Quasi Live Blog of NHL Draft

tsn.ca

For analysis of picks, head over to TSN's round one tracker.

4:34: (Thus Far)
-> Olli Jokinen goes to Phoenix for Nick Boynton, Keith Ballard and the 49th pick.
-> Camalleri goes to the Flames, Tanguay goes to the Canadiens. Some random picks were involved.
-> Anaheim trades their 12th pick to Los Angeles for the 17th (who they got from the Flames for Camalleri) and the 28th pick.

4:39: How good is the Pacific going to be this year? I was already thinking Phoenix could surprise some people and make the playoffs next year- Jokinen's presence solidifies that for me. With Brygalov in net for a full year that's a solid team.

4:43: Gary Bettman is about as charismatic as Keanu Reeves on horse tranquilizers.

4:46: By the way, the Lightning obviously selected Steven Stamkos. Here's their site for him. Drew Doughty was taken by the Kings at number two (he may be playing on their blueline next year) and Zach Bogosian was taken by the Atlanta Thrashers at number three.

4:53: Ron Wilson was quoted earlier today as having "some stuff in the works." Let's see if any of that pans out. Some are saying Cheech to Nashville.

5:02: Leafs make a move and trade their seventh pick this year and some other conditional stuff for the fifth pick in the draft. Solid move, the scouts have been saying that after the first six picks the talent level drops off. They grab Luke Schenn. Pierre McGuire loves the pick, and proceeds to explode on himself while his wife complains that it was his best performance in fifteen years of marriage.

5:05: Blue Jackets on the clock. Please. Doug. Don't trade Patty.

5:09: Columbus trades their nineteenth pick and 3rd rounder to Philly for R.J. Umberger and a 4th rounder. Patrick Marleau exhales a sigh of relief exactly as a butterfly flutters its wings. The two cancel each other out, and a hurricane in Asia is averted.

5:12 Jackets pick the dude that looks like Amanda Bynes from She's The Man.

5:18: Youtube provides some laughs with the best news bloopers on the net.

5:21: I really don't know anything about the players being drafted today besides the first five or so players (even then it's fairly limited). This could turn out to be a gigantic waste of time if San Jose doesn't make any moves.

5:23: Colin Wilson (drafted by Nashville at number five) is described by that chubby analyst on the TSN crew, "As you see him peel off the shirt, this guy's ripped, he's jacked, he's a man.... He's the guy who drew all the ooo's and ahhh's at the combine." McGuire's wife is seen buying a Nashville sweater moments afterward.

5:29: Wayne Gretzky steps to the podium to announce Phoenix's sixth pick while Scotiabank Place gives him a standing ovation. Pretty cool. They draft Mikel Boedker (who is Danish), and TSN remarks, "There's not a long history of great Danes in the NHL." Guess he'll have to work extra hard to stay out of the doghouse hardy har har.

5:33 With all the gushing over eighteen year old boys going on over at TSN, I wouldn't be surprised if they set up a news station in San Francisco. Pensblog Charlie is rumored to be joining the crew of analysts next season.

5:38: Before announcing their pick, the Nucks state their support for Luc Bourdon's family and thank the rest of the NHL for their condolences. Classy move.

5:48: Chicago takes Kyle Beach, and TSN begins to absolutely lay into him for being a bad boy. Whatevs. Wasn't Sean Avery affective this postseason? This isn't curling- it's hockey.

5:55: Los Angeles trades their 12th pick for Buffalo's 13th pick and a 3rd rounder next year. Buffalo gets the 6'7 Myers and the Kings pick up Colton Teubert.

6:07: Pierre McGuire makes every pick sound like the second coming of Bobby Orr.

6:09: No Sharks news. Boring. This live blog is starting to feel like a girlfriend you hate but just can't seem to let go, and then once you do your life improves immensely.

6:13: Trade news! Alas, it's just Ottawa. Blah blah blah. Bryan Murray is schteppin to thee fwont of thee room to schay hish pick. Nope, Daniel Alfreddson is making the pick for Ottawa. How cute. They pick some Swedish meatball Erik Karlsson who weighs 157 pounds, is 5'11, and looks like he just graduated from middle school.

6:22: Ha! The Bruins pick some dude that is being compared to Joe Thornton. Good times.

6:28: So I saw The Happening last night. Terrible. M. Night Shyamalan attempts to make some grandiose political statement on global warming (spoiler alert upcoming). Basically the whole premise of the movie centers around plants who release chemicals into the air that cause humans to commit suicide. The plants talked to each other and decided that because humanity was ruining the environment, they were going to strike back. Okay I get it- we are "killing ourselves" by contributing to the destruction of the environment. But please don't make some convulated, "artistic", statement like that with shoddy acting to boot. I'm embarrassed for the man. Sixth Sense was so good too.

6:35: Brian Burke is rad. He steps up to the podium, gets booed, and quips, "It's great to be back in Ottawa." GM Brian Burke of the Maple Leafs Anaheim Ducks selects Jake Gardner.

6:45: Tickets for the draft (which were free) have gone for as much as $125 on Ebay. You could have one hell of a night with that kinda dough. Then again if it gets me a date with that cute blonde reporter from TSN it might be worth it. Although we'd probably have to get drive-thru McDonald's for dinner. Might be a mood killer.

6:55: Realizes Doug Wilson will not be doing anything today.

7:05: The (players) moms look happy. That's probably the biggest story thus far from my emotional standpoint. Although Jokinen coming into our division scares me a little. Four teams (Anaheim, Dallas, Phoenix, San Jose) that are playoff contenders. Should be an exciting year.

7:09: Seven picks left.

7:13: I still can't believe people payed $125 bucks for this. The Wild take Tyler Cuma with the 23rd pick.

7:27: Buffalo is up on the clock right now with San Jose's pick. I'm living vicariously through them right now. Fetch me a rum and coke Wilson.

7:30: Tyler Ennis is selected by the Sabres. Yay?

7:35: Another trade- Philly sends the 27th pick for Steve Eminger and the 84th pick. Hmmmm. Washington better take Carlson with this pick, or I don't like this deal for them. All I know is that Eminger turns into an 86 overall in NHL 08. Just sayin'.

7:39: John Carlson gets picked up by the Caps. The crew at Off Wing Opinion seems to like it, so all's good for me.

7:41: Phoenix trade their second round picks for Anaheim's 28th. Phoenix is building, building, building. I like what Gretzky is doing over there. Could spell some future trouble for the Sharks.

7:46: And as we cut to commercial Sum 41 once again "plays us out." Bleh.

7:53: Detroit steps up to the podium and picks Tom McCollum. Probably going to win a Vezina in the next seven years solely because Detroit picked him. Best organization in the draft hands down.

7:57: Well it's Friday night ladies and gentlemen so I'm out of here to enjoy it. I checked my nifty stat counter thing and it looks like about seven people stuck with us all the way through, with around twenty five popping in at some point or another. Good people. Have a great night everybody.


Go Sharks.

[Editor's Note] Here's a graphic of the number of trades that went down in the first round compared to year's past. Click to enlarge.


[Editor's Note 2] Couch Tarts did a live blog as well. Good stuff over there.