Since there's little in the way of hockey news these days and I did just read this article in the Daily News on Neil Smith I figured you'd enjoy this story on Smith I haven't told often.

Back in the late '90s I worked for the monster mattress company based in NY, Sleepy's. We had sold mattress' to more than a few Ranger players as well as the head coach of the '94 team. The GM also purchased a very high end Sterns & Foster set but there was some problem with his delivery. At the time I was in charge of the telemarketing division, 1-800-SLEEPY'S. My staff were supposed to take sales calls only but if a customer had an issue and wanted to speak to a live person they would many times call in to my division.

Apparently, Mr. Smith had tried to get his problem solved by talking with customer service. When he didn't get the answers he was looking for he got a little upset. The young lady he was talking to was not a hockey fan and had no clue who she was talking to. I know this as fact because I had to review the recording of the call. "Don't you know who I am?", a frustrated Neil Smith would say. "um, no" was the response. Some how the call was transferred to my division and one of my staff took his name and number and assured him that her boss would call the following day to help solve the issue.

That next morning Neil's delivery issue was on my desk listed as an "irate customer". It didn't take long for me to figure out who he was as I knew the voice. When I called I got Mrs. Smith, who's first name I think is Tatiana. I had to explain that "Smith" is quite the common name around here and that the young lady in customer service was not a hockey fan and hence, wouldn't know the President and GM of the NY Rangers if he was standing at her desk.

I explained that I was a lifelong Rangers fan and a player....and I would solve their problem. I must admit that I had seen Mrs. Smith several times and was.....um, a big fan. Hearing her voice made it complete. Her accent was more than just attractive, it made me melt. I'm quite sure while I was assuring her that I was just the guy to fix the problem I was also flirting a bit.

The next day I followed up with another call. I'm still not sure if I was hoping to talk to the GM or Mrs. GM.....but I got Mrs. GM again. She thanked me for fixing the problem and asked if there was something she could do in return. I explained that I was happy just to do my job and that Sleepy's provided me with tickets in luxury boxes whenever I wanted. I did ask if she could have her husband call so we could talk hockey some time. She agreed and we hung up on great terms. Neil never did call me though.

To this day I find it funny that a guy named Smith, while talking to someone whose first language is Spanish could get mad that she didn't recognize him as the Rangers GM.

That reminds me.....here's a link to some video of the '94 parade that's kinda neat to watch.

The Rodent has some great exclusive pics of Petr Prucha and reports that he popped 4 goals in a game.

Our buddies at the BlueShirt Bulletin are always worth a visit. I'll be part of one of their chats coming up on Sept. 4th. I'll keep you posted.

Read up on the latest stuff on Spector's Blog. He also has some trade rumors on his regular site.

----}- Bird

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