Have to agree w/Teenes about Kurt Browning. One of the best and nicest guys out there. Same w/Jeff.
Someone mentioned a page or so back about Kurt not leaving the rink until everyone that wanted his autograph/whatever got it, well, I can tell the same story only it's not Kurt did this. It was Jeff and Marie-France and Patrice after the Gala at 05 Canadians in London.
They were the *only* ones who stuck around and they went all the way around the rink and made sure *everyone* got whatever they wanted, as well as chatting w/all of us. While Patrice was signing my program, Marie-France had noticed my camera out and asked if I wanted a picture of them or me w/them. As much I would have loved that, I only had two pictures left, I'm from Sudbury, Jeff is from Sudbury and...When I told her that Marie-France gave me this huge grin and told me that was all I had to say. She understood perfectly.
She also chatted w/me for a few moments about the beading and stitching on her costume after I'd admired it. They are both lovely people and it blows me away every time I see him up close how much Patrice resembles Rob McCall.
Sebastien Britten is also a sweetie. I saw him off to the side of the crowd leaving the Civic Centre one night last year in Ottawa, so used the very true reason of wanting to let the worst of the crowd go out before I headed out and to the bus stop, to head over him and say "Hello!!". I am legally blind w/a disease taking away my periphal vision, so what I see I see really well, but it's limited. So wanting to get out of the worst of the crowd really was a legit reason for heading towards the one side of the hallway, but Sebastien being there was a rather sweet bonus.
We'd met before a few years ago when he came up to perform at a local club carnival, but really didn't have much of a chance to talk then. Last year however...What a nice, nice guy. I asked him how he was enjoying his new role in the sport as a choreographer and coach and he in turn asked me how on earth I could see him/the skating. Once I explained it to him, he told me he'd been chatting about that very thing w/a few others the day before. I guess someone had seen me walking around up in the concourse, saw my white cane and went "What the !?!"

After my explaination Sebastien had that light bulb go off expression on his face and told me that made sense and he'd pass the word along. By that time the worst of the crowd had left and we both wished each other well.
Joannie Rochette and Lesley Hawker are another two who you can tell when you talk to them really enjoy meeting the fans. Same w/Anabelle Langlois and Cody Hay. Anabelle may appear a little standoffish, but she really is nothing of the sort. Got to meet them at the reception after a Celebration On Ice show up here last year and to see the two of them trying to get the little ones to talk to them was priceless. Same w/Shae-Lynn. She was having a ball trying to get the little ones to talk to her that were too shy and then getting the ones that were talking to her off into giggling fits. I remember thinking that night Shae would make a perfect coach for a little one just starting out and so impressed w/her patience and the way she treated the kids.
I've also had one bad experience w/a well known skater and that was Elvis. The last time he was in Sudbury, which was the last year of his tour...Let's just say his behaviour/the way he treated people and fans did not make him any fans or friends. My Uncle is good friends w/the Head of the Ushers at the Sudbury Arena and Elvis is the only skater he has nothing good to say about. When asked to go in detail, all he'd was willing to say was the way Elvis acted was the way he had expected Katerina Witt to behave, but she was the exact opposite of that.
I also saw him do what someone saw Plushenko do, which was head straight for the bus and didn't even give so much as a nod towards all of us who had waited behind the arena for the skaters to come out. Elvis didn't really impress the media either that day. He wouldn't even grant an interview to the paper, which was the local sponsor, or to the TV station.
The reason being that he had to prepare for that night's show properly. Huh!?! If it had been the day of the Free Skate at an Olympics or Worlds, then I'd sort of understand that, but on the day of a show that he is the title star of!?! Elvis got a very public dressing down in both the paper and in the news for that and deservedly so.
Anyway...The majority of the skaters I've met over the years have been nothing but nice and wonderful.
Wow this ended up turning into a really long post. Sorry for rambling like that Gang.