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LIGHTNING COLUMN

Amid Changes, Winning Still Key For Gratton

By JOE HENDERSON

Published: Sep 20, 2007

TAMPA - The Lightning had all but decided to use their first pick of the 1993 draft on an 18-year-old kid named Chris Gratton. It seemed like a solid decision. Scouts and front-office types seemed satisfied with his answers to the psychological questions designed to reveal his makeup - or, as Phil Esposito calls it, "All that garbage."

But Espo, who was the Bolts' president and general manager at the time, needed a little more information. He wanted to know if Gratton was really a hockey guy and not just some pretty boy who happened to play the game. So Espo and the kid talked hockey. He asked Gratton if he considered himself a team player. Gratton said yes, of course.

Then Espo threw the kid a curve. "Would you climb up a tree if I asked you to?" he asked.

"If it meant winning, I would," Gratton answered.

Sold.

The Bolts took Gratton with the No. 3 overall pick that year, right after Alexandre Daigle and Chris Pronger.

Now, fast-forward to Wednesday night and the start of a new season as the Bolts opened exhibition play against Dallas. Gratton's night ended early when he took an apparent stick in the eye on his second shift about five minutes into the game. The injury is not believed to be serious.

That's obviously great news for the Lightning, who brought Gratton back this summer for his third tour with the team. So much is different than it was when he was the fresh-faced kid, but one important thing hasn't changed.

It's still about winning.

"Whatever they ask me to do, I'll do," he said.

Career Has Evolved

Now 32, Gratton will be asked to do a lot of things this time around. He'll be expected to contribute some scoring on the third line. He'll show up on the power play, on faceoffs, or park his 6-foot-4, 231-pound body in front of the net if need be. He can even bang away on a line that will deliver some body blows. The man hasn't amassed 1,549 penalty minutes for nothing.

"I think we have him at a good time in his career," Bolts coach John Tortorella said. "The key to extend his career is to be versatile. That's a big plus for a coach to have a guy who can play in a number of different spots, and Chris can."

The Bolts will be satisfied to get the kind of production from him that he gave the Florida Panthers the past two seasons, when he scored 17 and then 13 goals. He'll be a good guy in the locker room, and he'll do the dirty work as needed.

"I'm comfortable with whatever they ask me to do," he said.

It's not like he doesn't know his way around town. He played four seasons here after Espo drafted him, scoring a career-high 30 goals in 1996-97 before leaving as a free agent to Philadelphia.

Historians will recall "smudge gate" - Gratton signed an offer sheet with the Flyers, which Espo tried to overturn because he said smudges on the fax made it impossible to read the numbers. The Bolts didn't respond to the offer in time and Gratton left.

The Lightning got him back from the Flyers a year and a half later in a trade, but it didn't last long. Gratton was shipped to Buffalo late in the 1999-2000 season. The theory goes that Gratton, as team captain, stood up to dictatorial coach Steve Ludzik on the way he treated players.

"It's totally different now," Gratton said.

"The organization is a winning organization. Everything is in place."

He Has Respect

Gratton has the kind of respect you earn by doing things the right way for a long time. Vinny Lecavalier recalled coming to the Bolts as an 18-year-old rookie and looking to Gratton as a role model, both in the way he played and how he handled the pressure.

"He helped me a lot," Lecavalier said. "He has been through so much."

The Bolts are counting on that kind of leadership again. Gratton could evolve as a quiet leader, not vocal in the Dave Andreychuk or Tim Taylor mold. He will lead by example.

"This is where I was given a chance to be part of the National Hockey League," he said. "As a young player, you're always going to remember that."

So much has happened since that time long ago when the kid from Brantford, Ontario, sat down with Phil Esposito. The Bolts went from the dregs to the Stanley Cup, and now they're trying to regain their spot among the elite. Gratton has played with six different teams - eight, if you want to count the Bolts three times.

But with all the changes, one thing is constant. Gratton will do whatever they ask.

"He plays physical," Lecavalier said. "He can still score. He's got a great shot, he can fight.

"He's kind of an all-around good player."

And then he paused a moment while he searched for the right word.

"He's a winner."