Getting drafted into the NHL is no small feat. It confirms the fact that you're one of the best ice hockey players on the planet. Draft days are packed with excitement, nerves, and anticipation. Players are often dressed in their sharpest suits surrounded by loved ones when they receive the big news. It wasn't always like this though. Mr. Islander himself, Bob Nystrom, recalled his draft day story, and it's quite the opposite of what we see today.
Nystrom was a working man, framing houses when he decided to grab a beer with some co-workers after his shift. He was at a bar when he got an unexpected call from his father.
"I'm sitting in the bar having a beer, and all of a sudden I hear this voice on the intercom. 'Paging Bob Nystrom, paging Bob Nystrom.' I wonder what the heck is going on? So I went and picked up the phone and my father was on the phone. He says 'you were drafted by the New York Islanders.' I said to him, 'Who?' I didn't even know about the new team," Nystrom recalled.
Nystrom was born in Sweden, but grew up in Alberta, Canada and had little to no knowledge of Long Island. Considering the Islanders were one of two new expansion teams joining the league - along with the Atlanta Flames - that was to be expected.
