"I was in Africa": Ex-Canucks defenceman Gudbranson tells hilarious trade story
When defenceman Erik Gudbranson was traded to the Vancouver Canucks in 2016, he wasn’t the first person to find out. That’s because he was on the other side of the globe when the deal went down.
“Actually, I was in Africa; I didn’t find out until two days after,” said the 31-year-old about the trade during a recent appearance on the Mitts Off podcast with Luka Gazdic.
Not only was the 6-foot-5 defenceman vacationing in Africa, but he was also in the middle of a national park, far from any phone or internet connection that would keep him in the loop.
“I was in Chobe National Park on a houseboat, no service,” Gudbranson explained. “So we did a transfer; I couldn’t even tell you on a map. I could show you Chobe National Park, but where I actually was, I have no idea.”
The NHL veteran wasn’t even the first person on his Africa trip to find out about the trade.
“We were going in a car and ending up in Zimbabwe and going to see Victoria Falls. I get to the hotel, and I’m with my buddy, and my phone just starts blowing up, and he looked at me first, he’s like, ‘Dude, you got traded,'” recounted Gudbranson. “‘I’m like, ‘No I didn’t, get out of here.’ And sure enough, I look at my phone, and it’s like Jim Benning ‘Where are you,’ Trevor Linden ‘hey.'”
While the news of the trade was a surprise to Gudbranson, it wasn’t to anyone else in his life, something he would soon find out.
“So I called my girlfriend at the time, who’s now my wife, and I’m like, ‘Hey babe, sorry but I’ve got to tell you something,’ and she’s like, ‘Don’t worry about it. I found out 36 hours ago, where the hell have you been.'”
The full details of that 2016 trade included the Canucks acquiring Gudbranson and a fifth-round draft pick from the Florida Panthers in exchange for Jared McCann, a second-round pick, and a fourth-round pick.
The original NHL.com story published after the trade says that “Gudbranson was unavailable for comment while vacationing in Africa.”
Gudbranson ended up playing 139 NHL games for the Canucks over three seasons. He now plays for the Columbus Blue Jackets, his eighth stop during his NHL career.