I didn't get to see the BC-BU game Saturday night, so I can't comment
on how BC may or may not have been going after Grier.
 
However, Grier is certainly a "marked man" by opposing teams simply
because of the fact that if you don't get him first, he'll get you.
Let's forget cheap shots here, because that's not what I'm talking
about.  Some people are fans of only the skill aspects of hockey; I am
one who appreciates that too, but I also am a believer in strong but
clean physical play.
 
Grier tends to hit hard but cleanly.  A Grier check can wake up the BU
crowd as much as a goal or a great save.  And, his forte is
establishing a physical presence in front of the opposing goaltender
since most teams do not have a single guy who can move or contain him.
Heck, most teams do not have a guy close to his size.
 
So, it is interesting that the quarterfinal matchup in HE has Merrimack
playing at BU next Sunday.  Merrimack is one of few teams that has the
player(s) who can knock Grier around and move him from the front of
the net.  They were successful in doing this for a total of about 7 1/2
periods out of the 9 the teams played this season - but he was able to
do his job the rest of the time and get a goal each night that played
a big part in the outcome of the games two weeks ago.
 
Does this mean Merrimack targets Mike Grier?  To a certain extent,
yes.  More so than other players, I believe that if they line him up
and have a chance to hammer him, they will.  Mike Grier's physical
game is predicated on him handing out several solid checks early on or
at a key juncture of the game so that the opponents are caught looking
over their shoulders whenever he is on the ice (and even when he isn't
in case he's about to come on).  So if *he* takes a few big hits
early, maybe it will be Grier instead who's watching his back.  It's
part of the game that the big hitters play.
 
Now, in the last Merrimack-BU series, there was some question from BU
folks as to whether or not Merrimack players were going after Grier in
a couple of places where he was injured.  One was his knee, and
another was his shoulder - ironically, either injured or aggravated
when he tried to lay a solid check on Merrimack's Dan Hodge but took
the brunt of the hit himself.  I felt after the games, and even more
so after watching the tape, that there was no intent to hit Grier
specifically where he was hurt but that the players should also not be
expected to sit back just because he *was* hurt.  Rather, if a guy has
chosen to play hurt and you have a chance to hit him cleanly, that is
what you should do.  Otherwise he gains the upper hand.  Grier also
has been injured in so many different places this year that whenever
you hit him, you are bound to catch him in a sore spot.
 
I know it is part of the game, but it is still kind of funny how the crowd
at BU loves Mike Grier but hates a Steve McKenna - of course I know
it is all part of the "us vs them" mentality.  Both are big, very big,
and both hit opponents hard but cleanly most of the time.  It's kind
of like the old question, "how would you like so-and-so if he was on
your team?"  Grier would be loved at Merrimack...and McKenna would be
loved at BU.
 
In fact, one of the questions about that Merrimack-BU series dealt
with McKenna going after Grier's shoulder - which I didn't think he
was doing, but some BU folks pointed out to me that McKenna seemed to
always hit Grier up high.  On the other hand, being 6-8, McKenna hits
everyone up high. :-)  I think he has been called for more elbowing
penalties than anyone in the league because whenever he hits someone
straight on, he tends to catch them up high with his elbow.  Often
you'll see him drop his arms as he gets ready to give a check because
he is so tall and knows he could draw the call where shorter players
wouldn't.
 
So, I am sure Grier expects to be hit early and often next Sunday, and
I am also sure Merrimack will try their best to do this and take him
out of the game for as long as they can.  It should make for an
interesting matchup.  The challenge to Merrimack will be to keep him
effectively on the sidelines for the entire 60 minutes.  One of the
things that makes Grier great is that like Kariya, you can actually
neutralize him offensively for a good portion of the game...but you
almost never can do it for the entire game.  At some point he's going
to break free.  One of the qualities of a great player is that he
draws a lot of attention but can still find a way to help his team
win.  From what I have seen of Grier, he does seem to be that kind of
player.  He's a lot of fun to watch.
---                                                                   ---
Mike Machnik                                            [log in to unmask]
Cabletron Systems, Inc.                                    *HMM* 11/13/93