Here's something a little different for you fans of the old Atlanta Knights. During my final year with the Knights, the memorable championship season, we had a memorable event in Phoenix.
In town for two games against the Roadrunners, it was not unusual for Coach Gene Ubriaco to have a video-session/team meeting right after the team lunch on the off-day between games. Thus, some 22 hockey players were leaving the lunch up on the third floor, to join the video session back down on the first floor.
Being the sometimes "goofballs" that hockey players can be, especially in groups, they decided to see just how many of them they could cram into one elevator. After 14 of them squeezed into the narrow confines, one of the idiots (legend has it that the guilty party was one Brent Gretzky) decided to jump up and down. In so doing, the elevator got to the ground floor, but the doors would not open.
Being a Saturday, there was no one on call at the hotel to help with the situation. A service-man was called, but it could be up to 30 minutes or more before he could get to the hotel. One can imagine that after about 5 minutes trapped in an elevator, some guys were getting restless.and nervous and VERY edgy.
Who came to the rescue? TV producer/director Greg Gunn. The former Marine commandeered the second elevator, had me hold that door open while he climbed up and opened the panel in the ceiling. He climbed through, crawled across, opened the top panel on the stuck elevator, and one-by-one, he pulled out the Knights.
One-by-one, 14 sweaty, nervous, angry, and somewhat relieved Atlanta Knights crawled out of one and through the other elevator. One can imagine that "Ubi" didn't have the attention of many of the players during that meeting!! You can also figure there were few Knights ready to get on another elevator with Brent Gretzky!
So, one weekend in Phoenix, the Knights could credit 14 assists to Greg Gunn, able-bodied TV producer/director and elevator rescuer!
Mr. Double was the Voice of the Knights from 1992 until 1994.
