Kris Draper (born May 24, 1971 in Toronto, Ontario,
Canada) is a Canadian professional ice hockey player
for the Detroit Red Wings of the National Hockey
League. He has scored over 100 goals in a Red Wings
uniform. Draper was a member of the famous Grind
Line in Detroit, consisting of himself, Kirk Maltby
and either Joe Kocur or Darren McCarty.
Drafted 62nd overall in the 1989 Draft by the
Winnipeg Jets, Draper did not see much action in his
early years. He is a rarity in that he played in the
AHL and NHL before playing junior in the Ontario
Hockey League. After playing just 20 games in the 4
seasons since he was drafted, he was traded to
Detroit in 1993 for a dollar. Draper would quickly
become a valuable fixture in Detroit's rotation.
On May 29, 1996, during game six of the Western
Conference Finals of the 1996 playoffs, Draper was
checked from behind into the boards at the end of
the players bench by Colorado Avalanche player
Claude Lemieux. The hit forced Draper face first
into the dasher (the top edge of the boards),
causing him to suffer a broken jaw, broken nose,
broken cheekbone, and a concussion. When the Wings
and Avalanche met again on March 26, 1997, play was
very physical between the two teams, and the anger
over the injuries to Draper set off a massive brawl
(Brawl in Hockeytown) between the two teams.
Draper did not have a breakout season offensively
until 2003-04, when he scored 24 goals and 40
points, helping Detroit win the Presidents' Trophy.
Draper won the Selke Trophy at the season's end as
best defensive forward. Draper is under contract for
Detroit through the end of the 2007-08 season. He
was named an alternate captain during the 2006-07
season. Draper was selected to play for Team Canada
at the 2006 Winter Olympics. On October 25th, 2007
Draper signed a three-year, $4.75-million contract
extension with the team. He will earn $1.85 million
in 2008-09, $1.65 million in 2009-10, and $1.25
million in the 2010-11 campaign -- for a salary cap
hit value up $1.58-million.
