Hanging with a Hockey Legend

He stepped to the microphone to announce the final pick of the first round at the 2025 National Hockey League Draft. Any hockey fan who knows his or her hockey history knew exactly who it was. If nothing else, the 'stache gave him away.

NHL legend Lanny McDonald took to the microphone with these words of wisdom: "I want to say congratulations to all 31 players picked in the first round. To the players who have not been picked and believed they were going to be in that first round, I say, come with the best attitude you possibly can tomorrow and prove them all wrong. I would also like to say, make sure you thank you billets (host families) and especially your family. You cannot get here without them."

What a class act. McDonald played 16 years in the NHL for three different teams and led the Calgary Flames to their only Stanley Cup championship at the end of the 1988-89 season, his final season playing professional hockey.

Fast forward to sometime around 2009 or 2010. At the time, I was a news anchor/reporter at CBS affiliate KPAX-TV in Missoula but whenever the local junior hockey team, the Missoula Maulers, had a home game, I volunteered to shoot video for the late night news. Why? Because I've loved hockey ever since I lived in Calgary for grades five through seven, and later took up the game myself in 2003.  

It was a typical home game for the Maulers. I showed up early, as per usual, looked across the way and there he was. It was Lanny McDonald standing in Maulers bench area. I found out later that he owns a couple of restaurants in Montana - one of them in Missoula. Since we had some time before the game started and nobody was with him, I walked through the barricades to the far side of the ice and walked into the bench with my camera, shook his hand and introduced myself. 

I don't remember exactly what we talked about except that I said something like, "So, how did you like your time with the Calgary Centennials?" That took him a little off guard. He's known as a Calgary Flames legend who became the first player to have his number retired by the team. He also played with the Toronto Maple Leafs and is the only member of the old Colorado Rockies enshrined into the Hockey Hall of Fame. In his pre-NHL days, he played two years in Lethbridge and two more in Medicine Hat but only six games for the Centennials during the 1970-71 season. "How did you know that?" he asked. I told him I'd visited the Stampede Corral in Calgary several times when I was a kid and knew of his hockey lore, including his days with the Centennials.

After a five-minute chat or so, it was game time - time for me to claim a spot along the board to shoot and for him to walk out on the ice for the ceremonial puck drop. A great guy and ambassador for the game, it was an honor to meet and spend a few minutes with him. Thanks Lanny!