Dallas Drake

An aggressive forechecker, Dallas Drake was an abrasive player who was not a lot of fun to play against. A good open-ice hitter, Drake was stronger along the boards and in front of the net than his wiry frame suggested he would be.

He could credit his quick and powerful skating as the key to his game, as well as his never-ending hustle. He was a feisty pest who often made the highlight reels by running over opponents in sometimes spectacular fashion. By often leaving his feet targeting his opponents up high he garnered a reputation as a dirty player.

A grinder at heart who was sometimes shoe-horned into a top 6 role, Drake was better suited on a third line checking/energy unit. Most of his goals came by darting into traffic and battling for loose pucks near the crease.

Not that Drake contributed to the offense all that often, but 177 goals and 477 points in 1009 career games are very solid numbers. The Northern Michigan University star was drafted by Detroit by mostly split his 15 year NHL career with Winnipeg/Phoenix and St. Louis before returning to Michigan for one final season. What a final year it was, as it ended with Dallas Drake and the Detroit Red Wings hoisting the Stanley Cup!