You will also notice the Palliser Hotel in the shot. It is celebrating it's 100th birthday this year. It opened in 1914 and it is cool to walk by because of the fully uniformed doorman complete with top hat. I am always in a hurry because the phone thankfully never stops ringing. But when I pass the Palliser I always slow down slightly. Because celebrity. Many movies are filmed in and around Calgary and I always think maybe, just maybe, Daniel Craig or George W. Bush or Brad Pitt will walk down the stairs. I would hopefully avoid a scene like this however:
I walked past the Palliser without incident and took care of the call in the Calgary Tower. I started my journey back to my faithful Kia. I slowed my pace slightly as usual and this time IT WORKED!
I was doing my face scan as I approached the Palliser and I got a hit. My brain recognized a very famous face. As I got closer, the face I recognized smiled.
I stuck out my hand and said, "Hello, Mr. Gretzky." He shook my hand and said "Hey, how ya doing" and walked on. No entourage. Just one dude passing another in the street. It was me and The Great One for 4 seconds in front of the Calgary Tower. Good talk. Good meeting!
All I could do is snap this photo 11 seconds later: If you look past Mr. Safety Vest - that is Wayne Gretzky walking towards the Calgary Tower. And that's Wednesday! How was your day?
UPDATE : The Calgary Sun reveals why he was in town.
Gretzky and Howe bless guests at COP
By
Scott Mitchell
,Calgary Sun
Everyone else’s eyes were focused squarely on them.
But that’s what happens when you put, arguably, the two greatest hockey players of all time in the same room, as Wayne Gretzky and Gordie Howe were Wednesday night inside Canada’s Sports Hall of Fame at Canada Olympic Park in Calgary.
In attendance for a private function, Gretzky and Howe toured the facility — and their own exhibits — and shared stories for the approximately 250 people in attendance.
One of them was Mario Siciliano, president and CEO of the hall of fame.
“It was absolutely incredible,” Siciliano said Thursday. “They have been together before, as we know, but not very often. It’s pretty rare to get the two of them together.
“We were thrilled to have them see their own exhibits for the first time. Just listening to the banter between the two of them and the fun they had, it’s clear that they have a very strong connection. Gretzky shared with me his history with Gordie and how he had written 100 letters to Santa Claus when he was five years old with the hopes of getting a Gordie Howe jersey and sure enough he got one and that sort of started his long association with Gordie as a role model.
“It was just really neat to see one of Canada’s greatest role models, Wayne Gretzky, talk about his role model and have him there in the room.”
While anyone interested in checking out the exhibits on their own can do so by dropping in or checking out sportshall.ca for more details, Gretzky, 53, and Howe, 86, stole the show on this night.
“They wandered through our exhibits and (it was a treat) just to see them point out other players or watching Gretzky look at his stick from when he was 17 years old, and even Gordie, looking up at the picture we have of him with his two sons when they were all playing at the same time,” Siciliano said.
An autographed wall mural commemorating their visit will be on display at the hall of fame.
scott.mitchell@sunmedia.ca
twitter.com/SUNMitchell
