The 1997 NHL Draft is a bit of an anomaly. Not only were three centers projected to go in the first three picks, but all three also went on to have decent careers. Joe Thornton, Patrick Marleau, and Olli Jokinen were some of the best players of the 2000s, combining for 10 All-Star appearances. Add in Hall of Famers Roberto Luongo and Marian Hossa, taken 4th and 12th overall, respectively, and Eric Brewer, who was selected 5th overall and played over 1,000 NHL games, and you have a draft class that stands clearly above others in the same era.
It was expected that Daniel Tkaczuk would join that group of esteemed hockey stars. Taken sixth overall by the Calgary Flames, he was a lock to make the NHL and become the team’s future captain. Five years after his draft, he had played just 19 career games and would never play another, the lowest total among the first 13 players selected. Furthermore, between 1969 and 1997, only two forwards appeared in fewer games, making him not only one of the worst selections in franchise history but one of the worst picks ever at that spot.
While many believed that Tkaczuk had character issues, the real culprit was a concussion that robbed him of valuable development time and limited his best attribute, his hockey sense. With the NHL dealing with greater ramifications from years of denial over the impact of concussions, his story is one that all hockey fans need to hear.
The Flames Hunt for a New Leader
When Al Coates was hired as the Flames‘ third general manager on Nov 3, 1995, Calgary was a mess. The team’s first Stanley Cup win in 1989 seemed like a generation ago; top scorer Doug Gilmour had demanded a trade after contract negotiations fell through, forcing the Flames to send him to the Toronto Maple Leafs in a 10-player blockbuster. The deal looked awful for Calgary and only got worse as Gilmour set career-highs with the Maple Leafs in 1992-93. Meanwhile, every player the Flames received was gone by 1993-94.
But the biggest issue for the Flames was their lack of direction. Despite a core led by Theo Fleury, Joe Nieuwendyk, Gary Roberts, and Al MacInnis, they were not making any progress in the playoffs. So, rather than wait it out, Coates decided to rebuild. Over the next several seasons, he stripped down the roster, trading away everyone except Fleury. The result was some of the worst hockey Calgary had ever seen, but Coates knew that the secret…
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