Kris Draper: The Best Buck Ever Spent

The final memeber of the infamous Grind Line retired yesterday. Kris Draper,40, announced his retirement during a press conference yesterday saying that he was very thankful that the Wings had allowed him to play for them during all these years. Kris had surley wanted to play this year however there was no roster spot and he refused to play on a two-way deal or sign for another team. Just like with Osgood, Kris Draper will take a role in the front office and help make our team even better. Join me as I reflect on one of the most successful careers in all of hockey.

1,157 Games, 1 Selke Trophy, and 4 Stanley Cups later #33 has officially retired. Personally I feel sad, I feel we have lost one of our generals. Everyone knew this retirement was coming as there was no roster spot for the center however this gives you a hole in your heart.  Kris Draper was drafted 62nd overall by the Winnipeg Jets in 1989. In his early years he saw very little action, spliting time between the AHL and the NHL then in 1993 he was traded to the Detroit Red Wings for one dollar. He started of the season in the AHL however then he started to get time in the NHL. Due to his massive work ethic he quickly earned a roster spot and the respect from his teammates. With the help from teammates Joey Kocur, Kirk Maltby and Darren McCarty he started the “Grind Line”. A line that grinds down other teams top lines and at the same time put up some good points. Together with the Grind Line he helped the Wings win the 97,98,02, and 08 cups. He also was a major spark in the Colorado rivalry. In 1996 he was hit by Claude Lemioux of the Avalanche the injury was very serious and his career could have been put in jeopardy, then later that season a major brawl happend between the two sides and Darren McCarty beat the living crap out of Lemoiux and Vernon fought Patric Roy.

Draper was never a major offensive force only snifing around the 30 pt mark however in 2004 he tallied up 40 points and won the Selke award for best defensive forward. Draper countinued to fight on and has in recent years aided the development of players like Darren Helm and Justin Abdelkader. So after all this time and success the questions arise. Should his number be retired? Should he be in the HoF? My answer is yes to both of those. Tell me what your opinion on that is.

Christian

 

Kris Draper to announce retirement

A picture was posted yesterday at the Red Wings official site saying the Draper was announcing his retirement. The picture was put up by mistake and has now been removed. Multiple sources have confirmed this, including George Malik and Anser Khan. This isn’t shocking as we all knew it was coming however this means the end of the Grind Line as we know it. All I know is that this is the best buck ever spent.

Chris Osgood: The Wizard Of Oz

Chris Osgood, The Wizard of Oz, the savior in 08, the list goes on and on but there is only one Chris Osgood. Earlier this morning when I woke up I found some unexpecting news. There was a Conference call scheduled for noon between Ken Holland and Chris Osgood. Initially sites like NHL.com, Freepress.com, and Detroitnews.com all reported that he was returning for another season. The only major site that was reporting that he was retiring was Mlive.com. However as the day rolled along in the hours leading up to the announcement more and more sites changed there story’s reporting that he was in fact retiring. Then at noon we got our confirmation, Chris Osgood, one of the greatest netminders of all time has going to go into retirement. Initially I was actually a little sad, feeling a small part of my body just go empty. I mean Draper was already pretty much of the team and now Osgood to. However instead of grieving his retirement we should honor one of the all time greats. When he was asked what was the main decision he said he wanted to play but couldn’t guarantee that he would be heathy, he wanted to make sure that the team wouldn’t be hurt by him playing another season. A very very classy move.  Throughout these next paragraphs I will give you a look back at the history of Osgood and my opinion if he should enter the Hall of Fame or have his #30 retired.

Chris Osgood was drafted 54th overall in the 1991 NHL draft. He played his first season since being drafted in the Brandon Wheat Kings, and Seattle Thunderbirds. In the 1992-93 season he made his debut in the Adirondack Red Wings in the AHL. His first season was mediocre playing 45 games, winning 19 and losing 19. He posted a 3.91 GAA however there was a lot of potential for the young net-minder and in the 1993-94 season he would make his Wings debut. He played 41 games going 23-8-5(Remember there were ties in those days) while posting a 2.86 GAA and a .895 SV%. During that season Detroit had many goaltenders however when the playoffs came around Osgood was given the position as starter. The coaches felt that no-one would do any better and Osgood could gain some key experience. The wings were heavily favored coming into the first round as they were taking on the San Jose Sharks, as you know the Wings were beaten in 7 games and sent home packing. While not all the fault should be put on Ozzie he made a key mistake after accidentally clearing the puck to Jamie Baker who shot in the game winning goal. After the game Ozzie was crying in shame after he felt he cost us the game and the playoffs.