Oilers' Andrew Ference put NHL GMs on notice with 1997 letter
Snubbed by Central Scouting, future NHLer took matters into his own hands
Edmonton Oilers defenceman and captain Andrew Ference posted a letter to Twitter on Thursday that he faxed to every NHL general manager after being snubbed by Central Scouting in 1997.
An 18-year-old member of the WHL's Portland Winter Hawks at the time, Ference felt slighted for not being among the draft-eligible players invited for testing by the scouting bureau and therefore not ranked for the draft.
Found some gold going through old stuff at the house. Faxed this to every GM when I wasn’t ranked for the draft. <a href="http://t.co/CDhxDjWfA7">pic.twitter.com/CDhxDjWfA7</a>
—@FerknuckleThe copy he found is fitting since he ended up being selected in the eighth round (208 overall) by the Pittsburgh Penguins that year.
Ference made his debut with the Penguins in 1999 and played parts of four season in Pittsburgh.
The Edmonton, Alta., native has also played for the Calgary Flames and Boston Bruins, winning the Stanley Cup with the Bruins in 2011.
In 901 total games, he has tallied 43 goals and 182 assists for a total of 225 points.
Ference believed he was capable of playing in the NHL and he wasn't about to let the possibility slip away.
Enlisting the help of a fax machine to get his word out there was certainly a sign of the times.