OT Kris Draper set to retire
Talk about grit.
Has anyone ever gotten a higher return out of a one dollar investment?
Good luck and thanks, Kris.
And F Claude Lemieux.
that I'd point out to my son and say "Play like him."
Draper has always been one of my favorite players. He was a tough physicial player with underrated skill. The Grind Line with him, Maltby and McCarty will be remembered for a long time.
Good luck to him as he moves on. Hopefully, he'll stay with the organization.
make the Wings one of the greatest organizations in professional sports. He was a team first guy who never complained but was always available for the media after games. I cant see how he wouldnt stay involved with the Wings in some capacity as many former players have. Holland and Illitch do a nice job of taking care of their own.
Drapes has one of the greatest playoff beards ever.
No question of that. His picture should be in the dictionary under "Playoff Beard."
The Wings' culture of selflessness and hard work grew out of Drapes' and others' ethics and attitudes (beginning notably with Stevie Y). His numbers will always look meh, but the long-lasting effects of that mindset will affect the club for a long time. Best wishes to him.
I'm probably going against the grain here but Draper was one of the more frustrating players for me to watch. I don't know how many games I would watch where Draper would get a nice clean breakway only to miss the net. I will agree that his grit was tough to match though.
Kudos to Drapes and good luck to him as he moves into the front office.
Back in the day it was either him or Yzerman taking the important faceoffs and winning most of them. I have fond memories of the Grind Line doing their thing, and enjoyed his prank of hitting the birthday Red Wing in the face with a towel full of shaving cream.
True grit guy.