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Shane Wright reveals whether viral stare was aimed at Canadiens

Shane Wright wants to clear the air and let everyone know he did not stare down a group of Montreal Canadiens staff members.

As the 18-year-old made his way on stage after being selected fourth overall by the Seattle Kraken at this week's NHL draft, Wright appeared to give a little bit of a prolonged gaze at the table where Montreal’s executives were stationed. But Wright explained himself during an interview on the broadcast of Sunday’s Toronto Blue Jays vs. Seattle Mariners game, letting the world know he did not glare at the team that passed him over in favour of Juraj Slafkovsky.

“Not at all, no,” Wright said. “I was just kind of looking at the cameras in front of me. To be honest, I don’t really remember too much about going up on stage. Just a whirlwind for me. I wasn’t intentionally trying to stare anyone down. Maybe it looked like that from the video, or whatever it was, but there was no intent to stare anyone down.

"I just looked at the camera and I guess their table was right behind it so it kind of looked like it but there was no intent behind that."

Shane Wright says he did not stare down the Montreal Canadiens' draft table after slipping to No. 4. (Photo via @TimandFriends/Twitter)
Shane Wright says he did not stare down the Montreal Canadiens' draft table after slipping to No. 4. (Photo via @TimandFriends/Twitter)

Intent or not, Wright is still slightly sour about dropping to fourth overall after being the consensus top draft-eligible prospect for the majority of the year.

“I’m definitely going to have a little chip on my shoulder for sure, a little more motivation,” Wright told reporters. “I’ve always been self-motivated and push myself internally. But it’s going to give me a little more fire for sure.”

With all of that competitive nature bottled up, Wright is already enjoying being a member of the Kraken. So much so that he confessed on the broadcast that he has sacrificed his Blue Jays fandom in favour of cheering for the hometown Mariners.

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