The announcement by Pierre Pagé lasted only twenty-six
seconds, but to me it seemed to take forever for the Quebec
Nordiques general manager to get the words out. The Nordiques
knew I didn't want to play for them and, although the chances
were pretty slim I was hoping for an announcement of a different
kind to kick off the draft--that Québec had traded the number
one pick.

It was a tense wait in the stands with my family at the memo-
rial auditorium in Buffalo. We were sitting among other junior
players and their families who had come from all over for the
National Hockey League draft in June 1991. The Place was
jammed with more than thirteen thousand fans; it almost felt
like a playoff game.
Most of the players were nervous because they didn't know
what was going to happen. I already knew what was
going to happen, I was just nervous about what was going to
happen afterwards. The other players were finally going to learn
where they’d begin their pro careers, but I couldn’t share their
sense of anticipation. I knew I’d still be in the same place at the
end of the day--limbo.

Everything happened so fast after the Nordiques announced
my name. It’s all a bunch of blurred images now--walking to the
podium, the cameras clicking away, being hustled from inter-
view to interview, reporters firing off question after question. It
was like a mirage of people--they were there, but they weren’t
really there, because I wasn’t really focused. I brought my brother
Brett with me everywhere. I felt secure with him there. It was
hectic, but I held myself together through it all. I was smiling on
the outside.

I had been dreaming of draft day for as long as I could
remember, but when it finally came, it left me feeling so empty. I
felt great satisfaction in knowing that I had been the first player
selected overall in the 1991 NHL Entry Draft.
But at the same
time, I was upset thet the first pick wasn’t the happiest player--
not even close. Knowing that things could never work out with
the Québec Nordiques took a lot of the joy out of the day.
When all the interviews were over, I went back to sit in the
stands with my family. I was still wishing that Brian O’Neill, the
NHL executive vice-president who was conducting the draft,
would announce that the Nordiques had traded my rights. Deep
down, though, I knew it wouldn’t happen.

I took a lot of flak for not putting the Nordiques sweater on,
but I think wearing the sweater would have been a false state-
ment. I didn’t want to misguide people as to my true feelings,
particularly anyone from the Québec organisation.

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