Alexandre Daigle
| Alexandre Daigle | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Born |
February 7, 1975 Laval, QC, CAN |
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| Height | 6 ft 0 in (183 cm) | ||
| Weight | 195 lb (88 kg; 13 st 13 lb) | ||
| Position | Centre | ||
| Shot | Left | ||
| Played for |
Ottawa Senators Philadelphia Flyers Tampa Bay Lightning New York Rangers Pittsburgh Penguins Minnesota Wild HC Davos |
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| National team |
 Canada
|
||
| NHL Draft | 1st overall, 1993 Ottawa Senators |
||
| Playing career | 1993–2010 | ||
Alexandre Daigle (born February 7, 1975) is a retired Canadian professional ice hockey player. Drafted first overall by the Ottawa Senators in the 1993 NHL Entry Draft, Daigle failed to live up to the high expectations, achieving a career high of only 51 points in three separate National Hockey League (NHL) regular seasons. Daigle is widely regarded today as one of the all-time greatest draft busts in NHL history.
Leading up to the 1993 NHL Entry Draft, Daigle was considered a "can't miss" prospect and NHL superstar-in-waiting. The Senators were even accused of deliberately losing games late in the 1992–93 season, their first in the NHL, in order to guarantee the first overall selection and the right to draft him. This prompted an investigation by the NHL, who soon implemented a draft lottery to prevent such things from happening again. The Senators subsequently finished dead last in the 1992–93 league standings, thus securing the rights to the first overall pick.
As the draft approached, the Quebec Nordiques, who were hosting the event, were reportedly so eager to draft the next French-Canadian superstar that they were rumored to have offered star players such as Owen Nolan, Peter Forsberg, Ron Hextall, and draft picks, but Ottawa management disregarded all offers. Daigle was selected first overall by the Senators, ahead of future superstars Chris Pronger and Paul Kariya, who were picked second and fourth, respectively. He subsequently received the largest starting salary in league history (five-years, $12.25 million), leading to the introduction of a rookie salary cap a few years later. Regarding his draft position, Daigle uttered the now infamous comment, "I'm glad I got drafted first, because no one remembers number two". Chris Pronger, selected after Daigle with pick two by the Hartford Whalers, was elected to the Hockey Hall of Fame in 2015.
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