This was part of a project on Connect with two other great ladies where we brought our work together to blog about a specific topic. The theme of this one was our favorite non-NHL player. This was the player
I picked:
It was pretty obvious where I was going to get my favorite non-NHL player from. It’s hard enough to follow all 30 NHL teams, so adding another league to that to follow is very hard. The only other league that I pay attention to is the AHL. We see a lot of NHL players come from the AHL so it definitely is a great league. And obviously I’m going to follow the Flyers AHL affiliate, the Philadelphia Phantoms (They actually are no longer the Philadelphia Phantoms. They have moved to Glens Falls New York which unfortunately is 4 hours away. It‘s still a big shock and doesn‘t seem real), the most. I’ve said many times and I’ll say it again. The Phantoms Calder Cup team of 2005 had a huge impact on the Flyers and the NHL in general. Jeff Carter, Mike Richards, RJ Umbeger, Ben Eager, Patrick Sharp, Joni Pitkanen, Dennis Seidenberg, Freddy Meyer, Randy Jones, Antero Niittymaki, Todd Fedoruk, Riley Cote, and Jon Sim all came from that great team. My favorite AHLer also played on that team. His name is Josh Gratton (cousin of Chris Gratton). He’s not going to have any 20 or 30 goal seasons but he plays with heart and that means a lot to Philly fans.
Josh Gratton is your typical Philadelphia Flyers/Phantoms player. He plays rough and in your face hockey. He is known for being a fighter but I think there actually is more to him than that. Anytime the team needs to wake up and get things going, Josh can be sent out on the ice. He isn’t just a goon with no skills. He can actually play. If you look up his stats, then you might think I’m making that up since his goal totals are always single digit numbers. But scoring goals does not mean everything. All he has to do is get something going and his job is done. He might just have to get a shot on goal, throw his body around, or start a fight. His teammates know his role and because of that, they respect him and appreciate what he brings to the team effort.
Fighting has been popular with Flyers fans since we all grew up either witnessing the Broad Street Bullies or hearing stories up them if you weren’t born when they were around like I wasn’t. Being tough and physical is always something that was a big characteristic of the Flyers and that brushed off on the Phantoms. They actually have a guy that was strictly a fighter inducted into their Hall of Fame. That is how important fighting is to Philadelphia hockey. If you are curious as to who that fighter in the HOF is, his name is Frank “The Animal” Bialowas and he is the most popular Phantom to lace up the skates.
So with the Phantoms and Flyers history, it is obvious that Gratton is the perfect fit. Gratton is a fan favorite himself. You can see the bond he has with the fans. In the Phantoms final game in Philadelphia, Gratton got the game started with some fisticuffs. He won the fight and proceeded by waving his arms up and down to get the sold out crowd going crazy and it worked. Everyone loved it. I was going crazy myself at that game. It reminded me of Dan Carcillo but much better. I’m actually convinced that the two of them are separated at birth. They both are the same type of player, they both wear number 13, they both have long hair, they both have a smile with missing front teeth, and they are both former Coyotes. I find myself confusing the two of them. I won’t lie. I’d definitely rather have Gratton on the Flyers than Carcillo because I don’t think he ever has selfish intentions like Carcillo tends to have.
Gratton has come a long way. He has never even been drafted but yet he has played in 86 NHL games despite scoring just 3 NHL goals. Teams respect him as a role player which is why he always seems to have a shot at making the Flyers team. Last season Gratton played in 19 games for the Flyers and Flyers fans loved every single one. He racked up the fighting majors and scored a goal. His line played very well and was part of the reason why the Flyers were such a great team in December. Every single one of their lines were clicking. Unfortunately, Gratton was injured in a fight and by the time he was healed, there was no salary room for him to return to the Flyers. But thankfully for fans of the Phantoms, they got to see some real Phantoms hockey thanks to Gratton as their countdown of their Final games in Philadelphia went on.
Everyone always says that hockey enforcers are the nicest guys off the ice. I am 100% in agreement with that statement. I have never heard of or met a single fighter that wasn’t completely down to earth and genuinely kind hearted. Gratton definitely is down to earth. I remember meeting him 4 years ago and I still have a picture of the two of us together. He looks even happier than I was. He seemed so grateful to sign my jersey as well. That’s how Josh always is. He is always willing to stop and take a picture or sign an autograph. He doesn’t seem like a professional hockey player at all. He just seems like a kid at heart. His personality reminds me a lot of Ovechkin’s bubbly and fun personality. Josh’s great manor and kindness won him the man of the year award when he was with the Coyotes.
Josh Gratton has another chance at making the Flyers final roster this upcoming season and I really hope he does. He plays his heart out every shift even if he plays 5 minutes a night. He absolutely loves the Philadelphia fans and is always loved by his teammates no matter who they are. He is a fantastic fighter and a terrific energy player. For those reasons Josh Gratton is my favorite non-NHL player. And if he happens to not miss the playoffs then I will cheer for and wish him the best on the Glens Falls Phantoms team.
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