Does anybody else think that Kyle Turris, taken #3 overall in today's NHL Entry Draft, bears a slight but disturbing resemblance to a young Wayne Gretzky? Think about this too long and you can start driving yourself nuts. Turris was taken by the Coyotes, the team Gretzky coaches. 99 was quoted as saying "Our staff has kept a pretty good eye on him. He’s a tremendous young man, he has a terrific future and we’re thrilled to have him." Almost the sort of thing a... proud father would say, no? And did you notice that Turris was rated #1 by the scouting services on the eve of the draft but was mysteriously allowed to fall to the Coyotes?
Why, yes, since you ask, the Kings totally did play a road game in Vancouver about nine months before Turris was born. November 27, 1988. You could look it up. Gretz was held off the scoresheet. The VanSun's Mike Beamish described him as "looking tired." (I know, I know—this is how rumours get started, but I couldn't resist.)
[UPDATE, June 23: I just discovered that Turris is a sure bet to be great. The evidence? Kevin Lowe is already making excuses for not moving up the ladder to get him. Usually Lowe waits a few years for a kid to develop a little before he starts telling his "We thought we had a deal" stories, so you know he thinks Turris is a mortal lock to be an All-Star.]
Comments (4)
You, Mr. Cosh, are a very very bad man!
Posted by Ryan Cousineau | June 22, 2007 10:33 PM
Posted on June 22, 2007 22:33
To be fair, he actually was seen trying to deal with Paul Holmgren, and he even goes so far as to say he was stood up at the trade table by Holmgren, since he thought he had a deal. Of course, we've heard this song and dance something like 38 times since Lowe became GM, but this one at least passes the smell test.
Posted by Doogie2K | June 23, 2007 10:23 AM
Posted on June 23, 2007 10:23
Yeah, I had Team 1260 on at the "office" and Bob Stauffer left the impression that Holmgren and Lowe were about 1.5 seconds away from throwing down. Incidentally, there is absolutely no substitute for Stauffer when it comes to draft coverage—highlights included him bellowing "I'll bet anyone here a hundred bucks that the Canadiens take Esposito!" at the entire Overtime Pub and then later saying "What has this league got against Russians?" with boozy anguish when Cheparinov skidded past the Oilers at 15. Dude is a national treasure.
Posted by Colby Cosh | June 23, 2007 10:40 AM
Posted on June 23, 2007 10:40
You are indeed a very bad man. But what if you're right? Here's Gretzky at age 21:
http://www.alexwaterhousehayward.com/blog/uploaded_images/Wayne%20Gretsky-734438.jpg
But then, newswriters called Gretzky "tired" any night he didn't score at least three points, and every night for the last three years of his career.
Posted by Byron Fast | June 23, 2007 2:39 PM
Posted on June 23, 2007 14:39