Jeff O’Neill just shot his shot at mentoring Gavin McKenna — and McKenna’s response was perfect.
Nobody wants the job more than Jeff O’Neill. The TSN analyst and former NHLer made his pitch to become Gavin McKenna‘s mentor if the 18-year-old lands in Toronto — and he didn’t hold back.
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Pitch to Gavin McKenna
“Wouldn’t I be a great mentor? We’d have a blast. We could golf. I wouldn’t talk about you on the radio or TV. We’d just become buddies. I would be the perfect mentor.”
McKenna’s response? Three words.
“Let’s do it.”
Look, would they have a blast together? Almost certainly. O’Neill is one of the most entertaining personalities in Canadian hockey media, and McKenna seems like a kid who doesn’t take himself too seriously.
But the perfect mentorship setup for a generational talent trying to make it in the NHL? Probably not.
One detail
Although — that one detail about not talking about him on the radio or TV? That might actually be the most valuable part of the deal. Because if there’s one thing every young player in Toronto finds out quickly, it’s that the media spotlight here is like nowhere else in hockey. One rough stretch and you’re the lead story on every sports station in the country.
Having O’Neill in your corner and off your back? Gavin McKenna could do worse.
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