Who has known an NHL player before they made it to the NHL? What were they like?

Question

I met a couple guys in college (Craig Conroy and Todd Marchant) who eventually made it to the NHL. They really didn't fit the "jock" stereotype at all. Very down-to-earth. Another friend of mine shared a summer class with Mike Richter and said the same thing.

Answer 1

I graduated HS with Patrick Kaleta (Buffalo Sabres)

I can remember bein in classes with him as far back as elementary school

I guess he was just like all the other guys in school  he was a nice kid in school

oh yeah and i was actually just looking in my yearbooks recently and saw pictures of him (7th 8th grade now that was funny)  

Answer 2

I used to be good friends with Jordan Staal... he used to live down the road from my house. I remember those hot summer days. Dad would drive us down to the swimming hole, and we'd splash and play until 10 am. Then it was off to the beet fields where we picked beets until well past midnight.

Answer 3

nope not me. i wish

Answer 4

the stall bros were my friends

Answer 5

i met a few and that is true, hokey players dont need to be in the spotlight like other athletes, its been the personality of hockey players since i ca remember, and if you listen to an interveiw between periods of a player who scored a goal, they give all the credit to their teammates, and say it took a luck bounce into the net, its just the way hockey players look at things

Answer 6

R.J Umburger was my friend's buddy

played shoe hockey with him a bit he was nice

Funny thing is he wasn't that good @ shoe hockey LOL

Answer 7

I knew Sam Gagner when he was playing for the Jr. Panthers down here in Florida, while his dad was playing on the Panthers. . He was a good kid.  

Answer 8

i havnt known any but my uncle was in the nhl and captained the '92  and '88 olympic team... my uncles brother knew chris drury when he was in college..

but my uncle is very caught up with his friends and is not any where ear earth right now

Answer 9

My best buddy's cousin is Mike Fisher of the Ottawa Senators.  He was a great guy before he made the NHL and still is a great guy!

He has the rep. as one of the nicest hardest working guys in the league.

Not nice enough to give me some of his money though... although he does take us up to his cottage

Answer 10

good friends of the stalls eh, i thought it was staal? knew Mike Fisher, Chris Kelly