Hockey History
Wilson Pays Tribute to Pavelski, Regrets Letting Him Leave Sharks
Doug Wilson wishes that he had bet on Joe Pavelski one more time.
On the occasion of Pavelski’s retirement last month, Wilson paid tribute to his 2003 seventh-round pick’s improbable career — Pavelski was the leading goal and point scorer of his draft class — and the ex-San Jose Sharks GM also reflected on letting “Captain America” walk in free agency in the summer of 2019.
“We should have found a way to get it done,” Wilson told San Jose Hockey Now. “It was a mistake.”
From the beginning, the odds were stacked against Pavelski becoming a San Jose Sharks legend. 204 prospects were selected ahead of him in the 2003 Draft. He was 5-foot-11 and not particularly fleet of foot.
“If we’re so smart, why did we wait until the seventh round to draft him?” Wilson laughed.
But it was the San Jose Sharks, led by Wilson and director of scouting Tim Burke and area amateur scout Pat Funk, and not one of the 29 other NHL teams, who took a chance on Pavelski at No. 205.
A few things, of many, made Pavelski particularly special in Wilson’s eyes.
Read the Full Story at NBC Sports Bay Area
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