Gracious...

Professional athletes often get a bad rap for being rude and unappreciative of their fans. Perhaps it's because almost all professional athletes I've met or observed in person wear skates to ply their crafts (and in general, hockey players don't seem to have the same level of drama that, say, football players and basketball players have, but I have to say the DC area has some pretty gracious athletes. I have observed this in action not once, but twice, in the past week alone.

Washington Capitals winger Mike Knuble has a son who plays travel hockey at the same rink Keeper Boy and J-Mav play at. Twice in the past week I've seen him there. I think the man has the patience of a saint... or he's hard of hearing. I'm not sure which. There was a gaggle of mini-mite-aged kids (5 and 6 year olds for those unfamiliar with hockey terminology) who kept yelling, "There's Mike Knuble!" Then they'd run past him as he was attempting to have a conversation with someone in the lobby and yell, "Hey Mike Knuble!" And then they'd find a reason to run past again and scream, "Peace Mike Knuble." It was kind of obnoxious, actually. He took it all in stride and apparently told another parent that it gets better after the newness of seeing an NHL player in the rink wears off. He signed autographs for anyone to asked... on shirts, sticks, hats, bags, and paper. Last week he was out on the ice helping coach his son's practice. Now how cool is that for those kids? I imagine his time at the rink will dwindle now that the NHL season is getting underway and he will be traveling more. But it's great to see him around the rink supporting youth hockey.

P.S. He's a BIG dude!

To a man, every other Capital or former Capital that I've had the opportunity to meet over the past 17 years of living in this area has been gracious with his time, as well. Another instance that sticks out is with Mike Green, one of the Caps' top D-men.

Last season, Keeper Boy's hockey team went down to Kettler (the Capitals' practice facility) to watch a pre-season Captials practice. After the practice, Mike Green came out and talked to the team, signed all their stuff, and then took them on a tour of the facility. He also took them into the locker room and introduced them around to the rest of the team. He spent over and hour with the boys and didn't seem rushed or annoyed by any of their questions, no matter how silly they were. It's something those hockey-crazed kids will likely not forget any time soon.

P.S. He's a big dude, too!

Two hockey seasons ago, there was a kid on Keeper Boy's team whose family is neighbors with Clinton Portis, Running Back for the Washington Redskins. While I didn't meet him, I saw him at the rink several times that season watching the kids practice. After one such practice, he went into the locker room and took a picture with the team. From what I saw, he was very accomodating and soft-spoken. And that was during his "uncooperative years" here. Apparently this year he's a new Clinton Portis. Anyway, Keeper Boy is no Redskins fan, but he thought it was pretty cool to meet Clinton Portis and get an autographed picture of him with his hockey team... and he didn't even make any rude comments claiming the Cowboys were going to give the Skins a smackdown!

P.S. He is NOT a big dude. At all.

This year, Keeper Boy has the son of professional figure skater Michael Weiss on his hockey team. Mike is also an accomplished hockey player. He helps with the team's off-ice conditioning, and also gets out on the ice and helps with practices. I assume he will continue to do so until it's time for him to go on tour late this year. He is a great guy and has a really good rapport with the kids. He doesn't seem to get mobbed at the rink like a professional hockey player does, but I am positive that if he did, he, too, would stand and sign autographs for as long as it took to get to everyone.

I just think it's cool. You hear about the Albert Haynesworth and Gilbert Arenas and Ben Roethlisberger types all the time... the ones who are in the news for all the wrong reasons. But the ones who are gracious day in and day out, the ones who stand in the parking lot after practice signing everything that is shoved in their faces by adoring kids, the ones who get involved in local youth sports through their own children or just because... those are the gems. And we seem to be lucky enough to have a treasure chest in our area.