VIDEO: Craig Button’s Advice To Cam Fowler Was, Uh, Less Than True

Cam Fowler was expected to go early in the first round of the NHL Draft this past weekend. He didn’t, and as his stock fell from third to fourth to fifth to ninth and eventually 12th, NHL.com had a camera on him the entire time.

At one point, just after the Atlanta Thrashers took Alexander Burimstrov with the eighth pick, former league GM Craig Button and current NHL Network analyst Craig Button came over to Fowler to give him some words of advice.

Here’s what Button said:

BUTTON: “This is one day. You’re a really good player. You know, you think back to that ‘03 Draft. You remember who went 3, 4, 5, 6 after Fleury and Eric Staal?”

FOWLER: “No.” *smiles*

BUTTON: “You won’t. But I’ll just tell you, Zach Parise went 17, Mike Richards went 24, Kesler, Coburn, all those guys. What you do on the ice, that’s what you’re about.”

FOWLER: *nodding in agreement* “Thank you.”

BUTTON: “You’ll get there, just keep your head up.”

It’s great advice, and it was a wonderful gesture by Button to come over and reassure a kid who’s confidence was suddenly shot on perhaps the most important day of his life. But, uh, something about it isn’t so right.

Button said we won’t remember the guys who were picked third, fourth, fifth and sixth in that 2003 draft, widely regarded as one of the deepest drafts in recent memory. A quick glance at those picks...

3rd overall: Nathan Horton, just traded to the Boston Bruins from the Florida Panthers. He’s scored at least 20 goals in every season of his NHL career, except his first when he only played 55 games. He’s had several injury issues but has still been one of the best players on a relatively weak Panthers roster his entire career.

4th overall: Nikolai Zherdev. He probably hasn’t lived up to his fourth overall selection in this draft, but to say we wont remember him is a bit of a stretch. He’s playing over in his native Russia now, but as an NHL player he was a 20-25 goal scorer.

5th overall: Thomas Vanek, the best Austrian player of all time? He’s an all-star, 40 goal scorer, plus/minus horse, one of the best players on the Sabres, etc. etc.

6th overall: Milan Michalek, another 20-25 goal scorer in the NHL, an Olympian.

Fowler, in the midst of the agony that was the first round for him on Friday, probably had no idea who was picked in the 2003 draft. It didn’t really matter that what Button told him was less than the truth and a bit deceptive, and the advice did serve it’s purpose -- it made Fowler feel better.

That doesn’t make it any less funny, though.