Kirk Maltby and Kris Draper were tough players, but even they needed backup on the ice sometimes. Luckily for them, they had Joey Kocur—and one time, he really saved their skins.
Kocur was part of one of the toughest teams ever: the Detroit Red Wings of the 1990s. Besides Kocur, the roster featured names like Brendan Shanahan, Darren McCarty, Kirk Maltby, and Kris Draper. But even these hard-hitting players needed help occasionally—and that’s when they turned to Kocur.
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Joey Kocur saved Maltby and Draper
Drafted in the fifth round in 1983 by the Red Wings, Kocur had two stints with the team: 1984–1991 and 1996–1999. During his second stint, he lifted the Stanley Cup twice. He retired after the 1998–1999 season with 162 points and 2,519 penalty minutes in 820 games.
As a guest on the Ozzy and Keats podcast, Kocur recalled one time when he really came to the rescue of Maltby and Draper, who often found themselves in trouble with bigger, tougher opponents.
”Getting both of you”
“We’re playing Phoenix, and I think it was Maltby who came in and sprayed the goalie. Sure enough, Jim Cummins comes right up to Maltby, and he’s gonna grab him. I step in between, and over my shoulder, one of the two says, ‘Hey, Cummins, what are you gonna do now?’ He looks at both of them, then looks at me and says, ‘Nothing… but when he retires, I’m getting both of you,’” Kocur recalled.
He then praised the instigating duo:
“They played hard. They played a little nasty. They did piss off a lot of people—but it was well worth it. We had so much fun.”
You can watch the video below.
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