Wanna blog? Start your own hockey blog with My HockeyBuzz. Register for free today!
 

Grit: Some Have It, Some Don't

October 29, 2014, 1:58 PM ET [8 Comments]
Brad Marsh
Blogger • RSSArchiveCONTACT
Grit is a popular buzzword in all sports today, not just hockey. If you've got that trait, you can stand out from the pack nowadays. Not every player has it, and it can't be faked.

Back when I played, it was the opposite. If you DIDN'T play with grit, you stood out (for the wrong reason). Pretty much everyone had grit because it was a required element to even be allowed to pull on the uniform. I am not sure when grit became optional in sports. Even if you are the meekest of players you have to have a little bit of grit or sandpaper just to survive. At least it was that way when I played.

Recently, TSN did their version of the top 25 “grittiest” players. The catch to this list is that it was the top 25 grittiest players who could also play the game, they called the segment “Grit and Game”. I am not going to get into debate whether their choices are correct or not, I thought it would be neat for me to piggyback off their choice and offer a little personal insight on some of the players that I played with and against.

1. Gordie Howe: Let me say first of all that my thoughts and prayers are with the entire Howe family right now. Gordie Howe is our game's all-time greatest icon and I was honoured to be a teammate of Mark Howe for many years in Philadelphia.

I was also fortunate to play against Gordie in the NHL. The first time I played against him, he was 51 years old. Everything they say about Gordie is true, I saw it happen – somebody hit Mark and, by the end of the game, that guy was bloodied. He'd have done it for any teammate, though.

This is what I remember most, though: There was a third-period play where the puck was passed back to the left defenseman, who wound up to shoot. Gordie, the right winger, slid and blocked the shot.

2. Eddie Shore: Never played against him, only know the legend. Apart from saying that he was no doubt quite the competitor, I will stick to the stories everyone knows and let the Hanson brothers talk about him.

3. Scott Stevens: Great all-around player who was truly one of the best defenseman I've ever seen. Stevens was absolutely the best open-ice body checker I ever saw. Just ask Eric Lindros if you don't believe me.

4. Ted Lindsay: I never played at the same time as "Terrible Ted" but just to look at his face, you know he played tough. A good story about Ted was when he was GM of Detroit, which at the time was a very soft team.

Ted made no bones about it: he was going to sign and draft tough guys when he took over in 1978. He would show up to scout Junior games wearing a T-shirt saying “Aggressive Hockey is Back in Town.”

5. Larry Robinson: I never thought of Larry Robinson as a fighter, but he could handle that as well as any situation. I always respected him as one of the most complete defensemen ever to play. He played the game tough but most defensemen from that era played the game that way.

I will always remember the first time that I played against him and the Montreal Canadiens. It was in Atlanta and we won the game by a 2-1 score. I won't lie: It was a thrill. I almost most say that, even being on the other side, I couldn't help but admire Larry's abilities.

6. Brendan Shanahan: I can’t quite figure Brendan out, to be honest. He was a very good player not sure if the word "great" fits except for a couple years in St. Louis when he had Adam Oates and Brett Hull as teammates. With that said, Shanahan is in the Hall of Fame. He played hard, he played gritty and with dogged determination would drive any player nuts.

Ehen he became the “sheriff” of the NHL's Player Safety Department, he forgot how he played! Some of the rules and the changes that he helped bring about have done more harm than good. As good as Brendan was as a player, I don't love the game he's had a hand in creating in recent years. I think he would have trouble playing in the Shanaban era, where cheapshots and diving were still rampant and grit was largely removed.

7. Clarke Gillies: Jethro was the first true power forward. I think he defined that role. One of the best lines ever assembled was Gillies with Bryan Trottier and Mike Bossy. Wow!

Mike was one of the purest goal scorers of all time. Trots was simply the best and smartest two-way player of his era, in my estimation. Then you had big Clark Gilles who could score, hit, fight (when he had to -- which was rarely, because he was one tough customer) and most importantly look after his linemates.

8. Dale Hunter: You know that saying “Won’t take no for answer”? That is how Dale played. Always on you, always in your face.

Funny story: As a Flyer, we had many great battles against Washington, meaning I had many great battles against Dale. The Hunter family were farmers in a small town outside of my hometown of London. When we played, I always called him a pig farmer. Well, usually there was a few adjectives tossed in before and after that compliment.

Anyhow, a number of years after our retirements we were both speaking at a sports dinner and we were seated beside each other. We had never really met before other than on the ice and so I started some small talk.

“I wonder what's for dinner," I said. "Do you know?"

Dale smirked at me.

"Pork," he said.

9. Claude Lemieux: Pardon my French but what a pain in the ass this guy was! Let's move on.

10. Pat Verbeek: Over 1,000 points and almost 3,000 penalty minutes. He was the original "Little Ball of Hate" on the ice. Pat was officially 5’9” but that was probably a stretch. Pat is one of those players that defines the word Grit. He played with a huge heart and was like a like little tasmanian devil on the ice, both between and after the whistles.

11. Rick Tocchet: My old Flyers teammate. Toch is one of those players that in my opinion could have played in any era of hockey. I watched him grow into the player that he became. He worked and worked and worked some more and turned himself into a scorer as well as a tough-as-nails is this. The biggest compliment that I heard for Rick is this: Whenever I talk to any of my buddies that had to play against him, they say they hated him. But they hated him with respect. I was just glad we were on the same side for those years in Philadelphia.

12. Gary Roberts: A modern day Brian Sutter (see number 23), Gary brought his A-game every night. He got his nose dirty every shift. I played against Gary early in his career and late in mine, but for the most part I watched Gary from the stands as a fan. He is another of those players that you only like when he is on your team.

13. Keith Tkachuck: I only played two seasons against Keith. I really do not have any specific memories of playing or battling against him but he went on to become one nasty player for others to go up against. Here are his stats: Games Played 1,201, Total Points 1,065, Total Penalty Minutes 2,219. Those numbers speak for themselves.

14. Wendel Clark: Pound for pound, one of the toughest guys ever to play the game. He could fight and everybody he fought was bigger than him. He didn’t care if he won or lost because he fought for the team and not for himself. I had the pleasure of playing with Wendel in Toronto and witnessed his team-first mentality. It was very special. The thing separated Wendall from most of the others in this category was his shot: It was among the best in the league.

15. Paul Holmgren: I was always aware of when Paul was on the ice, simply because I knew what he could do to a player if he caught you unaware. Homer is the all-time team guy, everything he did was for the sake of the team. Once again, this is a guy who could score, check and fight..

I often wonder what a player of Paul’s worth would bring in today’s market. The first player that I looked up to with regards to off-ice training and how important it was. He, along with fitness coach Pat Croce taught me a lot with regards to being a professional.

16. Terry O’Reilly: Terry was the first bona fide tough guy that I remember playing against. I have met him several times in our retirement at various Alumni charity events. Once again, this is another great guy off theice.

If you were a corporate guy and you knew nothing about hockey, you would be shocked after meeting Terry that he was one of the toughest players of all time. From what I have
come to know about Terry was that he worked his way onto this list. He was always tough but through hard work before and after practice he became a player that could score.

I have always described Terry this way: If you checked him, he would beat the crap out of you. If you left him alone, he would score.

17. Bob Probert: During a hockey game you get hit many times, if you get in a fight you will probably get hit with a punch or two. Most hits and most punches really do not daze you, you know they are coming and you brace yourself for them.

I cannot explain the feeling precisely but when you got hit by Bob, it hurt at the time and it hurt the next day. When you fought him, the punches were different. They stung and you could feel the swelling right away. I know, because experienced both many times.

18. Shayne Corson: I always remember Corson as the kid that could play. He broke into the NHL with Montreal in 1986. He wasn’t the kid with the shot or the kid that could hit or fight. H was just a kid that could play. That's a strong compliment from a veteran.

19. Ken Linesman: "The Rat" was what we called him in Junior and the name stuck for his NHL career. He was a pest just as his name suggests. He wasn’t tough but he wasrelentless or persistent in the way he played the game. He never gave up on a forecheck and could always smell a turnover. He also utilized the fact that he played with the Flyers to his advantage. He had others to back him up so he played even a little meaner. with his stick.

20. Kevin Stevens: Much of Kevin’s NHL playing time came after I retired in 1993, so I do not have any particular “stories” or experiences to share, except that he was a force on the Penguins' Cup-winning teams of the early 1990s along with guys like Mario Lemieux and a young Jaromir Jagr. Kevin's stats speak for themselves: almost a point-a-game guy and almost 1,500 minutes in penalties.

21. John Ferguson: Like all of the old timers on the list except Gordie, I never played with him or against him but I know the stories and have seen the tapes. I am glad I got to know Fergie in my years in Ottawa. He is the type of guy that you want on your team. He was one of the nicest, kindest and loyal guys that I have ever met.

22. Al Secord: Probably the toughest guy I have ever had to play against a regular basis. We battled in Junior, got drafted the same year and then we battled again in the NHL for several years.

Actually, "battled" might be an understatement! We brawled for years with the Hamilton Fincups and the London Knights. If you count exhibition and playoffs, sometimes we played against each other 14-16 times a year. Line brawls, bench clearing brawls, brawls in the stands were not uncommon. In fact, they happened more often than not.

I remember one game where Al hadn’t had a chance to fight me yet so during a stoppage of play, with the faceoff by our bench, he decided to jump into our bench to fight. Later, wewere teammates in Toronto. Never brought up the Junior brawls. There was no need to. It was never personal. It was always about our teams.

Al is a pilot for American Airlines (might have the airline wrong) but I sure pity anyone that steps out of line on his plane! Side note: Al scored 54 goals one season with the Chicago Blackhawks. The guy could play, too.

23. Brian Sutter: Brian was the ultimate competitor from a family whose name conjures images of toughness and grit. He was the first guy that I faced in the NHL who got my immediate attention. It was simply because of the way he played: All in, all the time.

I remember going into the corner with him or battling with Brian in front of the net. You knew you were were in a war. A clean war usually but, man, what a battle he put you through! It felt like 15 rounds with the heavyweight champion.

24. Dave "Tiger" Williams:Probably the first “crazy” guy I had to play against. I say crazy simply because you never knew what he was going to do on the ice. He always played the way he wanted and always said what was always on his mind. He is still the same way today.

Tiger speaks his mind and he still plays in the Alumni games like he was still in the NHL. We need more people like Tiger. What you see is what you get!

25. Gerald Gallant: I think some people will be surprised to see this name in the top 25. I was not. I played against “Spuddy” for years and then was his teammate in Detroit.

He had four seasons where he scored over 35 goals and also had over 200+ penalty minutes. Look up the players of today that have over 200 penalty minutes in a season (a dying breed in and of themselves). They’re lucky if they touch the puck 35 times let alone score 35 goals. Gallant was tough, a quiet tough just went about his business and really the only ones that knew about it, where the defenseman that had to cover him.

In parting: My question to you is this: Does your favourite team have what it takes to win? Do they have players with grit AND game? Take a look at the roster from top to bottom. If they do not have players that fit into this category, well, then you ain't going to win much when the games really start to become trench warfare down the stretch and the playoffs.
Join the Discussion: » 8 Comments » Post New Comment
More from Brad Marsh