June 20, 2008
The NHL Entry Draft floor at Scotiabank Place in Ottawa, Ontario.
JUNE 20, 2008; Ottawa, Ontario, Canada -
NHL Draft day is finally upon us. There is a feeling of electricity in the air here at the Scotiabank Place arena, home of the Ottawa Senators. Despite everything that was going on, I was in a bad mood upon my arrival to the arena. After everything that went on yesterday, I was again delayed on my way to the arena by traffic jams that are by far worse than anything I have experienced in Los Angeles, Chicago, or Washington D.C. It took me a good two hours to drive fourteen miles. Ugh.
Back at the arena, after picking up my credential and having my bag tested for explosive residue, I was on my way to document the event. Well, sort of. The NHL held a mandatory photographer's meeting at 6 p.m. sharp. Jessica T., the NHL Images manager, gave us the low down on where we could and could not go. I was not allowed on the draft floor or in the photo pit. Oh well.
It was now time to find the man of the hour, Mr. John Carlson. He and I had been text messaging each other for the majority of the afternoon trying to figure out a good meeting spot. It was decided that we would meet up in Section 107, where he and his family would be sitting for the draft.
After getting lost a few times, I finally found it. I went down and met his family and then headed back to unpack my camera gear. Ironically, I ran into USHL President Gino Gasparini on my way out. He was outside waiting for Paul Skjodt, the owner of the Indiana Ice, to show up so he could give him his tickets for the evening. Paul showed up a few minutes later with Greg Schupay and Jake Skjodt. Jake was wearing John's old Ice jersey. It was pretty funny. After a few minutes of catching up, I headed back downstairs to get my gear.
By the time I got back up to where the Carlson's were sitting, the draft was about to begin. I snapped a nice photo of John and his mother, Angela, sharing a little moment between the two of them. Then, I left them and went searching for other USHL players who made the trek up to Ottawa.
I ran into Jimmy Hayes and his family. Jimmy was sitting right behind Gino in Section 109. They struck up a conversation and I shot off a few frames. Looking at the pix, Jimmy's little brother looked very puzzled by what was going on. Ha! You gotta love us paparazzi type!
I hadn't eaten all day and it was around 8 p.m. and they had just finished up with the fifth selection. It felt like it was going to take forever. I ran up into the concourse and grabbed a slice of pizza only to run into Max Nicastro and Nick Larson. I snapped a frame of them before they caught on. I spent a few minutes with them and then it was back in for the next
selection.
A couple more hours went by and I was starting to get anxious. The player who was seated in front of John had already been selected and the seats were not vacant. I took advantage of the opportunity and made my way down there.
John was selected at 10:37 p.m. by the Washington Capitals, three hours and thirty-seven long minutes after the draft began. His family immediately burst into cheers, and tears. Everyone was hugging everyone. Heck, I even got a hug. :)
It was very surreal to see this happen first hand, but to have it happen to a friend of yours made it even more special. As John walked up on stage, I began to shoot. I was able to make a decent image considering I was at a 40 degree angle to the stage. It made carrying the three cameras around all night worth it.
Immediately after John left the stage, I ran all the way around the building to meet him at the entrance to the interview room. Gasping for air, I found him. We walked in and he was met by a group of 10-15 reporters from D.C., all wanting to know every little detail they could about him. John handled it like a pro.
Next, we headed to the Upper Deck photo studio where John had his picture taken for the draft cards. He was also asked to put on a jersey and take it off for the 'draft worn jersey' thing. Not exactly sure how that works but hey, he did wear it on draft day. After that, we headed to the NHL Images photo studio where he had his photo taken again. André did a wonderful job with all the draftees so props to him!
By the time this was over and done, I was gassed and parted ways with John to pack up. It took another hour to get to my hotel, but I took the time to reflect on what had just happened. I couldn't stop thinking about how much fun I had and how good it felt to be there. One of the perks about being a photographer is that you get to see and experience so many different things that most people will never get to unless you make a photograph of it.
Congratulations again to John and his family!
Tomorrow I will be back with Day 2 coverage and and interview with John Carlson.
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Robert J. Meyer is the Director of Photography for the USHL and is covering
the 2008 NHL Entry Draft in Ottawa, Ontario.
