Sure things are rare at NHL draft

The ghost of Nail Yakupov annually hangs over the National Hockey League draft, which is being held at the Sphere in Las Vegas this Friday and Saturday

Bruce Penton

June 16, 2024

Hockey scouts, you see, are not perfect. The general consensus in 2012 was that Yakupov, a Russian forward who played junior with the Sarnia Sting in the Ontario Hockey League, was clearly the best player available. "Fail for Nail" was the refrain by many fans who wanted their favourite teams to play poorly to enhance their chances at getting the first pick.

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