I'm seldom surprised any time a new face hits the hounding scene down here in Hockey Bay. Most are either ill-prepared, scrambling for scraps of paper and asking for your Sharpies, or, from my point of view, just another person who makes it harder on collectors or those who hound for a living.
Consider this scene not that long ago, for example, when one hound, apparently visiting from New York, via Orlando, wasn't happy with just a single autograph from Winnipeg's Evander Kane.
After getting one puck signed, the young man pushed another toward Kane.
"Just sign this, so I can go home," he said. "Please. It's all I need before I can go home."
Kane, on the phone, refused. In an instant, the hound got ugly.
"C'mon, you're telling me you're just gonna sign one puck?" the continued. "Really? You players owe it to fans to sign. We pay your salaries. If it wasn't for us, there's wouldn't even be a league."
Kane smiled and turned his attention to another hound, signing his item. Then, he signed the puck, shown above, for me.
Kane's moves only incensed the first hound, who continued his diatribe against Kane, who was now smirking.
"Oh, yeah, you're a big star. A big star," he said. "Really, who wants your autograph anyways."
It's instances like this, as regrettable as they are, that none of us need. That's why I told Kane that I was appreciative of the puck he signed for me.
"You're welcome," he said. "Have a good day."
Up next: Jets team report
wow. You're a nice guy. Around here, that annoying "fan" would've got a punch in the face for his troubles.
ReplyDeleteHockey players are respected around here.....
Honestly, he wouldn't have been worth it. Very few of them are. His buddy, who was the other hound among the three of us, told him to knock it off. Bottom line, the dude didn't help his cause at all. He still went home with only one.
ReplyDeleteIf I was Kane, I would have signed the item for him something like this.... F#+" Off! And handed it back to him!
ReplyDeleteMr. Al