As you read this at your desk on Monday, you probably already know about the first round of the NHL Entry Draft in detail. Tavares goes first. Pronger gets traded. Habs draft a French guy to avoid a riot.
But you probably don't know what happened on Day 2, because you were living your life like a normal person on a Saturday afternoon in the summer. So I kept a running journal to help fill you in on the second day of the draft:
9:04am - I decide to blow off my breakfast at the Marriott with our Hockeycentral crew in order to watch an episode of The Wonder Years with some room service. Which would you rather do: Watch Kypreos eat an omelet or see Paul Pfeiffer's Bar Mitzvah?
10:01am - Walking into the Bell Centre for the draft is a unique experience. There is so much hockey history in this city. You can almost feel the ghosts of Terry Ryan, Brent Bilodeau and David Wilkie as you walk into the rink.
10:41am - The Coyotes select Chris Brown with their second-round pick. Don't they have enough legal issues to worry about in Phoenix?
11:44am - Nothing is happening here. Heatley's not getting moved. Lecavalier's staying put. We are so bored that we are playing trivia to pass the time. I won't bother you with the question, but I will let you know that the answers to one were Troy Loney and Phil Bourque. That's how desperate we are.
12:01pm - Most exciting news of the day so far: Smoked meat sandwiches are now available in the media lounge. The herd didn't move this fast to the John Tavares media availability last night.
12:33pm - I'm contemplating some Twitter updates from here, but all of the hockey insiders are already tweeting with their breaking news. So I'm thinking my Twitter updates will be things that are more interesting to the common fan. Things like: "I think Jim Rutherford is eating dill pickle chips." And: "Reading Glen Sather's lips on the draft floor. He either said 'I'm trading Wade Redden' or 'I rented Armageddon'".
12:44pm - Jim Vandermeer just got traded for Brandon Prust. My weekend away from the family has just been justified.
1:01pm - This is ridiculously boring and drawn out. Seems like Chaka Khan should be here.
1:49pm - The mindless trivia continues. Stumped on a very hard question with a couple of other media colleagues. Asked by a member of the Flyers front office to name the only four U.S. presidents with the same first and last initial. So far, we've got Ronald Reagan, Woodrow Wilson and Calvin Coolidge. (And you thought you wouldn't learn anything in one of my blogs).
2:02pm - With their final pick of the draft, the Kings select Nic Dowd who was born in Huntsville, Alabama. Complete and undeniable proof that the NHL's expansion into the southern U.S. is a success.
2:13pm - For the third time in 19 hours, I ask Mike Gillis if there is any update on the negotiations with the Sedin twins. I'm not sure how he resists the urge to punch me in the face.
2:21pm - Brian Burke comes out for his media availability and the first question we ask him is about the U.S. presidents with the same first and last initial. Being an American, Burke immediately gives us the missing president: Herbert Hoover. He then says, "You guys are pretty bored, huh?" I just can't believe he talked about Herber Hoover before Tomas Kaberle.
2:27pm - The Canadiens have announced they have traded for the final pick in the entire draft. Here it comes. I can feel it … the Habs are finally going to make a splash. This is the moment we've all been waiting for.
2:28pm - The Habs just drafted Petteri Similia.
2:29pm - I'm on the road driving back to Ottawa.
