The Chicago Blackhawks took on the Detroit Red Wings on Wednesday evening. The match took place on TNT and could be viewed nationwide.
Before every game they broadcast, TNT has a pregame show with a desk of presenters including Liam McHugh, Paul Bissonnette, Anson Carter and The Great One Wayne Gretzky.
It’s a great mix of people who know so much about hockey and have different perspectives on the game. Of course, Gretzky is considered the greatest hockey player of all time.
After his playing career, Gretzky had a brief stint as a coach in the NHL with the Phoenix Coyotes. On Wednesday night’s show, he told a story Blackhawks fans will love to hear.
When Gretzky was head coach of Phoenix, the draft lottery was conducted by telephone. According to him, the 2007 results were initially misread.
The person announcing the winner misspoke and said the Coyotes had won the lottery. They had to correct themselves and say the Chicago Blackhawks won the game.
For a few seconds, Gretzky thought he was going to coach the number one pick, which turned out to be Patrick Kane.
Since then, Kane became a legend in Chicago with three Stanley Cups, while the Coyotes are now the Utah Hockey Club. It would have changed the course of history if the Yotes had landed Kane.
The Coyotes ultimately finished third and selected Kyle Turris, who turned out to be a good player but was nothing like Kane.
This story was sparked by the fact that Kane was in town as a visitor with the Detroit Red Wings. It’s a big talking point when Kane returns and it brought up this great Gretzky story.
Blackhawks fans are certainly happy that things turned out exactly the way they did. Kane is a candidate for the “Mt. Rushmore” of Chicago athletes and the Hawks were incredibly lucky to win that lottery.
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