so sharp one. Didn't surprise me one bit.
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Post by bookboy007 on Mar 15, 2024 22:19:20 GMT
Just had a nice long phone conversation with a sports photographer from Germany. According to his information, Leon D. is "not the sharpest tool in the shed".
On the other hand, his team captain Connor McDavid is allegedly much better with fans than with the media - reportedly very relaxed when signing autographs, totally different from the impression one gets when he's bombarded with questions.
And, oh wonder, Sidney Crosby is also very nice with fans, and also very patient.
The best one, however, was (at least according to my friend's info) Bobby Hull. Had a long story for each autograph he signed, and he signed quite a few of them. I bumped into Bobby Hull twice… once at the Toronto memorabilia show when he pissed off the promoters because he was so friendly and gregarious and walking around giving away autographs he was making the pay signers look bad. And, at St Louis Marketplace Mall when his son had a restaurant there and he was walking that way. I caught his eye and he stopped and grabbed a Blues schedule and he had it signed for me before I said hello. He was incredibly friendly and gracious. My wife remembered that I said he had legendary sized wrists! So she asked to see his wrists and he laughed like hell. What a star. He should have put on a clinic for players on how to act. I've heard others tell stories like this about both Bobby and Dennis (though Dennis didn't get the same attention). For a long time, though, Dennis dominated the banquet circuit because he was such a great storyteller. Heard a great one going back to when Brett came up in Calgary about Bobby holding court - I forget which bar - and laying into the Flames for not making the most of their roster. Not in a sports radio hot takes vein - more in a "I've seen this story before, and it's all there but they need to do x, y, and z."
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Post by bookboy007 on Mar 15, 2024 22:27:37 GMT
I'll throw this out there. As far as the Canadian superstars they seem more comfortable when interviewed by news outlets from Canada. I think I might point out some of the obnoxious US interviewers and what they ask compared to more seasoned hockey reporters up north and if that has an impact. I think Marchand has gotten more used to it. He's way looser than in his earlier days. Maybe cause of age. But Crosby and Messier are still stiff as a board. There are some of the older guys who are deathly afraid that they'll forget they're on air and start using fuck like punctuation. Think Messier is one of those. Crosby just has a Sherwood up his arse and has since he was 16. Marchand has found a way to lean into his personality more. You knew he had arrived when someone asked him about Pastrnak putting pasta emoji stickers on his sticks, and he said something like "I know, what kind of juvenile bs is that, right? You'd never catch me doing something that stupid [pause] I'll lick a guy though." As for the Canadian superstars being more comfortable at home - some of those guys have been doing games since these guys started watching hockey, so they're probably so familiar with them, they feel like they know them. Especially some of the veteran HNIC guys, or Gord Miller. And one of the things I admit has occurred to me in the past...If you're a player on skates and they send a women to interview you in the hallway outside the lockerroom between periods and she's wearing anything less than a turtleneck, chances are good you just really don't want anyone to think you're looking down the hills and valleys.
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