This may be the first in a series of posts trying to recall many of sport's forgotten people. Who knows? Memories of these people may come flooding back. That may be very very unlikely. It is always a big moment every year - the NHL Entry Draft. This is where the best young players are selected at junior level hockey from North America and Europe by the NHL teams. It's always a tense moment to see who will be the 1st overall pick. So many great players in the league's history have been selected 1st - Guy Lafleur (1971), Mario Lemieux (1984), Mike Modano (1988), Joe Thornton (1997), Alexander Ovechkin (2004), Sidney Crosby (2005) and Steven Stamkos (2008). Some were selected later on in the Draft - Ray Bourque (8th in 1979), Steve Yzerman (4th in 1983), Patrick Roy (51st in 1984), Nicklas Lidstrom (53rd in 1989), Pavel Bure (113th in 1989), etc. Wayne Gretzky and Bobby Orr were never originally drafted into the NHL. However, just because you get drafted 1st overall, doesn't mean you'll have a great career and be remembered for it. E.g. in 1993, the Ottawa Senators selected Alexandre Daigle ahead of the likes of Paul Kariya and Chris Pronger. Daigle famously said "I'm glad I got drafted first, because no one remembers number two". Sorry mate, Pronger was 2nd overall and is more well known than you. Daigle scored 51 points in his first season, but never bettered that tally in his entire NHL career. His off-ice activities included late-night partying, drug taking and dressing up as a nurse for a magazine ad. That's not a joke. He also had spells with the Philadelphia Flyers, Tampa Bay Lightning, New York Rangers, Pittsburgh Penguins and Minnesota Wild. Nowadays, he is "apparently" still playing in National League A in Switzerland, but hasn't played a game since 2010.
Alexandre Daigle may sound like the worst player to be drafted 1st overall, but he isn't. There is someone else who was, if possible, worse than him. Unlike Daigle, ask any hockey fan "What do you remember about Patrik Stefan?", only one thing will come to mind. Patrik Stefan was selected 1st overall in 1999 by the Atlanta Thrashers. He started his career playing for HC Sparta Praha, but in 1997 moved to play for the Long Beach Ice Dogs in the IHL (International Hockey League), hoping it would help his chances in the Draft. He was held in high regards back then and was described as the best prospect to come from the Czech Republic since Jaromir Jagr. In his first NHL season with the Thrashers, the weight of the whole team was on his shoulders, because they were an expansion team, about to start their first year in the league. Stefan only picked up 25 points. The following year, he did score 31 points, but then he was plagued with injuries. His best year in the NHL was 2003-04, when he played all 82 games of the season and scored 40 points. In 2004-05, during the NHL Lockout, he played for Ilves in SM-liiga in Finland and scored 41 points in 37 games. The following year, he had more injuries and was eventually traded to the Dallas Stars. On 4th January 2007, he became famous for all the wrong reasons (see video below). At the end of the season, the Stars decided not to re-sign Stefan. Instead, he joined SC Bern of the National League A in Switzerland. He only played 3 games, before a serious hip injury effectively prompted his retirement. He is now a player agent in Laguna Beach, California. However, it's just for what you're about to see which is why Patrik Stefan is known throughout the hockey world. It's truly one of the craziest, unlikeliest and greatest hockey moments ever...
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