ANALYSIS: Conspiracy at the NHL draft? At least it makes for a good story – Winnipeg

Here’s what I know about conspiracy theories: they’ll never be fully proven, because if they were, then they wouldn’t be theories at all, but facts. And facts don’t often make for a good story.

Of course, most are amusing, if nothing else: Was there a second shooter that day in Dallas? Did the Americans fake the moon landing? Is there a New World Order living under the Denver airport?

Who knows?

And most of us don’t care enough to invest any time thinking about such suspicions, but on Monday night during the NHL’s draft lottery — otherwise known as the Connor Bedard sweepstakes — the conspicuous way it unfolded had some, including yours truly, slightly nosy.

Now, there’s no reason to believe anything nefarious was at play in the NHL’s annual made-for-TV event, but it does seem rather convenient that the Chicago Blackhawks were the raffle’s riches winners. After all, the benefit of Chicago jumping two spots to land Bedard the same year they lose franchise luminaries Jonathan Toews and Patrick Kane does speak to immaculate timing.

What also has the truth-seekers now curious about Monday is the gaffe that took place during the live event when NHL broadcaster Kevin Weekes made the announcement that the Columbus Blue Jackets had dropped in the order on the way to commercial — even before the placard had been flipped to reveal the move.

And that’s interesting because pushing out the 32nd-ranked television market in the U.S. to better position the third-largest — and also an Original Six franchise — thus bettering the odds of Chicago securing Bedard — raised many eyebrows and had theorists chortling over a thickening plot.

Now, even with some reason to question the process and how it went down, there will be no inquisition and Bedard will be a Chicago Blackhawk next month. But just like other conspiracy theories — Dallas, the moon landing, and Denver — we’ll never really know.

But all of it makes for a good story.

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NHL draft lottery: Chicago Blackhawks win Connor Bedard sweepstakes

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