A Guy Who Truly Loved The Game

Kirk Maltby looked out of place standing with Red Wings General Manager Ken Holland yesterday. Not only was he in a suit, but the (now former) NHL pest broke into tears as he said his goodbye to his professional hockey career. From the Detroit News Maltby was famous for his participation in Detroit’s grind line: a third line of players who embodied what is Detroit blue-collar hockey. Maltby, with his line mates Darren McCarty and Kris Draper, tormented other teams’ top scoring lines. The three were physical, had no fear while they were on the ice, and had the ability to knock an opponent into the boards while scoring a goal. The line played a key role in three of the Wings’ championships. Maltby continued to thrive in Detroit even after McCarty left the Wings organization. Despite not being known as a scorer, Maltby is +18 in his career and totaled 260 total points. He played total in 1,072 games, most of them with Detroit, and totaled 867 penalty minutes. He would also go ...