I was lucky enough to be one of about 600 people to attend an autograph signing in Orland Park today, involving one of the best players on the Blackhawks this season: Patrick Sharp.
It was quite a spectacle. I was probably No. 30 in the line of people when I got there at 12:30 PM, and by the time the event started, the number had swelled to many times that.
As I came up to Sharpie, I noticed something striking about him (no, not his eyes, ladies). I noticed that he was smiling from ear to ear, seeming genuinely happy at the immense turnout that greeted him.
You wouldn't think that an electronics store on a busy thoroughfare on a Saturday afternoon would be an ideal place for an autograph session, but people showed up, young and old, in order to catch a glimpse and snag a signature from the Blackhawks' winger.
Now, for a preface. When I normally see athletes at signings, they are generally very subdued, almost eager to get their appearance over with so they can relax on a rare off-day.
Not Patrick. He was jovial and happy from what I could see, and when I approached him, he asked ME how I was doing, rather than the normal other way around. I told him how much I appreciated his contributions to the team, and he thanked me for being a fan and for coming to the event. I told him to take care of himself, and that was the end of our interaction.
This may sound like no big deal to some of you, but to me, it made me think of a couple of things.
First off, if the NHL did more to showcase players like him, they would have a massive influx of new fans. The majority of the American sports fans think of hockey players as mostly goons with missing teeth and little redeeming quality as human beings.
Not only is Sharp accessible to fans, but he counteracts these assumptions with his "matinee idol good looks", according to Jill from Naperville, and his style of play. There may have been hoards of women there in Sharp jerseys who were there merely to stare into his eyes, but the majority of the fans in attendance probably view him in the way I do: as a guy who plays the game right.
He plays with a good deal of speed, which the new NHL style demands. He is a good skater, a pinpoint shooter and passer, and a tenacious defender, especially on penalty kills. With all of these qualities in mind, he certainly has become my favorite Blackhawk, both on and off the ice.
You can tell that Patrick absolutely enjoys what he does for a living just by his body language and facial expressions while he's on the ice, and with the broad smile he carries around with him off of it.
As a precautionary measure, let me assure you, my readers, that I have not developed some sort of odd, obsessive man-crush on Patrick Sharp. Okay, I may have written two recent articles about him, but that is besides the point. I will wax poetic about ANY athlete, provided he meets the following criteria:
comments (2) write a comment »
write a new comment
about 1 month ago
Wow, I was gonna go to that. I completely forgot. He sounds like a great guy though.
from about 1 month ago
It was a lot of fun. I haven't voted 1,000 times yet, but I'm totally working on it.
write a new comment