Farewell Ray Whitney, hockey videobombing pioneer (Video)

Ray Whitney announced his retirement on Wednesday after 1,330 games in the NHL. He was a productive player, hitting the 20-goal mark ten times, finishing with 385 goals and 1,064 points. He was two-time All-Star and won the Stanley Cup in 2006 with the Carolina Hurricanes.

In the final few seasons of his NHL career, “The Wizard” became known for something else, something that spiced up those cliche filled pre-game on-ice interviews with players. Efforting to loosen things up, especially when times were tough, Whitney began to videobomb his teammates, a routine that turned into a “Where’s Whitney” bit among Coyotes fans.

Here’s Whitney doing it behind Coyotes associate coach Jim Playfair:

…and a young Kyle Turris:

…and Adrian Aucoin:

…and Tyler Seguin:

Whitney explained to Fox Sports Arizona’s Todd Walsh in 2011 that his goal was to try and make whatever teammate was being interview as uncomfortable as possible.

“I kind of do it as things are going," he said. "Obviously, if you’re losing, if you’ve lost six in a row, the last thing the manager wants to see is you goofing off before a game. But that’s just kind of my nature. I’ve always been pretty loose before games.”

Ryan Kesler started Kes-lurking and John Scott made cameos behind teammates while they did interviews, but we’ll all remember Whitney for being a pioneer in the field.

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Sean Leahy is the associate editor for Puck Daddy on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at puckdaddyblog@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter! Follow @Sean_Leahy

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