For Red Wing Opponents, It's Same Old 'Grind Line'

DETROIT — As members of the Red Wings' "Grind Line," Kirk Maltby, Kris Draper and Darren McCarty play a game within a game.

Their mission is to annoy opponents without losing their own poise or taking bad penalties, to anticipate what opposing forwards will do and distract them enough, verbally and physically, to get them off their game. "At times, it's like a chess match," Maltby said.

Full-contact chess, maybe, with knights and rooks toppling all over the board.

This trio's job is not glamorous, and it's rare that any of them shows up in a highlight film. But there might not be any highlights of Sergei Fedorov dancing through traffic or Igor Larionov playing keepaway with the puck if not for the Grind Line's efforts in wearing down opponents and making them pay a physical price for every inch of ice.

Come playoff time, the Grind Liners' role is magnified. Their relentless battling made them pivotal figures in the Red Wings' two consecutive Stanley Cup triumphs, and they consider the playoffs their favorite part of the NHL calendar.

"This is the time of year you want people to hate you," Draper, the line's center and loudest chatterbox, said Thursday. "You get some hits and you try to talk to people and you just go from there.

"When the three of us are out there, we want it to be the toughest line for the other team to play against."

So much does Coach Scotty Bowman respect their work ethic and performance, he sent them out for the first shift of Detroit's 5-3 playoff-opening victory Wednesday against the Mighty Ducks' top line of Paul Kariya, Steve Rucchin and Teemu Selanne.

For the Grind Liners, it was the ultimate compliment.

"We don't expect that we're going to start every game, but when we do, we want to battle and get some momentum going," Maltby said. "You want to try and get your team going. If you can do that, you can kind of set a tone."

Their energy launched the Red Wings to an onslaught that lasted five minutes and severely tested the Ducks' resources. A mere 15 seconds into the game, Maltby took a shot that Duck goaltender Guy Hebert had to repel with his stick, and moments later, McCarty and Duck defenseman Jason Marshall were bumping bodies in the neutral zone.

"You try to get some bangs in there," Draper said.