SAN JOSE – Former NHL goalie Darren Pang’s first assignment, when he began working for the Blackhawks last year, was to cover the team’s draft party at a concert venue in Chicago.
Once Pang arrived, he was stunned by what he saw.
“There had to be 8,000 to 10,000 people at the sold-out event in anticipation of the first overall pick, and the fans were already wearing No. 98 sweaters,” Pang said of the crowd, there to watch the 2023 NHL Draft from Nashville and see Connor Bedard become a member of Blackhawks.