Gavin McKenna never called Jeff O'Neill, leaving Jim Hiller's Maple Leafs rookie at the center of a joke that escaped social media.
O'Neill admitted on TSN OverDrive that his July 4 post about McKenna seeking permission to wear No. 92 was completely made up.
The former Maple Leafs forward had claimed McKenna contacted him by FaceTime after dinner and asked whether he could use the number.
The post exploded. It generated more than 552,000 views, hundreds of reposts and thousands of likes before being repeated by several mainstream outlets.
O'Neill finally cleared the air after realizing the story could reach McKenna and create an awkward question for a conversation that never happened.
“Gavin McKenna did NOT, nor would he ever, call me,” O'Neill said, adding that he was only trying to have fun online.
“I'm not important enough for anyone to FaceTime me and ask, ‘Can I wear your number?'” (Jeff O'Neill), “I was just trying to have some fun on social media.”
Everyone believed this Gavin McKenna story but it was completely fake
The rumor gained traction because McKenna's jersey number remained unsettled after Sergei Bobrovsky arrived and took the number the rookie had previously worn.
That small piece of uncertainty made O'Neill's post sound believable, even though he played only 2 seasons with Toronto and scored 39 goals for the club.
O'Neill said the joke was supposed to disappear quickly. Instead, friends and colleagues began congratulating him on receiving such a respectful call from the first overall pick.
At that point, deleting the post wouldn't fully solve the problem. The story had already moved beyond his account and into published coverage.
His confession now removes any suggestion that McKenna sought approval from a former Leaf before choosing No. 92.
It also gives Toronto a reminder about how quickly harmless offseason material can become attached to a young player entering the league under heavy attention.
McKenna already faces questions about his number, role and fit beside Toronto's established forwards. He didn't need a fictional FaceTime conversation added to that list.
O'Neill created the rumor, watched it grow and eventually stopped it before McKenna had to answer for something he never did.
Source : Maple Leafs Host Clears Up Ridiculous Gavin McKenna Rumor
Did Jeff O'Neill wait too long to correct the Gavin McKenna rumor?
Also read on Markerzone.com:
Major trade development involving Dylan Larkin and an announcement reveals the teams
