I was also how struck by how gracious and friendly the players are. The level of violence and fighting in hockey gets scrutinized a lot, and it's part of the appeal of the sport. But off the ice, these guys are some of the nicest, most caring people you'll ever meet.
So I thought I would share some of my favorite photos and stories from this years' event. If you're on Facebook, I have all my player photos posted, so check them out. But these are my ultimate favorites.
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This is Drew.
If you've read my blog for more than a week you've heard about him. Constantly. I love him, and so did everyone else at this event. He had the longest line, and probably signed more autographs than anyone in the room. How can you not love that smile? As his defensive partner Sean O'Donnell told me, you just look at him and wanna hug him...and his smile lights up a room. I'm looking forward to seeing him for many years to come.
Patrick O'Sullivan (Sully) is the first hockey player I fell in love with, first player I put on a jersey and still one of my favorites to watch.
He had a booth by himself, and no one else was in line when I went over there, so we got to chat for a bit. I asked him why no one else was keeping him company, and his answer was that he didn't mind. Not surprising since he's the most quiet guy on the team (at least publicly).
This adorable creature is John Zeiler.
He's a 4th line guy, real high energy player and fast skater. His job is to pester the other team into making mistakes, and he's great at it. He's one of the more outgoing guys to talk to, and we always take a great picture together. He's totally huggable!
Meet Matt Greene.
He looks every bit the big, strapping Wisconsin dude he is. He's Drew's roommate at home -- apparently a job that makes full use of his incredible sense of humor. Our conversation went like this...
Me: "Did you ever buy Drew that birthday cake?"
Matt: "Are you kidding? Last thing that kid needs to do is eat more (smile)."
Me: "And drinking a beer in front of him at the yard house...you know he's legal in Canada but not here. Kinda mean, don't you think?"
Matt: (smirks) "I'd do it again in a heartbeat. He deserves all the grief I can give him."
Me: "But you know his line is longer than yours, right?"
Matt: "Just give me a minute while I go take care of that (big grin)."
How can you not love this guy?
No it's not Aqua Man, it's Derek Armstrong!
One of the few real veteran players on the team, "Army" is always the MOST fun, and will do anything to make people laugh. This year the event theme included carnival games, and Derek was a good sport and volunteered to do the dunking booth! Nadine managed to get him wet, and I came close. I love that Army is such a great sport! In most fans minds, he's still one of the captains of this team, even if he isn't wearing a "C" or "A" on his jersey.
Another new kid on the block this year is Jon Quick, our superb young goalie from Milford, CT.
I'd never met him before, so I had no idea what to expect, and he was my favorite surprise of the event. Not only did he ask my name, but he commented on the sequins on my jersey (yes, I took the bedazzler to it)...and liked them! I volunteered to do his jersey, and he said we could talk to the equipment manager about it, but then we discussed it more and decided that if I did his, Greener and Army would get jealous and want theirs done, all hell would break loose, and I'd end up bedazzling everyone on the team. OK, maybe not..
On to Anze Kopitar, our $47 million dollar man and the face of the Kings franchise.
If I wanted to have babies and be guaranteed they'd have blue eyes and curly hair, he'd be the man to have them with. Shame he's not my type, because based on this photo we make a cute couple.
These two tall handsome men are Denis Gauthier (left) and Jack Johnson.
And what girl doesn't like being surrounded by tall handsome men? Denny is new to the team this year (a trade from the Flyers organization) and Jack is a fan favorite. Jack also missed the first half of the season with a separated shoulder, but he's all healed up now and happy to be back in the line-up. And we're happy to have him there!
And last but certainly not least, our adorable mascot Bailey. During a lot of the ups and downs this season, he's been the one thing keeping the fans going with all his antics in the stands and on the ice. I have pretty high standards for my mascots (growing up watching the Philly Phanatic - the best mascot on the planet!) and Bailey is one the best. Plus he's fuzzy and huggable, as this adorable little boy discovered.
Now I only have 364 days to wait until the next Tip-A-King!
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