It figures we would not take Gretzky while he was still on the board.
- PT21

Back in the 1970s, Sam Pollock, the brilliant GM of the Canadiens, made a deal with the then Kansas City Scouts, which allowed him to swap 1st rounders with them in 1980. At the time, the draft age was 19. January 26 1980 was Gretzky's 19th birthday. meaning he'd be in the 1980 draft pool.

Basically, Pollock was making moves in 1976 to be able to land Gretzky. But the WHA killed his plans. If the WHA and NHL never merged, the 1979 Stanley Cup Champions, coming off their 4th Cup in a row, would have been able to add Wayne Gretzky to their team.

Greatest. Thing. Ever.

http://www.sporcle.com/ga...Z/panotch-or-fake-panotch
- Jsaquella

hmmmmm.... interesting

Back in the 1970s, Sam Pollock, the brilliant GM of the Canadiens, made a deal with the then Kansas City Scouts, which allowed him to swap 1st rounders with them in 1980. At the time, the draft age was 19. January 26 1980 was Gretzky's 19th birthday. meaning he'd be in the 1980 draft pool.

Basically, Pollock was making moves in 1976 to be able to land Gretzky. But the WHA killed his plans. If the WHA and NHL never merged, the 1979 Stanley Cup Champions, coming off their 4th Cup in a row, would have been able to add Wayne Gretzky to their team.
- Jsaquella

I was referring to pick # 49 in the posted draft.

I was referring to pick # 49 in the posted draft.

- PT21

I figured, but man that Slick Sammy Pollock story is too good not to share.

Flyers win tomorrow, they clinch a playoff berth

Flyers win tomorrow, they clinch a playoff berth
- Jsaquella

Fan Appreciation Night, too. That would be fitting.

We take the "what if..." a little further and imagine drafting Jagr instead of Ricci the draft before...
- 77rams

Drafting Jagr wasn't going to happen because of the questions of if/when he'd come over. If Flyers couldn't trade up for Nedved, Ricci was their second choice all the way. Communism had only recently fallen in the former Czechoslovakia and the situation there was still tenuous.

However, it was a very realistic possibility for the Flyers to trade for Lindros and still hold onto Forsberg's rights. To do that, they'd have had to accept Quebec's demand for Rod Brind'Amour and Slava Butsayev rather than Ricci and the rights to Forsberg plus the rest of the package that was traded.

That's a really fascinating "what if", too. What if they HAD moved Brind'Amour, been even worse for a couple more seasons (remember that Forsberg didn't come over until 1994-95) but ultimately emerged with Lindros and Forsberg instead of Lindros and Brind'Amour.

Fan Appreciation Night, too. That would be fitting.
- tangent_man

i'm just looking forward to all the posts that refer to the playoff "births"

Drafting Jagr wasn't going to happen because of the questions of if/when he'd come over. If Flyers couldn't trade up for Nedved, Ricci was their second choice all the way. Communism had only recently fallen in the former Czechoslovakia and the situation there was still tenuous.

However, it was a very realistic possibility for the Flyers to trade for Lindros and still hold onto Forsberg's rights. To do that, they'd have had to accept Quebec's demand for Rod Brind'Amour and Slava Butsayev rather than Ricci and the rights to Forsberg plus the rest of the package that was traded.

That's a really fascinating "what if", too. What if they HAD moved Brind'Amour, been even worse for a couple more seasons (remember that Forsberg didn't come over until 1994-95) but ultimately emerged with Lindros and Forsberg instead of Lindros and Brind'Amour.
- bmeltzer

i'm just looking forward to all the posts that refer to the playoff "births"
- Don'tForgetTocchet

It's all just dribble anyway.

Back in the 1970s, Sam Pollock, the brilliant GM of the Canadiens, made a deal with the then Kansas City Scouts, which allowed him to swap 1st rounders with them in 1980. At the time, the draft age was 19. January 26 1980 was Gretzky's 19th birthday. meaning he'd be in the 1980 draft pool.

Basically, Pollock was making moves in 1976 to be able to land Gretzky. But the WHA killed his plans. If the WHA and NHL never merged, the 1979 Stanley Cup Champions, coming off their 4th Cup in a row, would have been able to add Wayne Gretzky to their team.
- Jsaquella

Draft age was 20 until the 1979 draft. By compromise, it became 19 in 1979 and then dropped to 18 the following year and onward.

Fan Appreciation Night, too. That would be fitting.
- tangent_man

I'd certainly appreciate that.

Draft age was 20 until the 1979 draft. By compromise, it became 19 in 1979 and then dropped to 18 the following year and onward.
- bmeltzer

I knew it dropped in 1980, didn't realize that it dropped in 1979, too...or simply forgot it dropped in '79.

Which explains why that 1979 draft was such a fantastic class-two years worth of top prospects

It's all just dribble anyway.
- tangent_man

weirdo lol


let's talk about roll players

weirdo lol
- Don'tForgetTocchet

I just hate to see the English language mangled.

I'd certainly appreciate that.
- Jsaquella

Yessir.

Did that earlier. Got 45 right. Loved it.
- Flyskippy

Tim Panaccio ‏ @tpanotchCSN
I got 56 out of 60: Sporcle quiz - guess which Tweets are @tpanotchCSN and which are @faketpanotch http://bit.ly/GSPW2R

OK, this is damned funny

Tim Panaccio ‏ @tpanotchCSN
I got 56 out of 60: Sporcle quiz - guess which Tweets are @tpanotchCSN and which are @faketpanotch http://bit.ly/GSPW2R

OK, this is damned funny
- Jsaquella

I knew it dropped in 1980, didn't realize that it dropped in 1979, too...or simply forgot it dropped in '79.

Which explains why that 1979 draft was such a fantastic class-two years worth of top prospects
- Jsaquella

Exactly. And there were also a lot of great players who slipped through the cracks of the '79 draft and were signed later that summer as rookie UFAs, including Tim Kerr by the Flyers and Dino Ciccarelli by Minnesota --- that's a mere 978 combined regular season goals that doesn't appear in histories of that year's draft class!

I'll bet if he was driving his usual car - and not a Lamborghini - he wouldn't have been pulled over.

Exactly. And there were also a lot of great players who slipped through the cracks of the '79 draft and were signed later that summer as rookie UFAs, including Tim Kerr by the Flyers and Dino Ciccarelli by Minnesota --- that's a mere 978 combined regular season goals that doesn't appear in histories of that year's draft class!
- bmeltzer

Those guys sucked.

6 guys taken in that first round spent time playing with the Flyers, and 1 was a coach.

- tangent_man

@tpanotchCSN
CB wants to take the quiz to see if she married the right tpanotch 37 years ago

It's Friday night. You're on the internet. Have fun with this site:

http://www.hockeydb.com/

Look up the guys Jsaq mentioned.

I'll do the work for the first one, Ryan Sittler:

http://www.hockeydb.com/i...ats/pdisplay.php?pid=4986

"Selected by Philadelphia Flyers round 1 #7 overall 1992 NHL Entry Draft"

*clicks on 1992 draft*

http://www.hockeydb.com/ihdb/draft/nhl1992e.html

# 14 Sergei Gonchar
# 15 Jason Bowen (Oh, look! That takes care of two of them!)
# 18 Jason Smith
# 19 Martin Straka
# 40 Mike Peca

/slight sarcasm
- Flyskippy

I'm sorry skippy I had a bout a whole bottle of wine since I wrote that post I can't do any hockey homework tonight.

Drafting Jagr wasn't going to happen because of the questions of if/when he'd come over. If Flyers couldn't trade up for Nedved, Ricci was their second choice all the way. Communism had only recently fallen in the former Czechoslovakia and the situation there was still tenuous.

However, it was a very realistic possibility for the Flyers to trade for Lindros and still hold onto Forsberg's rights. To do that, they'd have had to accept Quebec's demand for Rod Brind'Amour and Slava Butsayev rather than Ricci and the rights to Forsberg plus the rest of the package that was traded.

That's a really fascinating "what if", too. What if they HAD moved Brind'Amour, been even worse for a couple more seasons (remember that Forsberg didn't come over until 1994-95) but ultimately emerged with Lindros and Forsberg instead of Lindros and Brind'Amour.
- bmeltzer

Bill, it is so awesome to see you kicking it with us on a friday night. Wait maybe you're like the rest of us and staying home with the wife and kiddies like good husband/wives family people do But I love hanging with you guys and jawing bout puck it's good stuff!

I'll bet if he was driving his usual car - and not a Lamborghini - he wouldn't have been pulled over.


- tangent_man

I literally laughed out of my chair looking at that picture. For some reason It's So Easy playing from my Itunes made that funnier I don't know