What a chance encounter with Mr. Gretzky meant to me.

Chance encounter. Definitions: Chance: fortuitous; accidental. Encounter: a meeting with a person or thing, esp. a casual, unexpected, or brief meeting.

A few years ago, I, like thousands of others before, had a chance encounter with Walter Gretzky. I was sitting in a Tim Horton's in Brantford waiting to see a client. Mr. Gretzky walks in, looks around, came over, introduced himself, sat down, and, as if we'd known each other forever, began to talk. It was only about 20 minutes, but it was a very easy-flowing conversation. As he got up to leave there were three teenagers sitting at one table over. Mr. Gretzky stopped at their table and asked them how school and hockey were going. I was a bit concerned about how these kids would react to him just coming over, but they all knew who he was and were incredibly respectful to him. I remember smiling at my incredibly brief time with him and watching “the next generation” interact.

When I went to see my clients, I told them about the encounter. They said, jokingly, don’t be flattered, that WAS Mr. Gretzky. He was always interested in meeting new people. In hearing their stories. A great lesson that I took to heart both personally and professionally. Be interested. Listen. And, like Mr. Gretzky, most conversations don't start until you start them.