The NHL made the 2020 Draft Lottery about as complicated as possible, with teams that didn’t make the postseason getting picks 2-8 and leaving the No.1 pick to the eight teams who lost their Stanley Cup Playoffs qualifying round series.
The No. 1 pick was announced Monday evening by a slightly disheveled looking Garry Bettman and went to the New York Rangers.
Each of the eight teams had a 12.5% chance of getting the pick and with it, presumptive top pick Alexis Lafrenière. To show that the NHL wasn’t rigging the drawing (ahem Sidney Crosby) all eight balls were dropped into a little machine in a bizarre display, along with Bettman confirming the logos of each team. Of course, the ball dropper messed up slightly, dropping the Rangers ball just before Bettman “confirmed” the logo.
Lol, the look on this poor guy’s face after he drops the Rangers ball prematurely. His gut must’ve sunk when that ball was the first one up too. Anyway, booooo (and go Isles) but fun place for the kid to land for the league, anyway! pic.twitter.com/xteZNFKWbC
— Justin Bourne (@jtbourne) August 10, 2020
Because Draft lotteries are about the luck of the draw, and people need to impose some kind of order on random chance, fans had some fun spouting off the conspiracy theory that Rangers ball was actually frozen.
HE KNEW IT WAS THE RANGERS #nhldraftlottery pic.twitter.com/8254j2MrtQ
— Petrov McGuire (@McguirePetrov) August 10, 2020
Isn’t that the ball that the guy dropped and picked back up?#nhldraftlottery pic.twitter.com/bcKXZv9WSe
— brauly brau 💦👏🏼💧 (@Burlybison) August 10, 2020
Rangers ball was so heavy he dropped it before bettman confirmed it 👀 pic.twitter.com/egXg1IZSX9
— Tony X (@soIoucity) August 10, 2020
Let the Frozen Ball rumors commence.
— Ted Starkey (@TedStarkey) August 10, 2020
The frozen ball! Rangers with the win! #nhllottery
— Matt Richardson (@MattyORich) August 10, 2020
NHL weighted that ping-pong ball for the Rangers just like the envelope was frozen for the Knicks.
— Matthew (@RealMBB) August 10, 2020
And Alexis Lafrenière goes to … #NYR #NHLDraftLottery
Does Patrick Ewing know about this?— Dana Wakiji (@Dwakiji) August 10, 2020
TFW you dropped the weighted ball too soon and realize you done screwed up. #nhldraftlottery pic.twitter.com/Yxkp93ee1x
— Exponential Tyrone (@CBJSprague24) August 10, 2020
because the ball was frozen after being packed in dry ice and it burned him so he dropped it…lol…Like the Knicks in the Ewing draft 😆 https://t.co/4q6YQUMqU3
— Paul Jones (@Paul__Jones) August 10, 2020
And as always, someone has to be the voice of reason.
So for those who are saying that the NHL rigged the Rangers ping pong ball to win by making it weighted or frozen.
You do realize that if it was weighted, the ball would have a much harder time being pushed up by the air and out of the tube
It's a simple law of aerodynamics.
— Cody Freeman (@rookiemascot) August 10, 2020
Anyway, welcome to the NHL Alexis Lafrenière, where everyone is extremely normal.