2011 NHL Draft: The Most Disappointing No. 1 Picks in NHL History

The NHL Draft means something different to everybody. For the strong clubs, it's all about investing in the team's future. For the weaker clubs, the young men are expected to come in and help them win immediately. 

The draft isn't just about winning either; it's about selling tickets.

After watching a team stumble to a last place finish, nothing excites a dejected fan base like a No. 1 Draft Choice. The young man is typically surrounded by hype and speculation and then finds himself carrying the weight of an entire city on his shoulders.  

Some players like Guy Lafleur, Mario Lemieux, Alexander Ovechkin, Sidney Crosby, Patrick Kane and Steven Stamkos stood tall, bringing their teams back from the brink to contending for the Stanley Cup. 

While some became superstars, others folded under the pressure and live on in infamy.

Let's take a look back at some of the Worst No. 1 Draft Picks in History.

1967: Rick Pagnutti, Los Angeles Kings

In 1967-68, the NHL underwent a massive expansion, moving from six to twelve teams.

That year saw the addition of the California Seals, the Los Angeles Kings, the Minnesota North Stars, the Philadelphia Flyers, the Pittsburgh Penguins and the St. Louis Blues.

As expansion teams in unconventional markets, these teams were all looking for players to become the new face of their franchise. 

With the first draft choice in franchise history, the Kings selected defenseman Rick Pagnutti. 

Pagnutti spent ten years in the minors with Rochester and Springfield. In 1972, he was chosen as the top defenseman in the IHL.

Though successful in the minors, Rick retired from hockey having never played a game in the NHL. 

Notable Players Drafted After Him:

None, of all 18 picks in the draft, only three reached the NHL.

1974: Greg Joly, Washington Capitals

In 1974-75, the NHL underwent another expansion, adding on the Kansas City Scouts and the Washington Capitals.

Between the NHL and the WHA, there were now 30 professional hockey teams and there simply weren't enough quality players to go around. 

The newest expansion teams had to fill their rosters with inexperienced, second-tier players and the Capitals were hoping to find a leader in the draft.

In 1974, with the first pick in franchise history, the Capitals selected defenseman Greg Joly of the Regina Pats. In his two seasons with the Capitals, Joly played in 98 games and had just 33 points.

The team was a startling 19-126-15 over that stretch. 

In his sophomore season, the first year of +/- ratings, Joly posted a stunning -46.

Joly spent the next few seasons with Detroit before retiring in 1986. 

For his career, Joly played in 365 NHL games, scoring a disappointing 21 goals and 76 assists. He had a -70 career +/- rating.

Notable Players Drafted After Him:

Clark Gillies, Hall of Famer

1976: Rick Green, Washington Capitals

Following two of the worst seasons in NHL history, the Capitals once again found themselves picking first overall. 

Hoping to put the Greg Joly selection behind them, Washington decided to select another defenseman in Rick Green. 

Green had put up strong numbers with the London Knights in the years leading up to his being drafted, and he was ranked as the No. 2 prospect coming out of the OMJHL. 

Injuries plagued Rick throughout his career and he played games in Washington, Montreal, Detroit and New York before retiring. 

Rick was more successful as a coach than he was as a player, and this selection turned out to be another miss for the Capitals' brass.

In 845 games played, he netted 43 goals and 220 assists. 

Notable Players Drafted After Him:

Bernie Federko

1982: Gord Kluzak, Boston Bruins

In 1982, Gord Kluzak entered the NHL Draft as the No. 3 overall prospect as rated by The Hockey News, and apparently the Bruins were impressed.

Boston selected Kluzak with the No. 1 overall pick. 

After playing 150 games in his first two seasons, Gord would only suit up for 149 more over the next seven years.

Chronic knee injuries cost him two entire seasons, and would ultimately end his career before it ever got started.  

Kluzak played in the fewest games of any first overall pick in NHL Entry Draft history at just 299.

During his brief career, Kluzak managed just 25 goals and 98 assists.

Notable Players Drafted After Him:

Brian Bellows, Scott Stevens, Phil Housley, Dave Andreychuk, Pat Verbeek

1993: Alexandre Daigle, Ottawa Senators

Up until now, our disappointments were selected in the 70's and 80's when teams spent much less time and energy in scouting and evaluating players

Alexandre Daigle however, is a different story. 

Heading into the 1993 NHL Entry Draft, Daigle was a sure fire superstar and the consensus No. 1 pick. In fact, in the two seasons prior to his being selected, he scored 247 points in just 119 QMJHL games. 

He was such a hot commodity that there was even speculation the Senators intentionally lost games in order to secure his services. 

After drafting Daigle first overall, the Senators signed him to the richest rookie salary in history; a five-year deal worth $12.25 million. 

Alexandre never lived up to hype, and quickly wore out his welcome in Ottawa. 

He was criticized for a lack of effort, and rumors swirled about excessive partying and possible drug use. 

Daigle was traded to the Flyers (68 games), then the Oilers (no games), then the Lightning (32 games), and finally to the Rangers (58 games). 

In his 616 games, Daigle scored 129 goals and 198 assists. His selection set the Senators back a number of years.

Notable Players Drafted After Him:

Chris Pronger, Paul Kariya, Rob Niedermayer, Jason Arnott, Todd Bertuzzi

1995: Bryan Berard, Ottawa Senators

After selecting Alexandre Daigle No. 1 overall in 1993, the Senators continued to flounder. Ottawa found themselves atop the draft board once again in 1995 and it was clear they couldn't afford to strike out. 

Unfortunately for the Sens, that's exactly what happened.

With the first pick in the 1995 NHL Draft, the Senators selected Bryan Berard. Berard was coming off productive OHL seasons as a defenseman and appeared to be a solid choice at the top.

However, shortly after being selected he made it clear he would not report to Ottawa. 

The Senators sent Berard and Martin Straka to the Islanders for Wade Redden and Damian Rhodes. Berard was selected as the league's top rookie and received the Calder Trophy.

Bryan Berard appeared to be on pace to become one of the leagues top defenseman until he sustained a severe eye injury in March of 2000. The injury occurred in a game against the Senators and resulted in a detached retina. 

Over the two years, Berard worked to get himself back in shape and to improve his vision to the league's minimum of 20/400. 

Though applauded for his determination, it was his lack of production that resulted in moving from the Rangers, to the Bruins, to the Blackhawks, to the Blue Jackets in just four seasons. 

In 2005, Berard tested positive for anabolic steroids and would only play 65 more games in the NHL before heading overseas.

Notable Players Drafted After Him:

Shane Doan, Wade Redden, Jarome Iginla

1999: Patrick Stefan, Atlanta Thrashers

The Atlanta Thrashers are now the Winnipeg Jets.

It's always tough when a city loses a franchise, and there is a lot of finger pointing going on.

The coaches, the GM, the players and the fans all share responsibility in the failing of the team.

But oddly enough, I believe the most detrimental blow to this team came at it's very first Entry Draft.

In the days leading up to the draft, numerous trades were made so that Vancouver could position itself to select both Henrik and Daniel Sedin.

Tampa Bay, who originally held the first pick, traded back allowing Atlanta to have the No. 1 Draft Choice. The 1999 NHL Draft was hyped as one of the most talented in history and the Thrashers believed Patrick Stefan was a superstar in waiting.

However, in his disappointing NHL career, Stefan played in just 455 games. He played 82 games just once, and retired with 64 goals and 124 assists. 

Stefan's most notorious moment as an NHL'er came on January 4th, 2007 as a member of the Dallas Stars. He stole the puck, skated in toward the empty net, and fell before scoring. The Oilers rushed back up the ice and tied the game with just two seconds remaining. (See video above)

Selecting Patrick Stefan set the Thrashers up to fail. The city needed a young superstar that could fill the seats, but instead they found themselves watching the biggest draft bust in NHL history.

In the late 90's, with the amount of money teams invest in scouting, this type of failure is inexusible. 

Notable Players Drafted After Him:

Henrik Sedin, Daniel Sedin and Nick Boynton