Many of Andrew Ference’s best qualities also made him a valued leader when he was a member of the Boston Bruins, and led to the 36-year-old being named the current captain of the Edmonton Oilers. He’s determined, unafraid, hard-nosed, well-spoken and intelligent, and below it all has a strong belief in himself both as a player and as a person.
Those characteristics also made Ference an excellent representative in the community during his time in Boston, and led to him winning the NHL’s King Clancy Trophy two seasons ago in his first year with Edmonton. It’s now clear that Ference has possessed those enviable personality traits from the time he was a fiery teenager after the veteran D-man revealed a letter he sent to all 30 NHL teams when he wasn’t invited to the pre-draft scouting combine in 1997 as an 18-year-old.
Ference tweeted out “Found some gold going through old stuff at the house. Faxed this to every GM when I wasn’t ranked for the draft” along with a copy of the letter he submitted to then Pittsburgh Penguins GM Craig Patrick.
Portions of the letter are striking coming from a teenaged Ference who had no real idea he would wind up being a Stanley Cup champion, and embark on a 15-year NHL career that’s resulted in 901 regular season games and counting.
“I believe, without a doubt, that I will play in the National Hockey League…I am looking forward to proving myself this fall at my first NHL training camp, for whatever team is prepared to give me that opportunity,” wrote Ference. “I guarantee that the team that has the confidence to draft me will not regret their decision.”
The impressive letter clearly made an impression on Patrick and the Penguins, who drafted him in the eighth round with the 208th overall pick in that same 1997 NHL Draft. The rest is hockey history, and have proven that Ference’s words and beliefs were indeed prophetic.