J.J. McCarthy, newly drafted by the Minnesota Vikings, received a notable phone call from hockey legend Wayne Gretzky shortly after being selected 10th overall in the NFL Draft. McCarthy, originally a hockey player who competed at the AAA level with the Chicago Young Americans before focusing on football, described hockey as his 'first love' and credited the sport for making him a tougher quarterback. The call from Gretzky, facilitated by McCarthy's marketing agent, occurred during McCarthy's Zoom interview with MSP media in Minnesota, known as the state of hockey, underscoring his strong connections in the hockey world and his unique background as an athlete.
The Minnesota @Vikings draft pick J.J. McCarthy receives phone call from Wayne Gretzky in middle of interview. โคต๏ธ https://t.co/eF5brBk6EK
Before @jjmccarthy09 was on a field scoring touchdowns, he was on the ice scoring goals. ๐ x ๐ He even received a congratulatory call from Wayne Gretzky after being selected 10th overall in the @NFL Draft! (via @Vikings) https://t.co/LOWeKPkNhQ
New Viking JJ McCarthy is a big Hockey Guy, but he had to momentarily blow off a call from the biggest Hockey Guy, Wayne Gretzky, because he was busy talking to the media on Zoom. Read: https://t.co/IG4Fw6a7kI https://t.co/ug7p2BOhiu
Wayne Gretzky called JJ McCarthy after he got drafted ๐ https://t.co/gRuo4yIBE7
Fitting that the State of Hockey landed a hockey player in the NFL Draft. JJ McCarthy was a pretty legit player as a youth, playing for Chicago Young Americans at the AAA level before focusing on football. https://t.co/vPv9ddmxfx https://t.co/Sl8HK7w2jI
Fun subplot to J.J. McCarthy's arrival in Minnesota, the self-proclaimed state of hockey: It was his first sport. Wayne Gretzky really did call him while he was speaking to MSP reporters last night. Quite a flex. J.J.'s full, thoughtful answer on how hockey made him a tougher QB: https://t.co/eGUIRGcK5a
Getting a call from @WayneGretzky? @jjmccarthy09 is going to fit right in here in Minnesota. https://t.co/yRiQUPHUby
While on Zoom with MSP media, J.J. McCarthy got a call from some guy named Wayne Gretzky, who is close with his marketing agent. McCarthy gave us a long explanation for why hockey, his "first love," makes him a tougher QB. I'll get you the exact quote soon. Lively talk.