The 2007 NHL entry draft will be held in Columbus, Ohio on Friday June 22nd & Saturday June 23rd and I can’t wait anymore!
NHL fans are an odd bunch really. Yes, we all love our teams and want them to be the best; but the majority of fans tend to find other things to do during the off season; camping, fishing, BBQ’s, and even dreaded family reunions all take precedence over trivial things like hockey. Then there is the NHL draft plunked in the middle of this summer bliss, and it makes it hard to justify watching when the weather is so nice, right? Well, I’m going to give you a glimpse in my life as an avid hockey fan.
I was born near the end of June, and like most others I celebrate my birthday by having a get together of sorts, and generally, we all have a great time, just rarely on my actual birthday. You see most fans like the NHL draft, some look forward to the results in the paper the next day, and others watch it on T.V when there is nothing else worth watching. My family celebrates my birthday around the NHL draft so as they say “they don’t bother me when I’m happiest”. Sounds crazy but it is true.
I’m not sure what it is about the draft that I have always loved, the hype leading to the draft is almost intoxicating if you are surrounded by NHL fans and because of this feeling, it is a habit that I can’t shake. I think my “obsession” (as my irrational family calls it) started when I went to the 1998 draft in Buffalo and got to meet and talk to Vincent lecavalier for a while. Since then I always keep myself two years ahead when researching prospects, as well as going to watch the junior (CHL) games and pick out my favorites as possible picks. In between games I keep fresh by reading profiles, bios, and the ISS’s top 30 ranked players. This is all satisfactory enough to get my fill throughout the regular season for prospects, but it gets really exciting after the playoffs are over.
Once the playoffs are finished the spotlight turns to the draft and you get all kinds of tools and advice for prospects.
For example, NHL.com has one of the best with Video Player Scouting reports and detailed looks into the talent depth of draft years. Armed with
this new information, and after comparing it to my own (this is all done in my head, I don’t take notes or anything that Psychotic) I try to pick Sleeper Picks Galore and hope my team takes these diamonds in the rough.
As cool as those tools are, you can also find HabsWorld Mock NHL Draft Comparisons or get more specific, and search out your favorite team (like the Montreal Canadiens), and get a Canadiens Draft preview or a Canadiens Mock Draft all within a few weeks of the draft; but being “fanatical” (my family is so over dramatic) I still want more.
The final week is where the anticipation is at its highest for me; trades and rumors start to surface, prospects become houshold names, teams finalize thier scouting lists, and when it seems the day will never come, the HabsWorld Mock NHL Draft Comparisons comes out and gives me more time to second guess players and strategies that I have built for two years.
Let’s face it, after this much consideration for
prospects and their potential there is no way you can’t watch the draft on T.V, or go in person if it is possible, even if it is your birthday. Since roughly 1998, I have chosen to neglect my birthday and family in the name of the NHL draft and even though I wouldn’t want it any other way I have noticed I don’t get as many gifts as I used to; good thing I found the Habsworld draft Pool to compensate.
In hindsight, this replay of my life has caused me to re-think my NHL bias. Maybe it is time to consider my family’s feelings on the matter…..Nahh there’s no time; only two weeks until the Unrestricted free agent period begins.