{"id":151612,"date":"2025-04-18T12:07:21","date_gmt":"2025-04-18T16:07:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.cyberlego.com\/web\/2025\/04\/18\/ask-billboard-no-99-is-at-no-2-as-drakes-nokia-gets-an-assist-from-wayne-gretzky-2\/"},"modified":"2025-04-18T12:07:21","modified_gmt":"2025-04-18T16:07:21","slug":"ask-billboard-no-99-is-at-no-2-as-drakes-nokia-gets-an-assist-from-wayne-gretzky-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.cyberlego.com\/web\/2025\/04\/18\/ask-billboard-no-99-is-at-no-2-as-drakes-nokia-gets-an-assist-from-wayne-gretzky-2\/","title":{"rendered":"Ask Billboard: No. 99 Is at No. 2, As Drake\u2019s \u2018Nokia\u2019 Gets an Assist From Wayne\u00a0Gretzky"},"content":{"rendered":"

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\n\tSubmit questions about <\/em>Billboard charts, as well as general music musings, to <\/em>askbb@billboard.com<\/em><\/strong><\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n

\n\tPlease include your first and last name, as well as your city, state and country, if outside the United States.<\/em><\/p>\n

\n\tOr, reach out on Bluesky<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n

\n\tLet\u2019s open the latest mailbag.<\/em><\/em><\/p>\n

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\t\t\t\t\tRelated\t\t<\/p>\n<\/h3><\/div>\n

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\t\t\t\t\t\t\"Kendrick<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

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\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n
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\t\t\t\t\tDrake & Kendrick Lamar\u2019s Rocky Relationship\u00a0Explained\t\t<\/p>\n<\/h3><\/div>\n

\t\t<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n

\n\tHi Gary,<\/p>\n

\n\tHere\u2019s a sports angle that\u2019s timely as Drake<\/a>\u2019s \u201cNokia\u201d hits No. 2<\/a> on the latest Billboard Hot 100<\/a>. In the song, he flirts, \u201cIs that your bestie? Im\u2019a ice both y\u2019all like Gretzky.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tFellow Canadian Wayne Gretzky, aka The Great One, held the National Hockey League record for the most regular-season goals scored \u2014 894 \u2014 for 31 years. On April 6, Alex Ovechkin scored his 895th<\/a>. With Gretzky, whose uniform No. 99 is retired league-wide, now at No. 2 in terms of that record, well, that\u2019s a connection to Drake being at the Hot 100\u2019s runner-up position.<\/p>\n

\n\tThree other related stats, with \u201cNokia\u201d at No. 2 and Kendrick Lamar and SZA\u2019s \u201cLuther\u201d at No. 1:<\/p>\n

\n\tOvechkin\u2019s nickname is Ovi. Drake co-founded the OVO Sounds imprint. (OVO stands for October\u2019s Very Own; Drake was born in that month.)<\/p>\n

\n\tA drake is a male duck. Lamar\u2019s full name is Kendrick Lamar Duckworth. Also can\u2019t duck from this hockey history: The name of the NHL\u2019s Anaheim Ducks originated from Disney\u2019s 1992 movie about the sport, The Mighty Ducks<\/em>. (You can double-check that on the web.)<\/p>\n

\n\tPlus, despite their rivalry, both Lamar and Drake share incredible smiles. I\u2019m guessing that neither lost any teeth due to playing hockey. I\u2019m just trying to make hockey connections, this coming from someone who knows more about Shakespeare\u2019s Puck, that mischievous muse<\/a> from A Midsummer Night\u2019s Dream<\/em>, than a hockey puck.<\/p>\n

\n\tPablo Nelson
Oakland, Calif.<\/p>\n

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