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Playing Under Pressure |
| Expectations dog Gratton at each stop
Bob McManaman
Just because Chris Gratton hails from the same small hometown as Wayne Gretzky doesn't mean he has to have a Gretzky-like impact on the NHL.
And just because he has a similar nickname - friends call Gretzky "Gretz" and Gratton's teammates call him "Grats" - doesn't mean No. 77 has to play like No. 99.
But big expectations, and subsequent critiques, have stalked the 6-foot-4 center from Brantford, Ontario, at every stop he has made in the league for the past 10 years. It has been a haunting shadow from which he can't escape.
Now, it has followed him here, where he will be asked to help lead the rebuilding Coyotes in their quest to be taken seriously this season.
"I came into the league at such a young age. I mean, I had just turned 18," Gratton said. "There's only a couple of special players that come in at that age and make an immediate impact and dominate right away."
He has been good, but great may have to wait.
Maybe it was because he started with an expansion team. The Tampa Bay Lightning threw lots of money his way and expected the third overall pick in the 1993 draft to quickly lead them to respectability. That didn't happen.
Maybe it was because he was dealt to Philadelphia, where expectations never seem to be met, and pressure only intensifies once you slip on a Flyers sweater. A trade back to Tampa Bay didn't change things, and parts of three seasons in Buffalo were blustery, at best.
Not that Gratton, 28, is complaining, mind you. He speaks of all three organizations in glowing terms, refusing to throw dirt on any of his former coaches or general managers.
"I'm happy the way my career has gone," Gratton says. "Obviously, there's been some ups and downs and highs and lows, but that's no different than any player in this league.
"I'm here now, it's a fresh start, there's a good opportunity for me to play here in Phoenix and I'm going to take advantage of it."
Gratton, who had 15 goals and 45 points last season, will center one of the Coyotes' top lines. Jan Hrdina will probably be at left wing, but coach Bobby Francis has been auditioning players at right wing.
As for Gratton, Francis won't be asking him to score 40 goals a year. He just wants him to use his size effectively, put up numbers when he can, win his share of faceoffs, and be reliable on defense.
"He's kind of one of those players who's a microcosm of the type of team we want; bringing a little something to a lot of different areas," Francis said.
Expectations may still be high, but the pressure shouldn't be so intense.
"There's pressure on everybody, though," said Gratton, who has scored more than 15 goals only once since producing back-to-back, 62-point seasons from 1996-1998. "We're going to have four solid lines here, and we're all going to have to compete.
"You're already seeing that, I think. It's been intense in camp right from Day 1. Guys are fighting for jobs, and I'm no different."
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