Hockey players are often seen as tough guys who aren’t afraid of anything.
But even if you’re not afraid to take on a full bench of angry opponents, you could still be afraid of ghosts. Just ask former Toronto Maple Leafs tough guy Darcy Tucker.
Most hockey players have some sort of superstition surrounding their preparation before games and practices, but not many believe in ghosts—unless their teammates manage to convince them otherwise.
Long career
Darcy Tucker was drafted 151st overall, in the sixth round of the 1993 NHL Draft by the Montreal Canadiens. After a few seasons with the Canadiens and the Tampa Bay Lightning, Tucker found a home with the Toronto Maple Leafs, where he spent eight seasons and became very popular with both teammates and fans thanks to his toughness. During his time with the Leafs, the team was followed by Leafs TV, and especially by Paul Hendrick, who spent over 20 years covering the Maple Leafs. One time, the team and the broadcasting crew checked into a “haunted” hotel.
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Darcy Tucker hotel ghost prank
Speaking to the site Leafs Nation in 2029, Hendrick recalled the hilarious night. It started when the team was on a bus from Anaheim to Los Angeles for back-to-back West Coast games.
“We knew we were staying, as per Pat Quinn’s request, at a grand old hotel in downtown L.A.—the Biltmore. It’s a famous hotel; the first several Academy Awards were hosted in its grand ballroom, and Pat Quinn loved staying in these types of hotels wherever we were in the NHL. So we’re en route to the Biltmore—and the other thing about it is that it’s known as one of the most haunted hotels in North America,” Hendrick explained.
Hid in the closet and under the bed
Darcy Tucker was not a fan of anything supernatural, which meant he felt a bit uneasy about checking into an old, haunted hotel—something his teammates used to prank him really well.
“His roommate was Bryan McCabe, and he collaborated with Tom Fitzgerald and Eddie Belfour. Both of them snuck into the room by getting the keys in the envelopes at the front desk, getting in ahead of Darcy, who was then given a second set of keys by Bryan,” Hendrick said and continued.
”Not too pleased”
“In the meantime, Eddie Belfour was hiding in the closet, and under Darcy’s bed was Tom Fitzgerald. After about half an hour—and with all the patience in the world—Eddie started scratching on the closet door very lightly, while Tom, unbeknownst to Darcy, was pulling on his covers ever so slightly. Tucker, who was already freaked out to begin with, literally jumped into bed beside Bryan McCabe and was not too pleased—screaming before Fitzgerald and Eddie came out of their hiding places,” Hendrick said, before ending the story with some kind words for Tucker.
“That got a great laugh, and it’s not something you’d expect from Darcy—a guy who would dive into the Ottawa Senators’ bench and take on the entire team.”
This is hockey camaraderie at its very best!
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