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Bruce Boudreau shocked to meet favourite wrestler at NHL draft

Vancouver Canucks' head coach Bruce Boudreau was surprised to to run into one of his favourite wrestlers at the NHL draft in Montreal on Friday. (Yahoo Sports Canada)
Vancouver Canucks' head coach Bruce Boudreau was surprised to to run into one of his favourite wrestlers at the NHL draft in Montreal on Friday. (Yahoo Sports Canada)

The Vancouver Canucks kept busy during the second day of the NHL draft in Montreal on Friday, but head coach Bruce Boudreau’s mind was elsewhere for a few minutes.

As the veteran bench boss was sitting with the NHL Network's panel for an interview, one of his favourite wrestlers, Kevin Owens from WWE, crashed the segment to come and meet the head coach.

Boudreau had such a genuine reaction to meeting Owens, who admitted he was enjoying the draft from one of the suites at the Bell Centre.

Earlier in the 2021-22 season, Owens, the pride of Marieville, Quebec, made Boudreau’s top-five list of his favourite wrestlers. KO, who played hockey when he was younger before he committed to wrestling, had mentioned how he’s a fan of Boudreau as well, particularly his bombastic style in postgame interviews.

“I always really liked Bruce because every time I come across an interview of his … how can I put it, he’s very free with the way he speaks,” Owens told Sportsnet’s Kevin Michie. “It reminds me of myself a lot. So, I really always got a kick out of him.”

When Boudreau’s colourful language was brought up on Friday in the surprise encounter, Owens joked that he’s never been caught using it.

Boudreau kept asking Owens questions about the draft, which also takes place in the WWE to decide if wrestlers will headline RAW or Smackdown. He even compared Shane Wright’s stare down towards the Montreal Canadiens’ table to a wrestling antic, when the projected first-overall pick tumbled down to fourth place and was selected by the Seattle Kraken.

It is no secret that Boudreau is a huge wrestling fan and it made sense when he wanted to bring a “player of the game” award to the Canucks, he created a Canucks Championship Belt. The belt reads “Vancouver Canucks: the reigning and defending game night champ.”

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