Nicest Philadelphia Flyers player you have met

[JagerMeister]

who is the nicest Philadelphia player you have met. It could also be someone who is retired or someone who was a philadelphia flyers player

[ruxpin]

I'm on my phone so the grammar and typing are going to stink.

I've told this story before on here but it's one of my more favorite Flyers stories, so what the hell.

I think it was 1980 or 1981 that the Flyers were playing some softball game for charity in my town. I don't remember who made up the other team or what the charity was and I'm not sure I knew or cared at the time. I was roughly 12.

Anyway, after the game we were allowed to stand along the third base line and get autographs from the players through the chain link fence. I got Rick Macleish (I remember because he's just been traded) and some others.

Autograph time was ending and the press of people was breaking up and I realized I hadn't gotten Bobby Clarke's autograph. I looked out on the field and saw Clarke passing second base on the way toward right field and the parking lot beyond.

So I took off after him. From about 20 feet or so away I started yelling "Bobby! Bobby!" He stopped and turned around and waited for me. When I reached him, I panted, "can I have your autograph?" I don't remember whether or not I waited for him to gruffly say "I guess so" before shoving my pen and pad of paper at him.

As he's scribbling his name, he eyes me stearnly and asks, "how come you kids around here don't say 'please' and 'thank you?'"

All I could muster was a mumbled "I don't know." In retrospect, for me it was because he was larger than life and I forgot myself. And because I was fully out of breath.

He says, "always say 'please' and 'thank you,' you'll be amazed where that simple thing will get you."

He handed me the pen and pad and I strongly and with no hint of sarcasm said "Thank you!"

He wryly smiled and said "Better," and off he went.

It was gruff, but not bad for a guy talking to a young kid.

[jammer2]

@JagerMeister  I met Clarke twice. Both times at the Windsor Arena. First time was at the 1981 Memorial Cup hosted by Windsor (Dale Hawerchuck, Grant Fuhr among others participated). He was very gracious, very friendly....I was wearing Flyer gear head to toe and he noticed and walked up to me....kind of sensing that it was a big honour for me to meet him. The second time he was rude, callous and barely acknowledged I was alive. He was on a scouting trip in the early ninties and I was apparently messing up his scouting of the players by asking for an autograph. Kind of left a sour taste in my mouth, but I just chalked it up to his having a bad day kinda thing.

[ruxpin]

@jammer2

Was the second time before or after it wasn't his fault Roger got cancer?

I think he really became a d### as he got older.

[edited because I assumed the censor would take care of my terminology and it didn't)

[mojo1917]

Bernie Parent, was easily one of the kindest athletes I have met.

I was 9 my step dad was a huge Flyers fan, he and my uncles had season tix, Bernie was super kind to my stepdad and then asked me if I had seen a game at the spectrum. I hadn't so Bernie says bring him down soon he will love it! He talked with us for 10 minutes asked my stepdad about his work and seemed genuinely interested in us. A very kind soul , reason 1a for my being a flyers fan.

[Irishjim]

Mark Recchi..during a pre-game shoot around. i'm down at the glass holding my 2 year old son..mark is on the other side of the ice..takes notice..skates over bangs on the glass and gives my son a hi-five..class act that dude

[vonginous]

Haven't met many, but my dad had an old news paper from when the flyers won the cup. It had parent, clark, and the hammer on the front. I got clark and schultz to sign it. Clark was pretty nice but schultz was awesome. It may have been because he was quite drunk, but he was really nice and funny too.

[JagerMeister]

Mark Recchi..during a pre-game shoot around. i'm down at the glass holding my 2 year old son..mark is on the other side of the ice..takes notice..skates over bangs on the glass and gives my son a hi-five..class act that dude

Good to hear, i have always liked Recchi

[JagerMeister]

I'm on my phone so the grammar and typing are going to stink.

I've told this story before on here but it's one of my more favorite Flyers stories, so what the hell.

I think it was 1980 or 1981 that the Flyers were playing some softball game for charity in my town. I don't remember who made up the other team or what the charity was and I'm not sure I knew or cared at the time. I was roughly 12.

Anyway, after the game we were allowed to stand along the third base line and get autographs from the players through the chain link fence. I got Rick Macleish (I remember because he's just been traded) and some others.

Autograph time was ending and the press of people was breaking up and I realized I hadn't gotten Bobby Clarke's autograph. I looked out on the field and saw Clarke passing second base on the way toward right field and the parking lot beyond.

So I took off after him. From about 20 feet or so away I started yelling "Bobby! Bobby!" He stopped and turned around and waited for me. When I reached him, I panted, "can I have your autograph?" I don't remember whether or not I waited for him to gruffly say "I guess so" before shoving my pen and pad of paper at him.

As he's scribbling his name, he eyes me stearnly and asks, "how come you kids around here don't say 'please' and 'thank you?'"

All I could muster was a mumbled "I don't know." In retrospect, for me it was because he was larger than life and I forgot myself. And because I was fully out of breath.

He says, "always say 'please' and 'thank you,' you'll be amazed where that simple thing will get you."

He handed me the pen and pad and I strongly and with no hint of sarcasm said "Thank you!"

He wryly smiled and said "Better," and off he went.

It was gruff, but not bad for a guy talking to a young kid.

Its kinda weird seeing nice stories about Clarke.

[pilldoc]

I can't say I have met a ton of Philadelphia players in any sport.  Through my job when I was still working as a retail pharmacist back in the mid 1990's I met and filled a prescription for then Phillies pitcher, Tyler Greene.  It was a Sunday evening and we stood there for a good 30 minutes just talking about a myriad of topics.  Super nice and very down to earth and humble.

 

Filled a prescription for Lenny Dyksrtra and he was just plain old arrogant and full of himself.

 

At the Flyer's Carnival, no one was at Pat Falloon's booth. Yeah he might of sucked on the ice, but personality wise he was super cool to talk with and since no one was at his booth, I was able to chit chat for about 10 minutes.

 

Back in the early 1990's my best friend from college and I would go down to the Spectrum after the opposing teams morning skate to collect autographs on trading cards.  Spoke with a variety of players from the Kings / Canucks / Flames.  A vast majority of them where really down to earth.  I would have to go find my cards to see who I spoke too.

 

My favorite stories and the most interaction I had with any hockey players was when I lived in Va Beach (1997-2004) and had season tickets to the AHL Norfolkk Admirals (then affiliated with the  Chicago Blackhawks), and was a member of the ice crew.  Forgive me for those that have already heard these stories.

 

I also filled a variety of prescriptions for several players themselves or for a family member. 

 

In no particular order I have met and interacted with Duncan Keith (super nice), Craig Anderson (had him over for a bbq at my house.  At that time he was really cool), don't laugh here but I met and spoke with Michael "Leaky" Leighton. on several occasions.  Very personable to talk too.  Met Russian goalie Vladislav Tretiak.  Was very gracious and took time to speak with us between periods one night. To this day he sill has no idea why he was pulled during that 1980 Olympic game vs. Team USA.  I have met several other former players but I just can't remember all of them.

 

A friend of mine was friends with the equipment manager from WBS Baby Pens.  Met alot of former Pens players several times in 2004.  When drinking with most of the team when they spent a whole week in Va. Beach.  In no particular order I went drinking with:

 

Toby Peterson

Kris Beech

Eric Meloche

Shane Endicott

Matt Murley

Colby Armstrong

Rob Scuderi

Ross Lupashuck

Matt Hussey

Brooks Orprik

Sebastion Caron

David Koci

 

All of them where super cool and very pleasant to talk too.  Some of the players missed the "Team" van that was taking them to the bars on the Va. Veach Boardwalk.  I lived only 10 minutes away from the boardwalk and volunteered to drive a couple of players to the boardwalk to meet up with the rest of their teammates.  If I remember, I think I drove Meloche, Armstrong, Scuderi, and Peterson.  I had my ID Badge from Walgreens at the time and they though it was awesome that I got to go to college adn earn a degree.  I also remember having a GNR cd in my car and they were jamming out to "Welcome to the Jungle."  They all bought me several drinks when we got to the boardwalk.  Later in the evening several Admiral players joined them. (Marty Wilford, Pavel, Vorobiev, Duncan Keith and Shawn Thornton).  So yeah I got to party/drink with several players that night.  It was a great night I'll never forget.

 

Bottom line, the reason I was privy to all of this was because I treated them like normal individuals.  I was NOT begging for sticks/ gloves / jersey's / autographs.  They actually confided to me that they don't mind doing that stuff, but sadly a vast majority of fans are really rude when it comes to that stuff and it really turns them off.  They do it, because it is exected from them being who they are, but sometimes they just like to be treated like a normal individual.

 

The last thing thing I remember about that evening was, as I was getting ready to leave, since it was 2 AM!, Colby Armstrong came up to me gave me a handshake and said thanks for hanging out with us and that I was welcomed to hang out with them again when they cam back to Norfolk. on their next road trip.  Sadly I never got that chance as that was when I was getting ready to change jobs and I moved from Va Beach to Altoona, PA which then a year after that was when I moved to Lancaster.

 

It was a great night to remember.

 

Thanks for starting this thread and letting me retell this story.

[JagerMeister]

I can't say I have met a ton of Philadelphia players in any sport. Through my job when I was still working as a retail pharmacist back in the mid 1990's I met and filled a prescription for then Phillies pitcher, Tyler Greene. It was a Sunday evening and we stood there for a good 30 minutes just talking about a myriad of topics. Super nice and very down to earth and humble.

Filled a prescription for Lenny Dyksrtra and he was just plain old arrogant and full of himself.

At the Flyer's Carnival, no one was at Pat Falloon's booth. Yeah he might of sucked on the ice, but personality wise he was super cool to talk with and since no one was at his booth, I was able to chit chat for about 10 minutes.

Back in the early 1990's my best friend from college and I would go down to the Spectrum after the opposing teams morning skate to collect autographs on trading cards. Spoke with a variety of players from the Kings / Canucks / Flames. A vast majority of them where really down to earth. I would have to go find my cards to see who I spoke too.

My favorite stories and the most interaction I had with any hockey players was when I lived in Va Beach (1997-2004) and had season tickets to the AHL Norfolkk Admirals (then affiliated with the Chicago Blackhawks), and was a member of the ice crew. Forgive me for those that have already heard these stories.

I also filled a variety of prescriptions for several players themselves or for a family member.

In no particular order I have met and interacted with Duncan Keith (super nice), Craig Anderson (had him over for a bbq at my house. At that time he was really cool), don't laugh here but I met and spoke with Michael "Leaky" Leighton. on several occasions. Very personable to talk too. Met Russian goalie Vladislav Tretiak. Was very gracious and took time to speak with us between periods one night. To this day he sill has no idea why he was pulled during that 1980 Olympic game vs. Team USA. I have met several other former players but I just can't remember all of them.

A friend of mine was friends with the equipment manager from WBS Baby Pens. Met alot of former Pens players several times in 2004. When drinking with most of the team when they spent a whole week in Va. Beach. In no particular order I went drinking with:

Toby Peterson

Kris Beech

Eric Meloche

Shane Endicott

Matt Murley

Colby Armstrong

Rob Scuderi

Ross Lupashuck

Matt Hussey

Brooks Orprik

Sebastion Caron

David Koci

All of them where super cool and very pleasant to talk too. Some of the players missed the "Team" van that was taking them to the bars on the Va. Veach Boardwalk. I lived only 10 minutes away from the boardwalk and volunteered to drive a couple of players to the boardwalk to meet up with the rest of their teammates. If I remember, I think I drove Meloche, Armstrong, Scuderi, and Peterson. I had my ID Badge from Walgreens at the time and they though it was awesome that I got to go to college adn earn a degree. I also remember having a GNR cd in my car and they were jamming out to "Welcome to the Jungle." They all bought me several drinks when we got to the boardwalk. Later in the evening several Admiral players joined them. (Marty Wilford, Pavel, Vorobiev, Duncan Keith and Shawn Thornton). So yeah I got to party/drink with several players that night. It was a great night I'll never forget.

Bottom line, the reason I was privy to all of this was because I treated them like normal individuals. I was NOT begging for sticks/ gloves / jersey's / autographs. They actually confided to me that they don't mind doing that stuff, but sadly a vast majority of fans are really rude when it comes to that stuff and it really turns them off. They do it, because it is exected from them being who they are, but sometimes they just like to be treated like a normal individual.

The last thing thing I remember about that evening was, as I was getting ready to leave, since it was 2 AM!, Colby Armstrong came up to me gave me a handshake and said thanks for hanging out with us and that I was welcomed to hang out with them again when they cam back to Norfolk. on their next road trip. Sadly I never got that chance as that was when I was getting ready to change jobs and I moved from Va Beach to Altoona, PA which then a year after that was when I moved to Lancaster.

It was a great night to remember.

Thanks for starting this thread and letting me retell this story.

wow. Thanks for sharing. Thats a lot of players you have met, and you even got to meet Tretiak

[Mad Dog]

It's probably hard to believe, but in my personal experience, LeClair was by far the worst and Iverson (of all people) came across as the nicest individual on the planet.  You would think just the opposite woudl be the case, right?  Met LeClair once at the Flyers' Wifes Fight for Life carnival and he was rude, arrogant, and just not the person you wanted to be around.  Iverson, on thd other hand, was very jovial, outgoing, down-to-Earth, asked a lot of questions, nice to the kids...

 

Don't know... weird.

[ruxpin]

It's probably hard to believe, but in my personal experience, LeClair was by far the worst and Iverson (of all people) came across as the nicest individual on the planet.  You would think just the opposite woudl be the case, right?  Met LeClair once at the Flyers' Wifes Fight for Life carnival and he was rude, arrogant, and just not the person you wanted to be around.  Iverson, on thd other hand, was very jovial, outgoing, down-to-Earth, asked a lot of questions, nice to the kids...

 

Don't know... weird.

 

 

Unlike Iverson, Leclair may have been tired from practice.

[pilldoc]

wow. Thanks for sharing. Thats a lot of players you have met, and you even got to meet Tretiak

 

You are welcome.  I call it it being in the right place at the right time.  I don't repeat these stories alot since I don't want to come off as a bragging and my life is complete different now.  I just don't get those types of chances anymore, but that is ok.   Yeah..in a nutshell, some nice memories.

[pilldoc]

It's probably hard to believe, but in my personal experience, LeClair was by far the worst and Iverson (of all people) came across as the nicest individual on the planet.  You would think just the opposite woudl be the case, right?  Met LeClair once at the Flyers' Wifes Fight for Life carnival and he was rude, arrogant, and just not the person you wanted to be around.  Iverson, on thd other hand, was very jovial, outgoing, down-to-Earth, asked a lot of questions, nice to the kids...

 

Don't know... weird.

 

I forgot about Iverson.  He is from Hampton, Va and at the time in the late 1990's, he still had family there.  I met Iverson's mom.  She was in to fill a prescription at my store in Norfolk.  Through small talk she found out I was from PA and went to pharmacy school in Philly. She gave me her number and said that if I ever went back to Philly to visit friends, give her a call and she would hook me up with courtside tickets to a 76er's game.  Never had a chance to take her up on that offer.  Totally forgot about that one.

[Mad Dog]

Unlike Iverson, Leclair may have been tired from practice.

 

Haha..that could be.  Except that was NOT at the practice.  But could be a carry-over effect.

[Bertmega]

Johnny Vermont and Rick Tocchet are the only players I actually met face to face. I met them about 14 years ago after a game at Finnegan's Wake on Spring Garden. LeClair was cool but not in the mood for some fanboy stuff, so we toasted on a drink and then Rick Tocchet said: "Hey that girl over there crying, is she with your group? You should probably go cheer her up".  At first, I took it as a go away you drunk fan, but then I managed talking to the girl and, well, the rest I guess is kind of history.

 

They did seem really down to earth all things considered.  

[albertaflyer]

He's not a Flyer but Rick Nash is by far the nicest player I've met. Back when Hitch was coaching the Bluejackets we were invited down to the dressing room after a game here in Edmonton. Hitch brought Nash over to us and he talked to us for long time. Signed autographs for the kids and just seemed like a really down to earth guy. Couldn't believe how tall he was in person. Jody Shelly also talked to us for a bit. That guys face looked like an old catchers mitt. There was no hiding the fact that he was an enforcer.

[ruxpin]

Rick Tocchet said: "Hey that girl over there crying, is she with your group? You should probably go cheer her up".  At first, I took it as a go away you drunk fan, but then I managed talking to the girl and, well, the rest I guess is kind of history.

 

You sure it wasn't "I bet you could go cheer her up?"

[Bertmega]

@ruxpin

"You sure it wasn't "I bet you could go cheer her up?""

Gretzky had the odds at -100 that I could. It was a nice payout.....

[jammer2]

@jammer2

Was the second time before or after it wasn't his fault Roger got cancer?

I think he really became a d### as he got older.

[edited because I assumed the censor would take care of my terminology and it didn't)

 

 

 The first meeting I had the Memorial Cup to set the timeline, can't be 100% sure, but the 2nd meeting was in and around the "it's not our fault he got the cancer" thing....

[peter puck]

Used to go to their practice at the class of 23 rink. I know I'm old. met lots of them but the one I remember most was Dorny.super nice guy. Leach was a friend of dads business partner real nice guy they would always tease him about eating to much spaghetti.i think they were referring about consuming something else but were keeping it clean in front of the children.

[Jam1986]

Dave Brown meet him at New Haven Beast guy signed something for my nephew. Also joked about the time he did stand up he laugh that up! Lemelin at Wolfpack game said to him when are they going to trade Lindros he said soon. Might Tocchet and Berube at carnival nice guys!

[murraycraven]

I did a few lines with Mike Richards, Scottie Upshaw and Cartsie... Good time.!

Joke...

[Poulin20]

80s flyers - Hexy and Peter Zezel

Modern day - jake, read, Ryan white, Zac Rinaldo, talbot, emery

Richards carter hartnell and Carrcillo were all kind of blah and didn't seem to want to meet with the fans