Who is your favorite player in the NHL?

[gritdash60]

If possible tell story about meeting your favorite player. I got Brent Burns to sign my cap and jersey, dude is actually the nicest dude i have ever met. I could go for finnish players but Burns is my pick, a class act and the smile with the missing teeth dude has the best pictures.

Edit: I've met Selänne also, dude has all the time for fans, all the time for fans always, will sign everything always, One that people don't remember is Jyrki Lumme, dude is an absolute beauty gave my cousin some skates and few sticks, lives in Vancouver btw.

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[gritdash60]

Jyrki Lumme said to Kimmo Timonen "get in here, we have some room in our neighborhood" People dont remember Sonja but he is a beauty.

 

[Discipline Daddy]

Jaccob Slavin for me. Never met him in person but seems like a genuinely great guy.

I've run into a number of Canes in public. Kotkaniemi is a pretty goofy, happy-go-lucky guy. Sebastian Aho is pretty shy. I one time got all the players on our 05-06 cup winning team to sign a jersey for my Dad after practice one day in December. I thought everyone was pretty nice to stop and get me to sign the jersey. The nicest guy was Kevyn Adams. Dude genuinely stopped to chat for 5 minutes.

Edit - wait, this is a poll thread but it has no poll!

 

[Coffee]

Quinn Hughes and Leon Draisaitl.

Two of the most exciting players in the league, goes without saying but

Hughes for his professionalism and the way he approaches the game.


Draisaitl is just a charismatic dude who’s not afraid to show it in interviews and he also approaches the game in an inspiring way

 

[DitchMarner]

Maybe kind of a boring answer, but my favorite of all-time is Sundin. Just something about being a young Maple Leafs fan watching him for years growing up when he was often easily the team's best player. Not the flashiest player ever, but he was classy, very skilled in multiple ways and a total beast down low with the puck on his stick.

I like guys like Marner, Matthews, JT and Nylander fine, but I have a stronger emotional attachment to Sundin than to any of the current players on the team.

I've never met Mats, but I did post a few videos that I shot of myself doing hockey drills in my basement on his Facebook page years ago, and he liked the posts!

 

[BigDaddyLurch]

If possible tell story about meeting your favorite player.

...Met Chris Nilan after an Oldtimers game...we compared broken noses (mine 5 times, he lost count of his), boxer-fracture breaks in our hands, and gray hair...signed my Habs Centennial jersey for me "Never stop chuckin' 'em Lurch (yes, nickname irl), Knuckles"...was awesome, talked for a good 15 minutes...as soon as I got up and left his table, ran into Kenny "The Rat" Linseman...what an AWESOME GUY, totally opposite of who he was on the ice...chatted for almost an hour...

 

[koyvoo]

My favourite is Auston Matthews.

I just don’t think the game has seen such a competitive player, who is willing to do anything to win. The bigger the occasion, the bigger the effort. He’s just a guy who leaves everything he has on the ice after big games.

After nine out of ten playoff games, you can point to him and say that he was clearly the best and most impactful player in the game. I just admire the “never say die” compete level he demonstrates when the occasion calls for it.

 

[blundluntman]

Probably Makar. I like watching Eichel whenever I get the chance too

 

[CanadienShark]

Would anyone like to share a story about Kris Letang and a snowstorm?

 

[Chainshot]

...Met Chris Nilan after an Oldtimers game...we compared broken noses (mine 5 times, he lost count of his), boxer-fracture breaks in our hands, and gray hair...signed my Habs Centennial jersey for me "Never stop chuckin' 'em Lurch (yes, nickname irl), Knuckles"...was awesome, talked for a good 15 minutes...as soon as I got up and left his table, ran into Kenny "The Rat" Linseman...what an AWESOME GUY, totally opposite of who he was on the ice...chatted for almost an hour...

I had a similar experience a couple of times bumping into Dale Hunter. He was not the on-ice dink and public enemy #1 he had been as a player. He sat in front of us during the 2002 draft in Toronto and then a few years later when his son was at Sabres rookie camp we talked a couple of times too. He remembered me from the draft - said "still got the clipboard from the prospects game, eh?" - which had been a thing in both '03in Kitchener and '04 in London where we saw one another. We even had the "how hard I rooted against you back in the day" moment.

As for current favorite players?

 

[castle]

Byfuglien, seems like one of a kind, nobody else quite like him

 

[robertmac43]

I find a lot of my favourite non-Leafs are players that came through the Kitchener Rangers. Its always fun seeing your fav junior players try to make it to the next level. As a Kid I got to meet Kadri and hes been one of my favs ever since. Same goes for Landeskog & Skinner.

 

[PhysicalGraffiti]

All time? Martin Brodeur. Also did have the chance to meet him when I was younger and he was a super nice guy. For being my hero and the best in the sport, he was very down to earth and I'll always remember that.

Currently? Pat Maroon is an awesome guy on and off the ice. Not the highlight real player others might be, but love what he brings.

 

[ponder719]

I don't think I've ever met any NHLers, so that part's out, but my favorite player is Sean Couturier. Big fan of defensively responsible two-way centers; my favorite before Couturier was Rod Brind'Amour, and my favorite non-Flyer ever was Guy Carbonneau.

 

[PettersonHughes]

Haven't met any NHLers but I would've liked to meet Canucks-era Kuzmenko. He seemed like the life of the party with his cheerful attitude, but I guess that's easy to have when you do well like he was.

For pure comedy I'd like to meet Bryzgalov, cuz "why u heff to be mad?"

Speaking of cheerful, Brendan Perlini would be someone I'd like to meet. He seems like someone who can really take things in stride, and having that demeanor is undervalued at this day and age.

 

[hangman005]

I've never meet an NHL played, favorite player in the NHL... gotta go with my boy LT.

 

[Three On Zero]

I’ve met, had dinner and golfed with Shea Weber and Cody Franson.

Had some interaction with Ryan Smyth at an alumni game he was skating in.

Weber is an outstanding human being, he always goes out of his way for the kids when he comes home to Sicamous.

 

[Rodgerwilco]

My current favorite player in the league is probably Sidney Crosby... He's never been at the top of my list for most of his time in Pittsburgh, but seeing the way he's continuing to play at a high level with heart and determination is very admirable.... Plus my other recent favorite players have been traded/retired lol.

Non-Penguins player would probably have to be Matthew Tkachuk or Jake Guentzel.

The only NHLers that I've "met" were Colby Armstrong and Mike Rupp and it was just in passing to say hi. Got a quick selfie with Colby but it was during social distance times so I didn't even get to shake his hand.

 

[HugeInTheShire]

Met Jack Hughes at his draft, he was standing talking with Caufield, Zegras, Knight and Luke. When I came up and asked him for an autograph he stopped and and said he'd be happy to sign. He ended up signing my Hockey News with the #86 and when I asked if he knew where he was getting drafted to he just smiled and said he had an idea but wasn't 100% sure.

I've met a few other guys in passing like Kelly Hrudey when I was a kid, I just walked past him at West Edmonton Mall and said "Hi Kelly Hrudey" and he laughed a lot and said hello.
I met Kelly Buchberger at a signing and he had to ask how to spell the names Ivan and more surprisingly Kelly.
Met Jari Kurri when I was really young but I remember him being really nice and asking me a lot of questions.

 

[BXN]

All time : Peter Forsberg.
This decade : Duncan Keith

As of today, Brandon Hagel.

 

[EdJovanovski]

Matt Rempe

 

[Machinehead]

My favorite current players are Chris Kreider and Adam Fox. Kreider is one of my favorite players of all-time. If you're around my age, he's really Mr. Ranger to this generation.

I met Adam Fox. He appeared at a draft party thing at MSG that my friend got me into. He was in his first camp with the Rangers. I took a picture with him and wished him luck. He was shy. Neither of us walked away thinking he would win the Norris not too long after that. TV doesn't do him justice. He's tiny.

Chris Kreider walked right past me on 34th street between 8th and 9th headed towards the Garden. It was 4:30 on the afternoon of an 8:00 playoff game. He had his headphones on and was getting in the zone so I elected to pretend I didn't see him. TV doesn't do him justice. He's gigantic.

@EdJovanovski Matt Rempe was with him. Holy f***ing shit is he tall. A guy in a suit was following them. Looked like a bodyguard of some sort. The guard was the smallest of the three by far.

 

[crosby87]

probably crosby

 

[Team_Spirit]

0 Ovechkin I can't believe it

Kids these days

 

[Sasha Orlov]

My favourite is Auston Matthews.

I just don’t think the game has seen such a competitive player, who is willing to do anything to win. The bigger the occasion, the bigger the effort. He’s just a guy who leaves everything he has on the ice after big games.

After nine out of ten playoff games, you can point to him and say that he was clearly the best and most impactful player in the game. I just admire the “never say die” compete level he demonstrates when the occasion calls for it.

Never saw a hater like this before, generational