Kris Draper

At 53 years old, Kris Draper has this physical status:

Kristopher Bruce "Kris" Draper, a former professional ice hockey player and current manager of amateur scouting for the Detroit Red Wings, who spent 17 seasons with the team during his 20-year National Hockey League (NHL) playing career. Draper is a four-time Stanley Cup champion (all with Detroit), a Frank J. Selke Trophy winner who has scored over 100 goals in his NHL career with the Red Wings.

Draper was a member of Detroit's legendary "Grind Line," made up of himself, Kirk Maltby, and either Joe Kocur or Darren McCarty.

Personal life

Kennedi and Kamryn are Draper's two children, as well as Kienan, and Kienan is his son. In the eighth round of the 2018 Ontario Hockey League (OHL) draft, Kienan was drafted by the Saginaw Spirit. He played for the Chilliwack Chiefs of the British Columbia Hockey League from 2020-2021 and now plays for the Michigan Wolverines. In the 2020 NHL Entry Draft, Kienan was drafted in the seventh round, 187th overall, by the Detroit Red Wings.

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Playing career

Draper grew up in West Hill, Ontario, a neighbourhood in Toronto's east end, where he competed for minor ice hockey for the Don Mills Flyers of the MTHL. He appeared in the 1983 Quebec International Pee-Wee Hockey Tournament with the Don Mills team as well as in the 1984 Toronto Young Nationals tournament.

He was chosen by the Ontario Hockey League's Windsor Spitfires in the fourth round of the 1988 OHL Priority Selection after attending De La Salle College in Toronto. Draper, rather than reporting to Windsor, has chosen to play for Team Canada.

Draper, who was drafted 62nd overall in the 1989 NHL Entry Draft by the original Winnipeg Jets, did not see much NHL action in his early years. He played in the American Hockey League (AHL) and NHL before playing junior in the OHL. Since being drafted, he was sent to the Detroit Red Wings in 1993 in exchange for $1. Doug MacLean, the general manager of the Adirondack Red Wings at the time and a former Detroit Red Wings assistant, was responsible for the trade. Draper would quickly become a popular fixture in Detroit, and he began his fame as "One Dollar Man" shortly after being one of only seven players (four others were longtime teammates) to play over 1,000 games in a Red Wings uniform.

Draper was checked from behind into the boards at the end of the players bench by Colorado Avalanche player Claude Lemieux on May 29, 1996, during Game 6 of the 1996 Stanley Cup playoffs. Draper was knocked face first into the dasher (the top edge of the boards), causing him to break his jaw, cracked nose, broken cheekbone, and a concussion. Draper's colleague, Dino Ciccarelli, reacted and shook this guy's friggin' hand after the game when asked about the hit and the handshake line.

That pisses me right off!"

Play was very physical between the Wings and Avalanche when they met again on March 26, 1997, and the two teams' rivalry over Draper's death sparked a huge brawl. Draper hasn't yet forgiven Lemieux for the assault, nor has Lemieux reached out to apologize, according to ESPN's "Unrivaled."

Draper did not have a breakout season offensively until the 2003–04 season, when he scored 24 goals and 40 points, helping Detroit win the President's Trophy as the team with the most regular season points total. Draper earned the Frank J. Selke Trophy at the end of season as the NHL's best defensive forward, in addition to his offensive contributions.

Draper was chosen to represent Team Canada at the 2006 Winter Olympics in Turin, Italy. Despite Draper's personal triumph, Canada fell in the tournament, losing 2–0 to Russia in the quarter-finals and failing to medal.

Dr. Draper was named as an alternate captain of the Red Wings in the 2006–07 season. He signed a three-year, $4.75 million contract extension with the team on October 25, 2007. He made $1.85 million in 2008–09, $1.65 million in 2009–10, and $1.25 million in 2011–11, a record of $1.58 million in annual salary cap.

Draper made history by becoming the fifth player to play 1,000 games in a Red Wing uniform on March 17, 2009. All of the aforementioned players have been inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame, save for Holmström, and all of them have had their numbers cut by the Red Wings, except for Holmström. In Draper's case, it was his 1,000th game in a Red Wing uniform, marking his 1,000th game in total (passing the 1,000th NHL game milestone on February 2, 2009).

Dr. David Levy, who was speaking at his achievement, said, 'I am proud of him.'

Draper's retirement was expected to be announced early on July 25, 2011 at a 11 a.m. news conference in Detroit. The news of the resignation was leaked through a photo album on the company's official website. There are 71 photographs in the album titled "Kris Draper in Photographs." Kris Draper announced his retirement during a press conference on July 26, 2011," accompanying his 68th image. Draper had intended to play another season, according to the team, but the team did not have a roster spot for him, and the player refused to commit a two-way contract or attend training camp to try out for a roster spot. On July 26, 2011, Dr. Draper retired.

In their Centennial Classic alumni game against the Toronto Maple Leafs, Draper returned to the ice on December 31, 2016. Draper was involved in a tense physical match with Gary Roberts during the game, an unusual occurrence in alumni games.

Management career

He was recruited to the Red Wings' front office immediately following Dr. John's departure from hockey. Ken Holland, the special assistant to the general manager, had previously served as the special assistant. Dr. Persuad's current position "work[s] closely with Detroit's leadership team, aiding in player assessment at both the professional and amateur levels. In addition to delivering insight into future trades and free agent signings, he'll be expected to comment on upcoming trades and free agent moves as well as providing insight into potential picks at the annual NHL Entry Draft." Following Tyler Wright's departure to Edmonton, Draper was promoted to director of amateur scouting by new GM and former teammate Steve Yzerman on July 11, 2019.

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