The other night the NHL Network was replaying Wayne Gretzky's 2nd to last game, which was in Ottawa. The year was 1999. (Update: Sorry for the mistake I made when first writing this saying that was his last game. It was a 3am blog after all.) ;-)
As I watched, I realized that just 16 short years ago the players were completely different than they are today. They looked a bit slower. Not as strong. Not as quick in transition.
That is not to say the players were worse than the players today. It was just the style of the game back then.
Coincidentally Martin St. Louis' first full season in the NHL was in 2000. His meager 18 goals and 22 assists in 78 games that season was surely not indicative of what was to come.
From that point forward he was blessed with incredible health as well as superstar teammates that helped him become one of the best players in the NHL for many years.
All of this being accomplished by a 5'8", 180 lbs. Canadian from Laval.
Is he proof that smaller players can thrive in the NHL? Or was he an aberration?
Few diminutive players come to mind when thinking about rousing success in the NHL. Yet St. Louis defied the odds at every turn, and then some.
Will we ever see such a player like that again?
Enter Rocco Grimaldi.
Now, before I discuss Grimaldi's chances at becoming a great NHL player, please know there is no bias here. These are simply questions I'm proposing to you.
If the NHL has become bigger, stronger, and faster than it has ever been, can a 5'6", 160 lbs. Grimaldi thrive in such conditions?
He is even smaller than St. Louis. By a lot, actually.
Grimaldi has said he has learned how to use his small size to his advantage. What choice did he have? He has excelled at every level he has played. So much so that Florida GM Dale Tallon selected him 33rd overall in the 2011 NHL Draft. At the time, many experts thought that might be a steal of a pick for the Panthers.
After a knee injury kept him out of practically the entire season of his freshman year at North Dakota, he went on to have two great seasons before turning professional last summer. He tallied 42 points in 64 games for the AHL San Antonio Rampage, as well as scored his first NHL goal in Nashville on a last second shot that helped the Panthers steal a point they shouldn't have earned. He played 7 NHL games in call up duty last season.
Tallon has stated several times he wants Grimaldi to be on the opening night roster, but with a lot of bodies and talented players fighting for spots it will be interesting to see if he separates himself from the crowd. Will he?
He is a very quick skater, has great hands, and an exceptional hockey IQ. While he had double the amount of assists than goals last season, he has a "shoot first" mentality. The offensively-starved Panthers cannot have too many of those.
Grimaldi has mentioned that his size helps him get underneath and around the beasts NHL defensemen have become over the years. His center of gravity is so low that big defensemen cannot line him up the way they can players closer to their size.
But therein lies a problem.
St. Louis played in a day where he was faster than a lot of the guys he was playing against, but they also weren't as big and strong as most of the players today. That is not to say that there weren't incredible defensemen looking to take his time and space away back then, but in my opinion there weren't as many up to the task as there are today.
Once opposing teams get a book on Grimaldi's tendencies, will it be easy to limit the type of player he can be? How will he react to the inevitable big hits that are coming from guys 50-70 lbs. bigger than him? Will his size keep him from being able to properly adjust to how other teams defend him?
St. Louis definitely adjusted. Can Grimaldi persevere as well?
Make no mistake. These aren't the same old Florida Panthers. There is a lot of hungry youth on this squad, and at least on paper it should be one of the most talented offensive teams in franchise history(although that's not saying much). There is no doubt a healthy Grimaldi can be a 20-goal scorer in his first full campaign. St. Louis scored 18 and 16 goals in his first two seasons in Tampa.
But what happened to St. Louis after that was incredible. A small player who was blessed to play with Lecavalier, Richards, and others that brought the best out in him.
Are there players like that on this current Panthers roster? I'd say the verdict is still out on that one. Where Grimaldi plays will be an important factor. My guess is 3rd line to start if he makes the team.
But as of now he really is an unknown quantity. His fearlessness and overachieving mentality may pay huge dividends at the NHL level. Head coach Gerard Gallant and staff might be able to bring the very best out in a player that will stand out on the ice for the exact opposite reason that Tyler Myers does.
Imagine the fan favorite he will become if he blossoms into a bonafide scorer while weaving through the Sequoias. The days of 100 point players are over, but with experience and given top line minutes, could he become a star?
There is a lot to be determined about this intriguing player. The question remains. Can a player his size thrive in today's NHL?
You make the call, and as always I look forward to your comments.
Dan Spiegel... Florida Panthers Media