And with the last pick in the 2002 NHL Draft, the Tampa Bay Lightning select right winger Declan McDonnell out of the OHL Kitchener Rangers with the 2017th overall pick. The Draft was a long (long) day, but I guarantee my day of covering the draft wasn’t as long as McDonnell’s day waiting to be drafted. He had to wait more than 10 hours of Draft Day broadcast before he got to hear his name on TV, announcing he was joining the reigning Stanley Cup Champions.
A little about McDonnell, he’s an American born in Lake View, New York, came up through the Buffalo Jr.