Jack Eichel sets record straight on Charles Barkley run-in: ‘Of course I know’ who he is
Eichel #Eichel
Charles Barkley can sleep easy now knowing that NHL star Jack Eichel does indeed know who he is.
Eichel set the record straight on Monday when he spoke to reporters about the run-in he had with the TNT “Inside the NBA” host earlier at the Stanley Cup Finals.
Barkley had told Canadian sports outlet Sportsnet during Game 4 that he had crossed paths with the Vegas Golden Knights forward at the hotel and went up to introduce himself.
“The other day I was at the hotel. I walked up to Jack Eichel and said how great he was. I think he had zero idea who I was,” Barkley recounted.
Nevertheless, that wasn’t the whole story apparently. At least not the way Eichel remembered it.
Eichel called the misunderstanding “unfortunate” and said that the situation was taken out of context.
“Of course I know who Charles Barkley is.”
Jack Eichel speaks out after basketball Hall of Famer thought the Golden Knights center had “zero idea” who he was. 😂 pic.twitter.com/hJIRcTJwjA
— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) June 12, 2023 
“I was in a conversation with somebody and he came by and introduced himself,” Eichel explained. “We said hi quick and he said ‘I don’t want to interrupt you.’ And he just kind of kept on walking down the road. That was the extent of it.
“Of course I know who Charles Barkley is. I don’t think there’s anybody on the planet that doesn’t. He’s obviously all over the TV and he’s got a great personality, and I’m a big fan of him.”
Barkley, a noted hockey lover, has made his way over to TNT’s NHL coverage on several occasions since it took over part of the league’s national broadcast rights.
Eichel called it “cool” to see the relationship between the network’s NBA and NHL talent.
Eichel had 23 points (six goals, 17 assists) in 21 playoff games entering Thursday night’s Game 5 against the Florida Panthers.