Kris Draper | Continued
“ A friend of mine invited me over to his house to play pickleball ,” Draper recalls . “ At first , after hearing the name , I kind of chuckled and said ‘ No thank you .’ Then , after a while , he talked me into it and convinced me it was a sport that I would really enjoy . I went over to his house , and we played for about two to three hours . I was hooked pretty quickly , and since then I try to play pickleball four to five times a week and I have been playing for just over a year . I ’ m totally into the sport of pickleball now and look forward to taking my game to the next level and beyond .”
So completely taken by the sport , Draper transformed his Bloomfield Hills , Michigan , backyard hockey rink into a pickleball court during the warmer months . “ The rink in my backyard is outfitted with boards and a permanent cement floor ,” he explains . “ All summer long , I [ was ] playing in my backyard . Early in the summer , I bought a Tru-Shot net and got the lines painted and turned the rink into a full , functioning pickleball court . It was great because the whole family used it too . It was the summer of pickleball ! I have also played at public courts in Royal Oak , and during the winter I also play indoors at the Sports Club of West Bloomfield . I can ’ t get enough of this sport .”
As a hockey player , Draper was often referred to as a “ grinder ”— a relentless player who never gives up on a puck and continues to skate hard every second of every shift — playing for legendary coach Scotty Bowman . Along with linemates Darren McCarty and Kirk Maltby , they were known as the Grind Line and were an integral part of the Red Wings squad who elevated the stature of the team and were instrumental in winning those four Stanley Cups .
“ The Grind Line was something I was so proud to be a part of ,” Draper says . “ We played a fast and physical style of hockey , and obviously we grinded it out game in and game out . I feel that is similar to the way I want to play in pickleball tournaments . We earned the name on the ice , and I haven ’ t yet earned a nickname on the pickleball court quite yet . I know my style of play will be a bit like my time on the ice , but of course I can only move around so far on the court — and crashing into the net is a no-no because I have to keep remembering to stay out of the kitchen when I ’ m not allowed in there .”
With most professional athletes , hand-eye coordination is one of the strongest attributes , and that rings true with Draper . Stickhandling the puck , especially through traffic in the defensive zone , is of paramount importance and many of those same qualities have transferred to his initial play in pickleball .
Former hockey player AJ Koller and Kris bring their hockey skills and fierce competitive nature to the pickleball court .