Best Grinders ever

[camperjr]

I apoligize if this has already been done, but who are some of the best grinders? 4th line guys, who can get the team going, and not be a liabilaty for there team?

 

[Sinter Klaas]

Maltby comes to mind and Draper although I am not sure if he was a 4th liner for most of his playing time.

 

[MXD]

Two things

- The concept of 4th liner is pretty recent. Today's 4th line is a bit like O-6 3rd lines.

- A 1st liner can play like a grinder. Ted Lindsay might just be the best grinder ever. Dickie Moore and Bert Olmstead would meet the grinder definition as well.

 

[Morris Wanchuk]

Terry O'Reilly.

Arguably the second most popular Bruins of all time.

 

[Trottier]

John Tonelli.

 

[tommygunn]

Doug Risebrough, Mario Tremblay and Yvon Lambert.

 

[Dark Shadows]

Doug Risebrough, Mario Tremblay and Yvon Lambert.

Ahhh the old the Habs Checking/energy line, and a mighty fine Checking line it was

Two things

- The concept of 4th liner is pretty recent. Today's 4th line is a bit like O-6 3rd lines.

- A 1st liner can play like a grinder. Ted Lindsay might just be the best grinder ever. Dickie Moore and Bert Olmstead would meet the grinder definition as well.

Hehe. Terry O'Reilly is the first guy I thought of regarding Grinders.

 

[lextune]

Cashman.....then Terry O'Reilly

 

[redbull]

not sure if he was a grinder, but Bob Gainey was a very underrated player.

John Tonelli, Bob Nystrom, Duane Sutter - never lost battles along the boards and wore down defensemen every shift - paved the way for the skilled players to shine, as much, if not more than the "enforcers" did.

 

[JaymzB]

Bert Olmstead was the first name that came to my mind.

 

[brianscot]

I'll add: Dave Hunter, Jim Peplinski, and dangerous Dan Maloney.

 

[trevchar1971]

Doug Risebrough, Mario Tremblay and Yvon Lambert.

Essential parts of the Habs dynasty, especially Lambert, I thought he was just the ultimate team player on that team.

 

[trevchar1971]

not sure if he was a grinder, but Bob Gainey was a very underrated player.

John Tonelli, Bob Nystrom, Duane Sutter - never lost battles along the boards and wore down defensemen every shift - paved the way for the skilled players to shine, as much, if not more than the "enforcers" did.

I suppose every great dynasty had them.

 

[MXD]

Cashman.....then Terry O'Reilly

See quote below.

Bert Olmstead was the first name that came to my mind.

That's the thing... Olmstead was a 1A-1B first liner. But did really play like a grinder, without winning Art Rosses/Hart (unlike guys like Lindsay and Moore). So, he would be the best untitled grinder ever, if that makes sense.

 

[GuitarAwesome]

Seconding Maltby and Draper, they were a force to be reckoned with defensively(back then), and amazing PKers.

 

[Jarko2004]

Clarke,Henderson,Ellis were a grinder line who ended up scoring a lot of the goals

 

[greatgazoo]

Kelly Buchberger, baby.

I also remember the '95 Devils having a great Energy line that had big Mike Peluso on LW. If I recall correctly, Holik was the centre and Randy McKay was on RW. No?

 

[Crosbyfan]

Add Butch Goring and Claude Provost to the list.

Was Trottier too skilled to be included?

 

[Mad Habber]

I think of 3rd and 4th liners when I think of grinders. Some of the people listed were 1st and 2nd liners. Although they could do the job and some quite well, they were relied upon for scoring. 3rd and 4th liners were relied on to wear down the opponents and chip in with the occasional goals. Not generally seen on the power play although they could spend some time on it for some of them.

In the 80s for the Habs, Lemieux-Skrudland-McPhee although Lemieux spent a lot of time on the pp.

'Course if we're going with any line at all, the Hunters and Sutters fit this category to a T. Shayne Corson, Gary Roberts, Wendel Clark, Scott Mellanby, Rick Tocchet were all pretty effective.

 

[Vector]

I'm going to throw Mike Keane out there. Important piece of three different Stanley Cup winning teams.