The Chicago Blackhawks took on the Detroit Red Wings on Wednesday night. The game took place on TNT for the whole country to watch.
Ahead of every match they broadcast, TNT has a pregame show with a desk of hosts that includes Liam McHugh, Paul Bissonnette, Anson Carter, and The Great One Wayne Gretzky.
It is a great mix of people who know so much about hockey and have different perspectives on the game. Of course, Gretzky is considered to be the greatest hockey player of all time.
After his playing career, Gretzky had a short stint coaching in the NHL with the Phoenix Coyotes. On Wednesday night’s show, he told a story that Blackhawks fans will enjoy hearing.
When Gretzky was the head coach of Phoenix, the draft lottery was held over the phone. According to him, the 2007 results were misread at first.
The person revealing the winner misspoke and said that the Coyotes won the lottery. They had to correct themselves and say that the Chicago Blackhawks won it instead.
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 went on to become a legend in Chicago with 3 Stanley Cups while the Coyotes are now the Utah Hockey Club. It would have changed the course of history had the Yotes landed Kane.
The Coyotes ended up picking third where they selected Kyle Turris who turned out to be a good player but nothing like Kane.
This story was sparked by the fact that Kane was in town as a visitor with the Detroit Red Wings. It is a big conversation piece when Kane returns and it brought out this amazing story from Gretzky.
Blackhawks fans are certainly happy that things went exactly how they did. Kane is a candidate to be on the “Mt. Rushmore” of Chicago athletes and the Hawks were incredibly fortunate to win that lottery.
Visit The Hockey News Chicago Blackhawks team site to stay updated on the latest news, game-day coverage, player features, and more.
Related: Blackhawks Coach Luke Richardson Is Not On Hot Seat
Related: Taylor Hall Reportedly Wants to Stay With Blackhawks