The Ottawa Senators stole the show in the virtual 2020 NHL Draft on Tuesday evening. The team brought in a very special guest to announce their third overall pick.
Jeopardy! host Alex Trebek announced the Senators third overall pick on national television — jeopardy-style. The team selected German forward Tim Stützle from Adler Mannheim in the Deutsche Eishockey Liga. Who is Tim Stützle?
You can see video of the awesome moment below:
Alex Trebek announces the Sens third overall pick, Tim Stützle. Awesome. pic.twitter.com/JNxzInpvL6
— Brady Trettenero (@BradyTrett) October 6, 2020
Mr. Trebek, of course, attended the University of Ottawa for his schooling. He earned a degree in philosophy from the UO before moving into broadcasting. He actually got his start at CBC while still attending university. The rest is history.
Trebek is now a canadian icon who has won five Daytime Emmys for his hosting of Jeopardy, which is now in its 36th season. In March 2019, Trebek shared that he had been diagnosed with stage 4 pancreatic cancer. One year later, Trebek revealed he had beaten the one-year survival rate for his disease, which is 18 per cent.
A one-year update from Alex: pic.twitter.com/W9101suZeZ
— Jeopardy! (@Jeopardy) March 4, 2020
According to Bruce Garrioch of the Ottawa Sun, it was Senators owner Eugene Melnyk and his girlfriend, Sherri Anderson, who came up with the idea to get Trebek to make the pick. The Jeopardy! host also reportedly taped segments with Alexis Lafreniere and Quinton Byfield, the first and second overall picks, in the event they slipped to the Sens at third.
In the past when NHL teams have brought in celebrities to make draft picks, it usually turns out being an awkward mess. Trebek making the pick for the Senators was simply fantastic.