CrashingTheGoalie

by Ron Spence

Matt Cooke was drafted in 1997.

What was his overall position in the draft?

Who else did the Canucks draft that year?

Name a current member of the Canucks drafted that summer.

Who was the Top 10 NHL defenseman drafted after Cooke?

Who from that draft has played the most NHL games so far?

Cooke was drafted 117th overall – in the 5th round - and has played in close to 600 NHL games.

The Canucks drafted Brad Ference 10th overall – and he was later traded to Florida as part of the Jovo Bure trade. He has only played in 250 NHL games and is now a career AHLer.

Other picks were: in the 2nd round Defenseman Ryan Bonni and centre Harold Drunken. Bonni only played in 3 NHL games and Druken in 146 contests – although the Canucks thought he would become a top 6 forward.

Lyle Freadrich was drafted – by Vancouver – in the 3rd round and played 23 games for the Bolts.

Roberto Luongo was drafted 4th overall. Joe Thorton was drafted 1st overall.

San Jose’s Patrick Marleau – the 2nd overall pick – has played nearly 800 games as we approach 2009.