Legends, Long Shots, and Lucky Breaks

All the picks, all the stars, and all the players who didn’t pan out—all in one outstanding compendium about the history of the NHL Draft. With analysis of every first round since 1963 and lists of surprises, busts and breakouts, this book collects all the draft information you’ll ever need in the pages of one terrific volume. The book features brand-new interviews with some of the most fascinating draftees in NHL history, including Eric Lindros and his infamous draft day, with new insights you won’t find anywhere else. Fun, frank, and fantastic—there’s intriguing information on every single page. For more than sixty years, the NHL draft has acted as the path for new players to join NHL teams. The worst teams pick first, the best teams last, unless there’s a trade or two, of course, which there always are. Every team wants the first pick overall and hopes they’ll become the next Connor McDavid. But there are certainly surprises: - All-time captain Mark Messier was selected 48th overall and became a core piece of Glen Sather’s dynastic Oilers. - Hall of Famer Doug Gilmour was selected 134th overall by the St. Louis Blues before moving on to a Cup run in Calgary and to captain the Toronto Maple Leafs. - Other steals include Pavel Datsyuk, Daniel Alfredsson, Luc Robitaille, and Dominik Hašek. Some number ones, such as Mario Lemieux, Sidney Crosby, and Connor McDavid, lived up to their billing. Others, such as Brent Ashton, who was selected in the second round and had a journeyman career, as well as Patrik Stefan, Alexandre Daigle, and Nail Yakupov, never landed on a productive NHL career, at least not living up to the number one pick. For every hit, there are dozens of busts. With the NHL entry draft, teams rarely know what kind of player they’re going to get. But then again, how many eighteen-year-olds are ready to change the face of the game the way Super Mario did at such a young age? Veteran hockey writer Jim Lang, author of the bestselling My Day with the Cup, has collected every selection, all appearing in the pages of this fun, informative, and insightful book. Lang even redrafts every first round to reflect the NHL performance of those taken (or not taken) in that year’s draft. Where would your favourite player have been selected if your team had a do-over?

Jim Lang is a sportscaster, journalist, and the coauthor of hockey memoirs by Tie Domi, Max Domi, Wendel Clark, and Bryan Berard, as well as Everyday Hockey Heroes Volumes I and II with Bob McKenzie, Everyday Hockey Heroes III and My Day with the Cup. He lives outside Toronto with his wife and kids. Follow him on Instagram @LangersWorld.