Joe Sakic's draft year is no different. Joe was drafted 15th in the first round of the 1987 NHL Entry Draft, behind a couple of future superstars that went 1-2 in the draft, Pierre Turgeon and Brendan Shanahan.
Joe wasn't even the first player taken by the Nordiques that year, that distinction went to troubled defenseman Bryan Fogarty, who was drafted in the #9 position.
It is interesting to look back and see the players that were drafted ahead of Joe Sakic in the first round that year. There were a few defenseman who played 1000+ games in the NHL (Glen Wesley, Luke Richardson, Stephane Quintal), one goalie who played a little over 100 games (Jimmy Waite), and a couple of forwards who didn't have stellar careers (Dave Archibald, Keith Osborne).
Several teams missed out on a player who had amassed 138 goals and 293 points in 2 seasons in the Western Hockey League. I'm sure at 5'11", teams wondered if he would be able to lead an offense over an 80 game schedule.
Turns out for the Nordiques/Avalanche that Joe was actually an emerald in the rough.
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| Emerald parallels from the 91-92 and 92-93 Parkhurst sets. |
625 goals, 2 Stanley cups and a Hall of Fame berth later, it's really easy to play Monday morning quarterback, isn't it?
All I know is, my Maple Leafs at #7 missed out on a golden opportunity.
Such is life...
thanks for reading, Robert
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