Setting the Record Straight on "Kyle from Chicago"
A man-on-the-street interview by a Nashville media site with "Kyle from Chicago" went viral after "Kyle from Chicago" ended up being Chicago Blackhawks' GM Kyle Davidson. Here is what really went down.
Setting the Record Straight on "Kyle from Chicago"It was a big week for the Chicago Blackhawks and their GM Kyle Davidson as he announced Connor Bedard as the first overall draft pick in the 2023 NHL draft on Wednesday night at Bridgestone Arena.
But that may not end up being Davidson's biggest moment at the draft, at least from a viral perspective.
On Wednesday, Davidson - also known as "Kyle from Chicago" - caused quite a stir after participating in a man-on-the-street type interview with local media from Penalty Box Radio, an outlet in Nashville that covers the Predators. In a conversation with Alex Daugherty, Davidson pretended to be just a regular Chicago Blackhawks fan in town for the draft.
The video has drawn a lot of attention online closing in on nearly 7 million views by Thursday night. With all those views come a lot of comments and questions, so I talked with Daugherty to get the facts straight.
Is it real or is it fake?
Kyle Davidson addressed this in a statement saying this was not a staged conversation, and Daugherty confirms this video is very real. This was not a publicity stunt by the Blackhawks nor by PBR, and the "man-on-the-street" interviews were a project the PBR team planned to do before the week began. Daugherty and videographer Shaun Smith conducted several other interviews with NHL fans before this conversation happened, and Daugherty relayed the story in detail before Davidson shared his matching account.
How did Daugherty not know this was Kyle Davidson?
There is a three part answer for this.
First, Penalty Box Radio is a Nashville based outlet that covers the Nashville Predators. They provide quality coverage and are staffed by terrific hockey writers who have vast knowledge about the NHL. But let's be honest - there are very few people who could pick out the 32 NHL GMs in a photo lineup let alone walking down the street. While GMs may be the decision makers, they aren't the faces of their franchises.
The interview was done on Wednesday - just hours before the NHL draft began. The last person anyone would expect to be walking around Broadway honky tonks would be an NHL general manager in a backwards baseball cap.
Secondly, this is Nashville and Nashville doesn't really do "celebrities". Nashvillians are naturally celebrity blind because many music and film stars live in and around Middle TN. There is an unwritten agreement that famous people in Nashville live in relative peace. Even knowing the draft was in town, few Nashville natives would be looking around trying to spot a top prospect or a general manager.
Finally, what GM ranks himself a four - even if he is trying to fly under the radar?
When did the interviewer know who "Kyle from Chicago" really was?
Daugherty said he wished he had kept the camera rolling for the moment "Kyle from Chicago" revealed his true identity. At the end of the video Davidson shook Daugherty's hand and that's when he told Daugherty that he was the GM of the Blackhawks. In his account, Davidson interpreted Alex's response as disbelief, but Alex believed him right away. The impressive list of perfectly pronounced player names and the lack of criticism of the league were pretty convincing.
No. Daugherty was trying to remember if he had really just asked the general manager of the Chicago Blackhawks if the NHL draft was rigged.
The viral "Kyle from Chicago" moment brought a lot of laughter to the hockey community over the last two days, and while the cynics may want to believe it was staged or a stunt, it was neither. It was a genuine, lighthearted moment brought to hockey fans by a great media outlet and a general manager with a good sense of humor.