Stu Grimson

Infobox Ice Hockey Player
played_for = Calgary Flames
Chicago Blackhawks
Mighty Ducks of Anaheim
Detroit Red Wings
Hartford Whalers
Carolina Hurricanes
Los Angeles Kings
Nashville Predators
position = Left Wing
height_ft = 6
height_in = 6
weight_lb = 240
nickname = The Grim Reaper
nationality = CAN
birth_date = Birth date and age|1965|5|20|mf=y
birth_place = Vancouver, BC, CAN
draft = 143rd overall
draft_year = 1985
draft_team = Calgary Flames
career_start = 1987
career_end = 2002

Stu Grimson (born May 20, 1965, in Vancouver, British Columbia) is a former Canadian ice hockey forward.

At 6'6, 240 lbs, 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. Stu was known as an enforcer throughout his career. He compiled over 2,000 penalty minutes. His fearsome reputation as a fighter earned him the nickname "The Grim Reaper".

During his lengthy career, Stu improved as a fighter. In his younger days, he lacked balance, and was vulnerable to shorter, more powerfully built fighters. During his first stint with Anaheim, he began to show signs of improving balance, and though his style still left him vulnerable, he scored wins over some of the league's tougher fighters.

It wasn't until the 1996–97 season, when Stu moved to Hartford, that he became one of the NHL's elite fighters. Almost overnight, his balance improved dramatically and he added some muscle to his previously lanky frame. In that season, he scored decisive wins over established fighters such as Randy McKay, Darren Langdon and Enrico Ciccone, and he battered Ryan Vandenbussche and Shane Churla of the New York Rangers in one-sided victories. The following season saw Stu move with the Whalers to Carolina, and as a Hurricane he continued to be a force in the league. He started a rivalry with Krzysztof Oliwa of the New Jersey Devils that season, which saw the two men fight several times over the next few seasons, usually to a draw.

Stu spent the next two seasons back in Anaheim, and played his final full season with the Los Angeles Kings in 2000–2001. He remained a respected and elite heavyweight fighter, but 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. He had already been suffering effects before that bout, and even admitted he once blacked out in the middle of a fight.

Stu enjoyed a career-long rivalry with legendary enforcer Bob Probert, considered by many observers to be one of the top fighters in NHL history. Though the consensus is that Probert got the better of the rivalry, Stu usually held his own and scored a couple of wins of his own against Probert.

In his final seasons, Stu built rivalries with a new generation of fighters, such as Georges Laraque, Krzysztof Oliwa and Scott Parker.

Despite his fearsome reputation on the ice, Stu won respect as an intelligent and articulate man off it. He became a born-again Christian in the early 90s and led the NHL's Christian Followship ("Jesus was no wimp," Grimson said in one interview). After retiring, Grimson finished his undergraduate degree and began work on a law degree. He completed his law degree in December 2005 at the University of Memphis Law School and currently works for the NHL Players Association.

He has four children: Jayne, Hannah, Kristjan and Erin, who is an up-and-coming model.

External links

* [http://www.hockeydraftcentral.com/1983/83186.html Profile at hockeydraftcentral.com]
*hockeydb|2041
*legendsofhockey|10570
* [http://www.hockeyfights.com/players/50 Hockey Fights bio]
* [http://www.athabascau.ca/media/index.php?id=31 Stickhandling courses during NHL lockout]