Every year, the same thing happens no matter what venue the NHL Draft is held at.
NHL commissioner Gary Bettman walks out on stage to give a speech and officially begin the event. Fans boo him loudly.
But this year, Bettman came prepared with a plan to try and get the Vancouver Canucks crowd on his side. It worked… but not for the reason he planned.
Video
I’m going to go ahead and let my tweets on RMNB summarize what happened because they were pretty on point.
Gary Bettman is arriving at the podium in Vancouver.
"BOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!"— RMNB (@russianmachine) June 22, 2019
Gary Bettman says he has something that will change the mood.
[He walks off stage]
[Loud cheers]
[Daniel and Henrik Sedin walk out]
[Even louder cheers]— RMNB (@russianmachine) June 22, 2019
Gary Bettman announces that Daniel and Henrik Sedin will have their jerseys retired next season by the Vancouver Canucks.
— RMNB (@russianmachine) June 22, 2019
"I can keep it up if you can," Bettman says, daring the crowd to boo louder. They do.
— RMNB (@russianmachine) June 22, 2019
It was Gary walking off stage that did the trick. Here’s fan video of that moment.
BETTMAN THE TROLL pic.twitter.com/LMcI0v8Xjc
— FamousGoalHorns 🚨 (@FamousGoalHorns) June 22, 2019
The booing was so loud, by the way, that fans in the upper bowl of Rogers Arena could not hear anything Bettman was saying.
Can’t even hear Bettman tbh pic.twitter.com/ML6YyEJp9f
— The World of Hockey (@TheWorldHockey) June 22, 2019
You can’t even hear Gary Bettman. #Canucks #NHLDraft pic.twitter.com/KAhCgCWcIC
— Clay Imoo (@CanuckClay) June 22, 2019
Look, but I have to ask. Is Bettman starting to become a sympathetic figure? Year after year, he handles the booing with class and without a hitch. Now he’s even trying to give the fans something great in return to say sorry.
[Thinks about the three lockouts 🤔]
Nope. BOOOOOOOOOO!
Headline photo: Sportsnet
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