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SPORTS LISTS

30 Luckiest and Unluckiest Moments in Sports

AMBER LEEAUGUST 19, 2011

Nobody would argue that an athlete or an organization can build success on luck; however, talent, skill and good decision-making are the keys to success. Of course, a little luck never hurts…

Luck plays a huge part in all sports. There is a fine line between hero and zero, and a little luck can make the difference. 

Some of the most famous events (good andbad) in sports history were the products of freak accidents, miscommunications or colossal mistakes. 

Here are 30 of the luckiest and unluckiest moments in sports history. 

Luckiest First-Round QB: Green Bay Packers Draft Aaron Rodgers

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After an impressive junior year at Cal, Aaron Rodgers was expected to be selected early in the first round of the 2005 NFL draft and was even discussed as a potential No. 1 pick overall.  

Rodgers, one of only six players invited to the NFL draft’s green room, ended up sliding all the way to the 24th spot. The second-to-last player of the green-room invitees was picked eighth overall, which left Rodgers alone so long that he eventually went backstage.  

It was painful to watch the Kansas City Chiefs pass over Rodgers at the 15th spot because it became clear that he’d fall no less than nine more spots. Then, receiver Torry Holt looked into his crystal ball and said: “Aaron Rodgers will have the luxury to go play for Brett Favre and Green Bay. That’s where he’s going.”

No. 1 overall pick Alex Smith had a great draft day and a bigger payday, but he was selected by a crumbling franchise, and his career is now all but over. In contrast, A-Rodge’s devastating draft-day dive turned out to be the luckiest day of his life.

Unluckiest QB Picked First Overall: Carson Palmer to the Cincinnati Bengals

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Carson Palmer’s impressive college career at USC was capped by a record-setting senior year that earned him the Heisman Trophy. He was drafted by the quarterback-killing Cincinnati Bengals in 2003, and after spending his rookie year backing up Jon Kitna, Palmer was named the 2004 starter.

His career peaked in 2005, when he carried the Bengals to their first winning season since 1990, but he suffered a brutal knee injury in a playoff loss to the Steelers that required major reconstructive surgery. Many believe his career never recovered.

After the knee injury, Palmer’s career had some ups but more downs, and after the 2010 season, he announced that he would not be returning to Cincinnati under any circumstances.  

Bengals owner Mike Brown, who is equal part moronic and malicious, dug in his heels and decided teaching Palmer a lesson was more valuable than the draft picks a trade would yield. 

Luckiest Goalie: Frank Pietrangelo

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Retired goalie Frank Pietrangelo played seven seasons in the NHL, predominantly as a backup for the Pittsburgh Penguins and Hartford Whalers. Under most circumstances, backup goalies come and go from the league with little fanfare, but Pietrangelo secured a permanent place in hockey history with an improbable, nearly impossible glove save in the 1991 Stanley Cup playoffs; it is known simply as “The Save.”

His career-defining save is even more amazing considering the outside forces that nearly altered history, such as a substantial offer to play in Italy as the No. 1 goalie (as opposed to the second or third spot he occupied on the Penguins.)  

Pietrangelo’s Game 6 save staved off elimination for the Penguins, and they went on to win the organization’s first Stanley Cup.

Unluckiest Goalie: Clint Malarchuk

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*Video is graphic*

Retired goalie Clint Malarchuk started for the Buffalo Sabres in 1989, when a freak accident with the business end of a hockey skate nearly killed him and contributed to his early retirement. The horrifying injury occurred when St. Louis Blues forward Steve Tuttle became entangled with a defender as he crashed the net, and his skate blade sliced Malarchuk’s neck, severing his carotid artery.  

The scene on the ice was so gruesome that, not only did a number of fans faint in the audience, but it also caused two heart attacksand triggered a number of players to vomit on the ice. Malarchuk narrowly avoided death, and his injury required over 300 stitches to close the wound.  

He returned to the ice within weeks, but his play steadily declined before he retired. He suffered from nightmares, battled alcoholism and, in 2008, attempted suicide.  

He’s since recovered physically and emotionally, and in June 2011, he was hired by the Calgary Flames to coach goalies.

Luckiest Poker Player: Gus Hansen

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Gus Hansen is one of the most exciting professional poker players for fans of the game; he’s volatile, unpredictable and tends to win big or lose big.  

Some of the best players in the world have been victimized by the patented Hansen “suck out,” and some take the fr

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