NHL - Should Have Been A Locke
With the NHL Entry Draft set to happen tonight in Ottawa you would expect that I would write on that but unfortunately for me I don’t know enough about junior hockey to speak on the matter. I know Steve Stamkos will go first overall and then expect there to be a lot of defensemen taken. I also know that almost every player who played for the Team Canada World Juniors will get drafted as well.
So instead of the draft I’m going to talk about something that bothers me to no end and that is how Corey Locke is not currently on an NHL roster.
What made me think to write about this was the fact that I saw a special on the Montreal Canadians draft needs and someone said that they needed a forward with goal scoring ability to replace Saku Koivu when he retires. It made me stop and think for a bit because I knew that they already had someone Corey Locke. His name is not a familiar one to the casual NHL fan as he has only ever played 1 career NHL game but in reality he could be a superstar.
I first heard of Corey Locke when my dad sold his dad a car, my dad works at Pickering Honda (shameless plug I know), and came home and told me all about it. I immediately went on the internet and looked up this guy to see if he was ay good. To my surprise I discovered that in that year he was:
- First Team All-Star - 2004
- CHL Player of the Year - 2003
- CHL Top Scorer Award - 2003
- First Team All-Star - 2003
- Red Tilson Trophy - 2004
- Eddie Powers Memorial Trophy - 2004
- First Team All-Star - 2004
- Red Tilson Trophy - 2003
- Eddie Powers Memorial Trophy - 2003
- First Team All-Star - 2003
I got excited because in my mind I thought that meant my dad would have sold a car to a future NHLer who had potential to be a star in the league. I started to follow Locke’s career pretty closely checking in on his progress from time to time so see if he was still on the right path. In 2003 it was his draft year and I made sure that I watched all the pre-game shows and then the draft itself so I could see him selected. But to my surprise he wasn’t mentioned at all. No one on TSN dropped his name and he wasn’t on anyone’s board to be selected in the 1st round.
What’s going on i thought to myself. This guy was the Player of the Year and the Top Scorer in the CHL does that not merit a mention? Guys that he outperformed and skated circles around were being selected ahead of him. It wasn’t until the 113th that the Montreal Canadiens selected him finally. I felt glad for him and knew that if he continued to play well he would get his chance in the NHL.
So after the draft he moved from the OHL to the AHL and played for the Hamilton Bulldogs. Not to my surprise he continued his success and had an excellent rookie season with the Bulldogs that continued into a solid career:
- Calder Cup Champion - 2007
- Hamilton Bulldogs Career Points Leader (229)
- Hamilton Bulldogs Career Goals Leader (85)
- Hamilton Bulldogs Career Assists Leader (144)
Yet after all of these accomplishments he has only played 1 career NHL game and why? Because people in the NHL feel that he is too small. The guy can flat out play and will make any team that he is on better but because he’s 5’9 168 he doesn’t get a shot. I could have sworn that the new NHL was about speed and finesse and less about size and yet he still is labeled as too small. The belief that someone cant compete because of their size is ridiculous. Locke competed in the minor leagues where everyone in the NHL plays at some point so what is the difference? Look at Martin St Louis, he wasn’t even drafted because he was said to be too small. Now he has accomplished almost everything there is to accomplish in the NHL and on the International stage. All he needed was a chance and that is all Corey Locke needs…a chance.
