Al MacInnis: Mr. Big Shot

Lucas Aykroyd over at Hockey Adventure recently retold a great Al MacInnis story. Great, that is, unless you were goaltender Rich Parent. And he was MacInnis' teammate at the time.

"Apparently he didn’t ease up too much against his own teammates, either. With the St. Louis Blues, MacInnis unleashed a drive that hit goalie Rich Parent in precisely the wrong place during the warm-up prior to a game versus Edmonton. Parent underwent emergency surgery after suffering a “scrotal contusion and ruptured testicle.” He missed 11 games."

Ah yes. That shot. When you think of Al MacInnis you think of his booming slap shot. His overall effective game which ranked him as one of the most complete defenders of any era is totally overlooked by his 100 mile an hour blast from the point that puts the fear of god into goalies and anyone standing in the way.

His shot got him into the NHL. He was always known for his shot during his playing days, and will be forever remembered for his awesome blast. But if you look past that shot, you'll notice he was a complete defenseman with an incredible career.

Read the full Al MacInnis biography here.

"Chopper" also took the time to talk to the media this past week. Here's some highlights:

On the moment he is most proud of: "Without a doubt is '89 and winning the Stanley Cup with the Calgary Flames, and the team that we had there and the coaching staff. You play this game to win and to win the Stanley Cup. I would have loved to win more than one, but looking back over my career, I feel very fortunate. There are a lot of great players that don't get a chance to win one. To think that we won one in '89 was no question the highlight of my career. "

On where he ranks his 2002 Olympic gold medal: "It is certainly second. Again, I'm thinking back when you're growing up playing street hockey, the Stanley Cup was your number one goal. Then all of a sudden, years later they allowed professionals to play in the Olympics. And without a doubt it was a great accomplishment. Any time you put on a jersey representing your country, there is pride and accomplishment and expectations. To win a gold medal in Salt Lake was definitely a close second."

On his famous slap shot: "I remember I always felt probably after midget on, midget hockey into junior that I kind of realized that I was shooting the puck a little bit harder than everybody else. And my junior coach at the time, Joe Crozier, in Kitchener, he was watching me shoot pucks at practice one day and he came over and said, kid, that shot's going to get you to the NHL some day. Sure enough it was a shot that gave me a chance to play."

Here's a YouTube tribute of Al MacInnis: