What was NHL thinking with draft format that set league's entry draft back decades?
One of the highlights (low bar, admittedly) of the spectacularly ridiculous NHL entry draft on Friday night came when comedian Adam Sandler announced the Boston Bruins choice with the seventh overall pick in the opening round.
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The joke, however, was on the league and its idiotic decision to effectively ruin the presentation of one of its signature events.
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With representatives from teams not on site in Los Angeles for the first time and the traditional meet and greet between player and management done remotely, well, you just knew there were going to be cringe-worthy moments.
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And on cue, seconds after Happy Gilmore himself announced James Hagens as the Bruins prized selection, there may as well have been a laugh track. Once on stage, the Boston College product walked into something called the Draft House — don't ask — to look at a group of Bruins executives beamed in via Zoom from Boston. And look was all Hagens could do.
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What was supposed to be an emotional welcome to the NHL moment instead turned awkward, thanks to technical difficulties that muted those Boston staffers presumably excited with their newest would-be star. So instead of an attempt at legit emotion, Hagens sheepishly waved at the screen and said 'thanks for drafting me.'
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It got worse, as absurd moments stacked up on each other. It was unclear who the NHL could possibly have identified as a target audience that would appreciate what was happening, but from bizarre to juvenile, the misses were many.
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Awkwardness was always going to be part of the show when the NHL went for cheap and contrived by opting for its 'decentralized' draft format for the first time, allowing GMs and their vast hockey operations departments to work from home, essentially.
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Unfortunately it set one of the league's signature events back decades with a futile format bordering on embarrassment.
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It sucked the emotion out of what was a dream sequence for every young hockey player with NHL aspirations.
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It muted the excitement of the respective fan bases, given the cold and awkward approach to unveiling their new talents.
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The main event itself was held at the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles where commissioner Gary Bettman was live, as were the first-round picks. But once a player was drafted and on stage, and sauntered into that inane Draft House for a contrived video interview with his new employers, it tended to go off the rails — at best — and fail spectacularly at worst.
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