For Red Wing Opponents, It’s Same Old ‘Grind Line’

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.

About half of the Grind Line’s ice time was spent harassing and trying to impede Kariya, Rucchin and Selanne. Bowman preferred to match defensemen Chris Chelios and Nicklas Lidstrom against the Ducks’ high-scoring line, but Kariya and company still saw plenty of the Grind Line. “Those guys, you want to try and contain them, throw them off a little bit, because it’s almost impossible to stop them,” Maltby said. “If you can slow them down, obviously that will help.”

From the perspective of one virtuoso to another, Kariya complimented his tormentors, even though he is probably more familiar with their elbows, forearms and shoulders than their faces.

“I don’t hate them. I don’t hate anybody,” Kariya said. “They’re all good skaters. I respect them for playing a hard, physical game, but that’s enjoyable. You want to go out against the best and produce.”

Since Kariya had a goal and two assists, Selanne had a goal and an assist and Rucchin contributed three assists, it’s impossible to declare the Grind Line the winner of their first encounter. But the Red Wings won the game, and that’s what matters in the end.

“I’m sure they’ve had better games,” Maltby said, “and I’m sure they’ve had worse. We just played the way we wanted. If by chance we did throw them off, that’s fine.”

Maltby and Draper have been mainstays of the line for several seasons. Brawny Joe Kocur usually plays on their right, but he strained an abdominal muscle late in the season and will miss the playoffs. McCarty, who has played with Maltby and Draper before, slipped comfortably back into his old spot beside them after spending several weeks with Steve Yzerman on Detroit’s top offensive unit.

“We don’t hold it against him. We don’t hold any grudges against anybody,” Maltby said of McCarty’s temporary desertion of the Grind Line. “Any time anybody gets a chance to play with Stevie, that’s great.”

Yzerman, of course, is vital to the Red Wings’ success. But so are the Grind Liners because they give Detroit great balance and formidable depth, qualities the Ducks can’t match.

On almost any other team, the Grind Liners might be the second line and get more offensive leeway. They’ve each shown they can score, and each has the speed and instincts to be productive. “Sometimes we think maybe offensively, we can put a few more points up,” Maltby said, “but look around this [dressing] room. We’ve got a great mix of players and everyone does the job they’re asked to do. Our line, we know what our role is, and that’s true of everyone on this team.”

If that role includes uttering the occasional incendiary word, so be it, but Draper insists they skate on the safe side of propriety. “Nothing dirty,” he said. “Whatever comes to mind, I say. What I try to do is get in people’s faces.”

Which is one reason the Ducks face an impossible challenge in this series.

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The Big Line

The Red Wings’ “grind line” of Kirk Maltby, Kris Draper and Darren McCarty, which has the task of playing against the Mighty Duck line of Paul Kariya, Teemu Selanne and Steve Rucchin, had mixed success in Game 1 despite Detroit’s victory:

GAME ONE

* RUCCHIN (THREE POINTS): Assisted on Marty McInnis’ goal in the first peroid; assisted on Kariya’s goal in second period; assisted on Selanne’s goal in the third period.

* KARIYA (TWO POINTS): Scored in second period; assisted on Selanne’s goal in third period.

* SELANNE (ONE POINT): Scored in third period off assists by Rucchin and Kariya.