Andy Bathgate Back In The NHL?

This is Andy Bathgate, one of the greatest hockey players of all time. He is a Hockey Hall of Famer and a Stanley Cup champion.

On the weekend his grandson Andy Bathgate was drafted by Pittsburgh, one of Grandpa's old teams.

The odds of the 151st draft pick sticking in the NHL are long, but grandson may actually have an easier time making the NHL than his grandpa. That's because in junior hockey the original Andy Bathgate suffered a most horrific injury that almost forced him off of the ice for good.

In 1951, while playing with the Guelph Juniors, he received a check that severely damaged his left knee. A steel plate was fixed beneath the kneecap yet it plagued him throughout his career. Despite this, he missed only five games in more than eleven seasons with the New York Rangers.

Hopefully the younger Andy Bathgate, who plays for the OHL Belleville Bulls, keeps that in mind on those days when his NHL dream seems unreachable.

UPDATE: Here's an interesting note from The Globe And Mail's Tim Wharnsby:

Interesting little tidbit concerning the Pittsburgh Penguins drafting Andy Bathgate of the Belleville Bulls in the fifth round, 151st overall.

The pick was originally owned by the Penguins, but was shipped to the Toronto Maple Leafs two years ago in exchange from Hal Gill. The Leafs then moved that pick last summer to the Rangers for Ryan Hollweg.

The Rangers traded the pick back to Pittsburgh on Saturday for an unsigned goaltender, Chad Johnson of Calgary, and drafted Bathgate, a forward who is the grandson of the great Andy Bathgate.

The connection is the older Bathgate started his career with the Rangers, played for the Leafs and was the Penguins leading scorer in their first season, 1967-68.