10 Big Busts
Elliott Pap looks at No. 1 overall picks who were coveted prospects but never fulfilled their promise
RICK DiPIETRO, G NEW YORK Islanders, 2000
Islander GM Mike Milbury thought so highly of DiPietro that he traded away another promising young goaltender named Roberto Luongo. DiPietro did have three winning seasons with the Isles between 2003-07 but has won just 14 games in the last five years due to a litany of injuries plus non-performance. Was finally sent to the minors this season with eight (!) years remaining on his contract. Ouch.
BRIAN LAWTON, LW Minnesota North Stars, 1983
Lawton’s career never amounted to much — 112 goals for six different teams — but what was really tragic for the North Stars is they passed on both Steve Yzerman and Pat LaFontaine to take Lawton. A high school phenom in Rhode Island, Lawton amassed 171 points in 49 games his last two prep seasons, prompting the North Stars to fall in love with him. Big mistake. (Yzerman, for example, scored 692 goals and collected 1,755 points during a phenomenal 22-year career with the Red Wings.)
GREG JOLY, D Washington Capitals, 1974
Joly scored 21 goals and collected 92 points in his draft year, numbers that seemed to hold all kinds of promise for his career. Alas, the native of Rocky Mountain House, Alta., couldn’t take it to the house in the NHL. He collected just 21 goals and 97 points (almost identical to his final season in junior) during 365 games with the Capitals and Detroit Red Wings. He was exiled to the minors by 1983.
CLAUDE GAUTHIER, RW Detroit Red Wings, 1964
No games played in the NHL. In the pre-expansion era, only one of six ’64 first-rounders ever played a game in the league, Tom Martin who managed to dress for three.
PATRIK STEFAN, C Atlanta Thrashers, 1999
Taken one pick before the Sedin twins, Stefan managed just 64 goals in an inglorious seven-year career in which he never once hit the 15-goal mark. He will best be remembered for his all-time blooper miss on an empty net while playing for Dallas in 2006-07, his last season in the NHL. (Remember it? Stefan fanned on a backhander on a breakaway and then blew a tire trying to recover the puck. The Oilers came back the other way and Ales Hemsky scored to tie the game with two seconds left.)
DOUG WICKENHEISER, C Montreal Canadiens, 1980
In a draft that offered a talented big centre from Regina (Wickenheiser) and a talented little centre from Quebec (Denis Savard), the Habs eschewed their native son and opted for Wickenheiser after his phenomenal 89-goal, 170-point season in the WHL. Alas, Wickenheiser went from seven goals as a rookie to 12 and then 25 but the Habs dealt him away in his fourth season to the Blues. He hit the 20-goal mark just once more in his career.
ALEXANDRE DAIGLE, C Ottawa Senators, 1993
After a 137-point season in the Quebec league as a 17-year-old, Daigle was a can’t-miss-kid, except that he did. He was handsome, cocky, could speak in both official languages, sell tickets and score goals. “Nobody remembers who’s No. 2,” was among his more famous utterances. (Yeah, right, like Chris Pronger couldn’t play.) After just four-and-ahalf seasons with the Sens, he was dealt to the Flyers and then slid from there to the Lightning, Rangers, Penguins and Wild and into obscurity in the Swiss League.
RICK PAGNUTTI, D
Los Angeles Kings, 1967
No games played in the NHL. Another dud year as just one player in the first 15 selected (Serge Bernier, Flyers) made it.
GORD KLUZAK, D Boston Bruins, 1982
A big, hulking defence who stood 6-foot-4 and weighed 210 pounds, Kluzak had knees that couldn’t compete with the rest of his body. Kluzak missed two entire seasons due to the bad pins and only played four others of 66 games or more. Bruins GM Harry Sinden really missed the boat on this one as Scott Stevens was available in the ’82 draft class. (Stevens went four picks later to the Washington Capitals.)
ANDRE VEILLEUX, RW NEW YORK Rangers, 1965
No games played in the NHL. Veilleux had lots of company as the first four picks, and eight of the first 10, never played a single game in the league.