Enforcer Advent Calendar – December 5th – Darren McCarty
For an array of reasons, December 2020 will be a month none of us will ever forget. The toll this pandemic has taken on society has been different for every individual in every part of the world. Regardless, we can all relate to experiencing some anxiety, stress and fear about the uncertainty of things. That’s why it felt fitting to put out the ‘Enforcer Advent Calendar.’ These warriors dealt with the aforementioned emotions night-in and night-out to a degree that only they can truly comprehend. I get it – it’s been tough not being able to go out with the boys, see a good game and cheer-on a good scrap, but that doesn’t mean we can’t celebrate the past. It sucks because enforcers are sometimes forgotten by fair-weather fans but, luckily, the diehards will always chant their name in the arenas and on the streets. Whichever side you land on, here’s a reminder of a few legends.
December 5th – Darren McCarty
Motor city has seen their fair share of legendary enforcers throughout their 94 years in the NHL. Probert, Kocur and Lindsay to name a few, but for any kids born during the 80s, their formative years were spent watching Darren McCarty and the Wings. During the 90s and with the help of McCarty, Detroit mercilessly beat down the Norris division and later Central Division. McCarty joined the Wings after an unreal season in the OHL with the Belleville Bulls that included 55 goals, 72 assists and 177 penalty minutes and that was capped off with the Jim Mahon Memorial Trophy, which recognizes the league’s top scoring right winger. Naturally, his scoring dropped off when he made the jump to the NHL. But he regained the Midas touch in the 1996-97 season when he netted a career-high 19 goals, none more special than his dirty deke on Ron Hextall to score the Stanley Cup-clinching goal. Before we get into his bouts, it would be blasphemous if we didn’t start with the legendary “Fight Night at the Joe.” There is no point discussing this fight because it was an absolute beat-down of Claude Lemieux that caused mayhem at the iconic Joe Louis Arena. The madness was a result of the hit Lemieux laid on his linemate, Kris Draper during their last playoff series that left Draper with a broken jaw and a shattered cheek and orbital bone. McCarty later revealed that when he visited Draper in the hospital, he simply said, “Don’t worry, I’ll take care of it.” It took a year, but he and the rest of his teammates definitely took care of it. So without further ado –
“Fight Night at the Joe” – March 26, 1997 –
Darren McCarty vs Claude Lemieux – November 11, 1997 – 1st period – 00:03
The Colorado Avalanche went on to win the 1995-96 Stanley Cup after Lemieux’s infamous hit on Draper. Combine that with his ‘Turtling’ against McCarty the following season, Lemieux was on track for an ugly hockey legacy. The former Montreal Canadiens draft pick wanted to regain some dignity and accepted McCarty’s challenge at the opening draw in hopes of earning back the respect of both his opponents and teammates. As soon as the puck was dropped, the two rivals dropped the gloves, and both landed some big shots. Lemieux got the jump early, but once McCarty was able to get Lemieux’s JOFA off he was able to land some huge jabs. The two would trade shots but, had McCarty been able to get out of his jersey earlier, the end result could have been a lot different. As a result, the announcers called it a draw and many fight fans are inclined to agree. Regardless of the result, Lemieux redeemed himself by answering the bell and did surprisingly well against the Wings’ heavyweight. Both enforcers skated to the penalty box visibly battered to a deafening roar on Veteran’s day in Joe Louis Arena. Fans appreciated these two warriors starting the game off with a bang and, while the Avalanche left Detroit with a 2-0 win, it was the Wings and McCarty who would go on to lift their 3rd Stanley Cup in 4 years.
Darren McCarty vs Matthew Barnaby – March 25, 2004 – 1st period – 10:13
Maybe McCarty knew his time in Detroit was coming to an end, maybe he didn’t. Only thing for certain was that he hated the Avalanche and seized his opportunity to have one last scrap before his eventual exit to Calgary. Unfortunately for Matthew Barnaby, he got the dance invitation and left the tango worse for wear. The two locked up immediately after Paul Kariya’s slapshot and neither enforcer wasted any time throwing punches. Barnaby threw the first flurry of punches but missed his first few shots…all enforcers know that when you miss a shot, you usually end up eating one. McCarty made Barnaby pay with a storm of left hands that immediately cut Barnaby above his right eye. As a warrior, Barnaby kept trying to go, but when McCarty landed a left that knocked off the former Sabres draft pick’s helmet off, he saw how badly Barnaby was gashed. That’s when McCarty relented on his attack and let up so the linesmen could jump in. McCarty stood at 6’1,” 215 lbs and, while Barnaby stood 6’0″, he gave up 30 lbs to the Wings enforcer, which is likely why he skated off to get stitches. Letting Barnaby off the hook when he was visibly hurt, McCarty showed tremendous poise during this fight. I can’t help but wonder if this was a result of him getting kinder with age because it’s safe to assume Claude Lemieux or Adam Foote wouldn’t have received the same treatment.
Darren McCarty vs Zack Stortini – November 17, 2008 – 1st period – 2:57
Our speed and strength naturally deteriorates with age because father time is undefeated. But luckily for the 36-year old McCarty, his fighting skills seemed to be timeless. This scrap between McCarty and Zack Stortini was McCarty’s 3rd fight of the month. Considering he only played 13 games for the Wings during the 2008-09 season means he fought in ¼ of the games at age 36: pretty impressive. Following 2 seasons in Calgary, McCarty’s return to the Wings was a storyline fit for a movie. Kris Draper was co-owner of the Flint Generals in the IHL and encouraged McCarty to join his team to get him back to the NHL. McCarty listened to his former ‘Grind Line’ centerman and worked his way from the IHL to a professional tryout contract with the AHL Grand Rapids Griffins. It was only a matter of time until he got called up for the team that drafted him. So, while he only played in 3 regular season games before the playoffs rolled around, the Burnaby native played in 17 playoff games and was on route to lift his 4th Stanley Cup with the Red Wings. This scrap against Stortini would be one of his last in the NHL and I’m sure Stortini was just fine with that after the whooping the ‘old man’ put on him. After Stortini took exception to McCarty’s clean hit on Ľubomír Višňovský, the two got mixed up at the end boards. McCarty didn’t waste any time and tossed a flurry of rabbit punches to weaken his taller opponent. Stortini quickly locked McCarty’s arms and the two began grappling and jostling for position. McCarty finally secured a headlock and ripped off Stortini’s helmet to land a few left jabs before they tumbled to the ice. The damage inflicted in this fight was minimal but, because he landed a few punches and wasn’t on the receiving end of any, the judges gave the decision to McCarty. Not too shabby for a 36-year-old.
Darren McCarty hung up the skates in 2009 and immediately made the jump to the booth as a color analyst. The 4-time Stanley Cup winner parlayed his media experience into his own podcast ‘Grind Time with Darren McCarty’ that invited many of his old teammates on for some hilarious interviews. The former Red Wings enforcer is somewhat of a Renaissance man with his ability to dominate on-the-ice, offer insightful commentary, and belt out the tunes with his rock band “Grinder.” After the sudden passing of their bass player, the band went and remains on a hiatus. However, it was only created because of McCarty’s insistence of creating a tribute song to his Russian teammates affected by a tragic limo accident, which occurred 23 years ago when the team was celebrating their Stanley Cup victory. Team masseuse, Sergei Mnatsakanov was left paralyzed from the waist down and his teammate, Vladimir Konstantinov suffered a life-altering head injury. He loved every one of his teammates and did everything he could to improve their quality of life after this tragic night.
McCarty’s battles with alcohol-addiction have been well-documented and he has publicly stated that medicating with cannabis saved his life. In a heartfelt interview, McCarty thanked all the Wings and Flames fans as well as the people around him for saying a prayer for him and credited this love as the reason he was able to overcome his alcohol-addiction. McCarty had battled addiction for decades and stated that he spent over $1 million dollars and 4 trips to rehab trying to defeat it. The Wings legend has been vocal about cannabis education and, upon the release of his ‘Daren McCarty Pucker up Pre-rolls,’ he stated – “I believe there’s more people like me that have suffered for so long, so that’s why having my own brand is so important.” We are all McCarty’s teammates now and I don’t think we could ask for a better one to have in our corner.
Twitter: @Jonesinthezone
