And his teammate in Spokane and San Jose (for 4 years, and they never clicked), and 2nd overall pick, Pat Falloon, was out of the NHL almost 15 years ago.
Falloon was the Pavel Brendl type guy that could light up junior (two back to back 60 goal years) whereas Whitney (who also put up good totals) had a bit of a different style. Falloon was also an very early product of the TSN hype around the WJHC...Whitney didn't play, but Falloon did and did well, so his stock rose just on that, to fall in behind Lindros in the draft.
Also, luck and timing are involved in a lot of NHL careers. All it takes it some lack of confidence for a year or two, playing on the wrong team or the wrong situation, then it snowballs with more bad decisions (ie going to the Oilers, for example). More inconsistent play or coaches playing guys in the wrong spots, or injuries, and then a stigma gets attached etc etc, and you're gone without really showing what you have. Meanwhile, a no namer or a guy with a quieter story is in the right place at the right time at each step in his career, and by luck or by choice and makes the right decisions and everything works out, and plays 15 more years..every NHL'ers story is different.
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