Kris Draper
Kris Draper was born in Toronto, Ontario, and began his career playing for the Canadian National Team in the late 80s. He was drafted by the Winnipeg Jets in the 1989 NHL Entry Draft, going 62nd overall. 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, Draper was traded to Detroit in 1993 for a dollar (it’s true, look it up). He would become a fixture in Detroit and would be one of the team’s most tireless checking forwards in the team’s history. Draper wasn’t much for producing points, but he brought intangibles to the Wings that arguably had more weight in their outcome than some of Detroit’s best offensive talents. He also played for Canada very often throughout his career. Draper won gold with Team Canada in 2003, 2004, and 2005. He also won the Selke trophy for best defensive forward in 2004, beating out Jere Lehtinen of Dallas. 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. He is a player with extensive playoff experience, international experience and experience in all situations on the ice. Draper is a valuable resource in the NHL: a quick, agile player with the ability to crash the net or play solid defensive hockey. He’ll be a Wing for the remainder of his career, most likely, and will continue to make everyone around him into a better player.
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