Few of us will get the chance to meet our idols, but for Bruce Boudreau, he got his opportunity during the NHL Draft.
The former Minnesota Wild and current Vancouver Canucks head coach was an analyst for the NHL Network during the draft and was in the middle of the fifth round when he was surprised by WWE superstar Kevin Owens.
We had a surprise in store for Bruce Boudreau 😈
Bruce meeting @WWE star @FightOwensFight is must-see TV! @Canucks | @Jackie_Redmond | #NHLDraft pic.twitter.com/2A3bhK3Ey4
— NHL Network (@NHLNetwork) July 8, 2022
Boudreau is a long-time wrestling fan and when he was hired by the Canucks last December, he brought a WWE Championship belt into the locker room to celebrate the player of the game.
He was later asked about his top-five wrestlers of all-time and Owens was second on the list behind Bret “The Hitman” Hart – unsurprisingly, both are fellow Canadians.
.@canucks Bruce Boudreau is a massive @WWE fan but who are his top 5 favourite wrestlers of all-time? 👀 pic.twitter.com/76zzxU8ASN
— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) February 16, 2022
So when the former Universal Champion made his way to the desk, Boudreau turned beet red with excitement.
“I was sitting in a box up there and figured I’d say ‘hi’,” Owens joked.
From there, Boudreau’s wrestling fan came out. He asked Owens when he was going to return from his current injury and when he was getting his title shot. After fumbling over his words, he even offered to become Owens’ new manager calling himself “The new Lou Albano.”
After meeting on-air, the two stopped for a photo opportunity, which was a thrill for a coach that has 1,041 regular-season wins.
What a guy! https://t.co/w3gYY43zOo
— Kevin (@FightOwensFight) July 8, 2022
In the end, it appears that Boudreau made a new friend, but with Owens’ history in the ring, he might want to be careful.
