By Mike Beasley /
Friday morning, June 20 - Turn on The Team 1200, Ottawa’s sports radio station, to catch any last minute gossip or trade rumours that are floating around prior to tonight’s draft.
The first topic of the day is goalie Ray Emery’s status with the Senators. The club has placed the goaltender on waivers.
3:00 p.m. - Robert Lefebvre, ace photographer with Hockey Now and I hit the road for Kanata and the 2008 Draft. Bobby is driving so it gives me some time to make a couple of phone calls.
As we crawl along, The Team 1200 is playing in the background.
The most recent news nugget has the Toronto Maple Leafs planning to move up in the draft in the first round.
3:15 p.m. - We’re already stuck in traffic on the 417 West about halfway to Scotiabank Place. Sure it’s the beginning of the Friday rush hour in Ottawa but I’m starting to spot drivers sporting hockey jerseys. There’s definitely something different about this drive to “The Bank.”
3:45 p.m. - We pull into the media parking lot at the rink and notice a trio of people wearing Rochester Americans sweaters. Hockey fans are passionate about their teams. As we get out of our vehicle, there’s a steady stream of fans with Leafs, Habs, Senators, Flames and various other league colours making their way to Fan Fest, which is located outside Scotiabank Place.
4:00 p.m. - After chatting with a couple of media buddies, we make our way into the building and pick up our accreditation.
4:15 p.m. - We make our way to the media risers and search for Hockey Now on the six-page seating list. Apparently over 300 individuals requested media accreditation for the Draft.
Within minutes I found my place. I’m sitting in Row 6. Seat 15, which is right in the middle of press row. I have an excellent view of the podium and the 30 tables on the rink floor.
4:45 P.M. - There’s some action on the floor as the team general managers and scouting staff start to trickle in. Leafs GM Cliff Fletcher is one of the busiest, shaking hands and working the phones followed by Bob Gainey from Montreal and Ottawa’s Bryan Murray. Don Maloney (Phoenix) and Jacques Martin (Florida) are off in the distance having a little chat.
The Montreal Canadiens table is to my left, Dallas Stars right in the middle and Detroit Red Wings table to my right. The Red Wings have the last pick in the first round so they know they’re in for a long night. Scotty Bowman, Steve Yzerman, Ken Holland and company have already started shaking hands and having their backs slapped by the dozens of team officials that make their way to the Wings table to congratulate the franchise on their recent Stanley Cup win.
5:00 P.M. - Robert and I decided to take a walk and explore the outdoors festivities.
We bump into Zach Bogosian’s family outside and I joke with Ike (Zach’s dad) that he won’t have to worry about running the family business anymore when his son signs a big NHL contract.
5: 45 p.m. - We head back inside to have dinner in the restaurant at the top of Scotiabank Place.
It gave us a great view of the rink, the floor and the overall setup.
6:30 p.m. - The rink opens up to the public. You could feel the excitement build as the building started to fill up. Level 100 was for the prospects and their families. Level 200 and 300 were for the fans. Entry to the event was free with close to all 14,000 tickets spoken for two days before the Draft.
I heard that tickets were going for as much as $125.00 each on eBay the day of the Draft.
6:35 p.m. - As I made my way back to my seat, I noticed that Gary Bettman was stopped by security as he tried to step on the draft floor. One very efficient security person did not know who he was and informed him that he needed the proper pass if he wanted to get by. After being told by several team officials that he was in fact the NHL commissioner, he was allowed to go through but not without a warning that he should have the right ID next time around.
6:45 p.m. - Senators owner Eugene Melnyk addressed the crowd for roughly 15 minutes, thanking them for their attendance and talking about hockey in general. As Melnyk spoke, the faces of various GM’s flashed across the giant screen that led to either a chorus of boos or cheers. The loudest noise was reserved for Cliff Fletcher and the Toronto Maple Leafs, as the passionate Sens fans booed their rivals.
7:15 p.m. - NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman took the podium amidst a combination of cheers and boos which didn’t faze him at all. Bettman then called upon the Tampa Bay Lightning to make the first overall pick in the 2008 Draft.
7:21 p.m. - Bolts co-owner Oren Koules announces, “with the number one pick in the 2008 Entry Draft, the Tampa Bay Lightning is proud to select, from the Canadian Hockey League and the OHL, Steven Stamkos from the Sarnia Sting.” No surprise there.
7:30 p.m. - Head down to the interview room to join the Stamkos media scrum. What a madhouse. There were cameramen hustling for position, network personalities checking their notes and straightening their ties, all I want is a couple of questions answered, which I got after piggybacking on the TSN interview conducted by my good friend, Brent Wallace.
7:45 p.m. - The first of several trades is announced. Jokinen is off to Phoenix for Nick Boynton, Keith Ballard and a draft pick. Remember that chat Maloney and Martin were having earlier in the evening?
8:00 p.m. - Another trade is announced, this time involving the Leafs. Greeted by another round of boos, the Leafs pull off a great deal by moving up two spots and acquiring D Luke Schenn.
8:25 p.m. - It’s the Phoenix Coyotes’ turn to pick. Wayne Gretzky steps up to the microphone and is greeted with a standing ovation. After politely waiting for a couple of minutes, Gretzky calls out Mikkel Boedker from the Kitchener Rangers as the Coyotes’ first round pick.
8:35 p.m. - The Vancouver Canucks pay tribute to Luc Bourdon and offer his family their condolences before selecting Cody Hodgson from the Brampton Battalion, 10th overall. Similarly, Bourdon was Vancouver’s 10th overall in 2005.
9:10 p.m. - Bettman announces another trade. This time, he informs the crowd, “I think you’re going to like this one, it involves Nashville and Ottawa.” Instantly the crowd rises to its feet with anticipation and excitement.
With the trade, the Senators move up three spots from 18th to 15th in the draft order.
The Ottawa entourage, led by team captain Daniel Alfredsson, announce that the Senators have chosen Erik Karlsson, leading to a unanimous, “who’s that,” by everybody in the media zone.
9:15 p.m. - The writers are starting to feel the pressure of deadlines as they scramble to finish their work.
10:00 p.m. - While I was in the interview room speaking with the Bruins first pick, Joe Colborne, D Tyler Cuma from the hometown Ottawa 67’s was selected 20th overall by the Minnesota Wild.
The noise was significantly louder than usual so I knew something special had just happened, plus I could hear the proceedings on one of the six televisions in the room.
10:45 p.m. - The Detroit Red Wings finally get their chance to pick in the first round and are led to the podium by Steve Yzerman. The Detroit superstar calls G Thomas McCollum to end the first round of the draft approximately three-and-a-half hours after it started.
11:00 p.m. - Most of the media have cleared out of the building.
11:15 p.m. - Robert and I pack up, head to Marshy’s Bar-B-Q & Grill inside Scotiabank Place for a cold one, then hit the road. Rounds two to seven start 10 a.m. the next morning. |
