Murray Wood: The Grey Cup is coming to Saskatchewan... again!
It used to be that the CFL didn't believe Saskatchewan could pull off the big game, but Murray Wood says now it can't ge...
After watching Kirk Maltby play for the Detroit Red Wings alumni team in the Centennial Classic, it reminded me – I drafted him!
In February 1992, my dad and I drove from Hamilton to watch a junior hockey game in Owen Sound, Ont. My dad, Lorne Davis, was an Edmonton Oilers scout, so he attended junior hockey games across the country looking for NHL prospects. Sometimes I tagged along.
During the game, I raved about Maltby. He killed penalties, was on the power play, worked hard in the corners, skated powerfully and showed a scoring touch.
“Pffft!” my dad said. “He’s 20. He’s been through the draft twice and nobody selected him.”
Nonetheless, in the ’92 draft, the Oilers selected Maltby 65th overall. Maltby spent two seasons with Edmonton before being traded to Detroit, where he was a gritty member of the “Grind Line” for 14 seasons and won four Stanley Cups.
After every one of those Stanley Cups, I would tease my dad about me drafting such a solid NHLer. He chuckled. And never denied it.
