2009 NHL Entry Draft

The first round of the 2009 NHL Entry Draft went into the books tonight.  Going through my collection, I have been lucky enough to add most of these guys to my collection already.  Garth Snow managed to keep it a fairly good secret, but he made the expected pick and selected John Tavares from the Ontario Hockey League.  Tampa Bay was up next, and selected Victor Hedman, whom I actually don’t have a signature from.  Colorado picked up Matt Duchene from the Brampton Battallion at number three.

After the top three, the focus shifted to the WHL.  Evander Kane went fourth overall to the Atlanta Thrashers, and Brayden Schenn was selected by the Kings (much to my chagrin, I was hoping he’d be reunited with his brother Luke in TO).

I have several more first rounders in my collection, but I think batting .800 for the Top 5 picks of the NHL Entry Draft in any single year is pretty good (unless the draft year is 1999, of course).

Rest In Peace: Luc Bourdon (1987-2008)

Terrible news out of New Brunswick today. Canucks prospect Luc Bourdon was killed in a motorcycle accident. Bourdon has been a favorite of mine since he suited up for Team Canada at the WJHC. My condolences to his family, friends and other fans out there.

Please buckle up in your vehicles, drive safely on your motorbikes, and never drive impaired. Too many people die in vehicle accidents.

Edited to bring attention to an excellent idea from the Canucks Message Boards:  Donations in Luc’s memory to Canuck Place, in the amount of $28.00 (jersey number) or some variant ($2.80, $28.28, etc).    To make this easier, here’s a direct link for donations.