Stu Grimson
| Stu Grimson | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Born |
May 20, 1965 Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada | ||
| Height | 6 ft 6 in (198 cm) | ||
| Weight | 240 lb (109 kg; 17 st 2 lb) | ||
| Position | Left Wing | ||
| Shot | Left | ||
| Played for | |||
| NHL draft |
186th overall, 1983 Detroit Red Wings 143rd overall, 1985 Calgary Flames | ||
| Playing career | 1988–2002 | ||
Stuart Grimson (born May 20, 1965) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player. Grimson played in the National Hockey League from 1989 to 2002. During this time, he played for the Calgary Flames, Chicago Blackhawks, Mighty Ducks of Anaheim, Detroit Red Wings, Hartford Whalers/Carolina Hurricanes, Los Angeles Kings, and Nashville Predators. Grimson was born in Vancouver, British Columbia, but grew up in Kamloops, British Columbia.
Playing career
Grimson was known as an enforcer, with over 2,000 penalty minutes in his career. His stature, his reputation as a fighter, and a play on his surname combined to earn him the nickname "The Grim Reaper." In his final season, in Nashville, he suffered from post-concussion syndrome and was forced to retire after a fight with Georges Laraque of the Edmonton Oilers.[1] He had already been suffering effects before that bout, and even admitted he once blacked out in the middle of a fight.[2][3]
His final NHL game was on December 12, 2001, and he officially announced his retirement on June 1, 2003.
Personal life
 | This section needs additional citations for verification. (February 2022) |
Despite his fearsome reputation on the ice, Grimson won respect as an intelligent and articulate man off it. He became a born-again Christian in the early 1990s and led the NHL's Christian Fellowship ("Jesus was no wimp", Grimson said in one interview).
After retiring, Grimson finished his undergraduate degree and began law school. He completed his Juris Doctor degree in December 2005 at the University of Memphis Law School. He was In-House Counsel for the National Hockey League Players' Association (2006–2008) and then worked for the Nashville law firm of Kay, Griffin, Enkema & Brothers, PLLC (2008–2012). He worked as a Color Analyst for the Nashville Predators on Fox Sports South and the team's flagship network, 102.5 The Game, through the 2016–17 season.
Grimson appeared in a 2001 commercial spot for The Foundation for a Better Life. It begins with on-ice game action leading up to an intermission. While in the locker room with the team, Grimson receives a phone call. It is revealed that the caller is Grimson's young daughter, who asks him to sing "Itsy Bitsy Spider". He reluctantly complies, much to the amusement of his teammates. Grimson replies "Hey, it's my girl! You know, my daughter?" The commercial showed a softer side of Grimson as a good family man.[4]
During an October 6, 2011, edition of Hockey Night In Canada, Don Cherry accused Grimson, along with Chris Nilan and Jim Thomson, of being 'pukes' and 'hypocrites' for supposedly making a living as an enforcers and now complaining about it.[5] Grimson, by then a licensed attorney, indicated that he considered legal action against Don Cherry on behalf of himself, Chris Nilan and Jim Thomson citing Cherry's claims as "baseless and slanderous".[6] After an apology on Hockey Night in Canada by Cherry, Grimson reconsidered his lawsuit against Cherry stating that "This is a decision for Canadians. The CBC is your network; you pay for it. And you hold the network to certain standards and values."[7]
Grimson has four children with his ex-wife Pam; Erin, Hannah, Kristjan and Jayne.
In 2018, Stu married Jennifer Ives Grimson, an entrepreneur and investor. They live in Nashville, Tennessee.
Career statistics
Regular season and playoffs
| Regular season | Playoffs | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | League | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | ||
| 1982–83 | Regina Pats | WHL | 48 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 105 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 14 | ||
| 1983–84 | Regina Pats | WHL | 63 | 8 | 8 | 16 | 131 | 21 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 29 | ||
| 1984–85 | Regina Pats | WHL | 71 | 24 | 32 | 56 | 248 | 8 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 14 | ||
| 1985–86 | University of Manitoba | CWUAA | 12 | 7 | 4 | 11 | 113 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1986–87 | University of Manitoba | CWUAA | 29 | 8 | 8 | 16 | 67 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1987–88 | Salt Lake Golden Eagles | IHL | 37 | 9 | 5 | 14 | 268 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1988–89 | Salt Lake Golden Eagles | IHL | 72 | 9 | 18 | 27 | 397 | 14 | 2 | 3 | 5 | 86 | ||
| 1988–89 | Calgary Flames | NHL | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1989–90 | Salt Lake Golden Eagles | IHL | 62 | 8 | 8 | 16 | 319 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 8 | ||
| 1989–90 | Calgary Flames | NHL | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 17 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1990–91 | Chicago Blackhawks | NHL | 35 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 183 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 46 | ||
| 1991–92 | Indianapolis Ice | IHL | 5 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 17 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1991–92 | Chicago Blackhawks | NHL | 54 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 234 | 14 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 10 | ||
| 1992–93 | Chicago Blackhawks | NHL | 78 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 193 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | ||
| 1993–94 | Mighty Ducks of Anaheim | NHL | 77 | 1 | 5 | 6 | 199 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1994–95 | Mighty Ducks of Anaheim | NHL | 31 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 110 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1994–95 | Detroit Red Wings | NHL | 11 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 37 | 11 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 26 | ||
| 1995–96 | Detroit Red Wings | NHL | 56 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 128 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 1996–97 | Detroit Red Wings | NHL | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1996–97 | Hartford Whalers | NHL | 75 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 218 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1997–98 | Carolina Hurricanes | NHL | 82 | 3 | 4 | 7 | 204 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1998–99 | Mighty Ducks of Anaheim | NHL | 73 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 158 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 30 | ||
| 1999–00 | Mighty Ducks of Anaheim | NHL | 50 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 116 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2000–01 | Los Angeles Kings | NHL | 72 | 3 | 2 | 5 | 235 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | ||
| 2001–02 | Nashville Predators | NHL | 30 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 76 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| NHL totals | 729 | 17 | 22 | 39 | 2,113 | 42 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 120 | ||||
See also
References
- ^ "Berra: A bunch of boy scouts". 19 January 2004.
- ^ Feschuk, Dave (9 May 2011). "Feschuk: Grimson healthy today, but wonders what future holds". The Toronto Star.
- ^ "Concussions still ringing Grimson's bell | Nashville City Paper". Archived from the original on 2016-04-13.
- ^ Commercial Title: Hockey/Theme: Love – The Foundation for a Better Life.
- ^ "Don Cherry calls ex-enforcers 'pukes' & 'hypocrites' for views on fighting". YouTube. Retrieved October 11, 2011.[dead YouTube link]
- ^ "Cherry comments draw legal threat from NHL trio". CBC Sports. Retrieved October 11, 2011.
- ^ "Tough guys say they won't sue Cherry". The Canadian Press. Retrieved October 17, 2011.
External links
- Biographical information and career statistics from NHL.com, or Eliteprospects.com, or Hockey-Reference.com, or The Internet Hockey Database
- hockey draft central
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
- 1965 births
- Living people
- Athabasca University alumni
- Calgary Flames draft picks
- Calgary Flames players
- Canadian Christians
- Canadian expatriate ice hockey players in the United States
- Canadian ice hockey left wingers
- Chicago Blackhawks players
- Carolina Hurricanes players
- Detroit Red Wings draft picks
- Detroit Red Wings players
- Hartford Whalers players
- Ice hockey people from British Columbia
- Indianapolis Ice players
- Los Angeles Kings players
- Manitoba Bisons ice hockey players
- Mighty Ducks of Anaheim players
- Nashville Predators announcers
- Nashville Predators players
- National Hockey League broadcasters
- Regina Pats players
- Salt Lake Golden Eagles (IHL) players
- Sportspeople from Kamloops
- Sportspeople from Vancouver
- University of Memphis alumni