Brian McGrattan

Brian McGrattan (born September 2, 1981) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player and current member of the Calgary Flames player development staff.

He played five seasons in the Ontario Hockey League (OHL) between 1997 and 2002.

He appeared in 25 games with the Guelph Storm in 1997–98, and although he did not appear in any playoff games, he was a member of the Storm's J. Ross Robertson Cup winning team as OHL champions.

After only six games with Guelph the following season, McGrattan was sent to the Sudbury Wolves where he recorded 153 penalties in minutes (PIM) in 53 games to go along with 17 points.

McGrattan was a fourth-round selection of the Los Angeles Kings (104th overall) at the 1999 NHL Entry Draft but never signed with the team.

He followed that season up by scoring 32 points and recording 245 PIM in 1999–2000 in a season split between Sudbury and the Mississauga IceDogs.

McGrattan was selected by the Los Angeles Kings in the fourth round, 104th overall, of the 1999 NHL Entry Draft, but the Kings opted not to sign him to a contract following his knee injury.

Playing the entire 2000–01 season with Mississauga, McGrattan led the IceDogs with 20 goals despite playing only 31 games.

He missed the majority of the season after suffering a knee injury in a January 1, 2001, game against the Kingston Frontenacs.

He began the 2001–02 OHL season as Mississauga's captain, but was traded to the Owen Sound Attack in October 2001, then to the Oshawa Generals a few days later.

He signed with the Ottawa Senators organization in 2002 and made his NHL debut with the team three years later.

McGrattan has also played in the NHL with the Phoenix Coyotes, Nashville Predators and Calgary Flames.

He was traded again, to the Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds in January 2002.

Split between the four teams, McGrattan appeared in 60 games, scored 20 goals and 35 points, and had 159 PIM.

He attended the Detroit Red Wings' development camp prior to the 2001–02 season, before signing a contract with the Ottawa Senators on June 2, 2002.

He spent three seasons in the American Hockey League (AHL) with Ottawa's affiliate, the Binghamton Senators.

McGrattan scored his first professional point on October 11, 2002, against the Bridgeport Sound Tigers; an assist on a Jeff Ulmer goal that also stood as the first goal in Binghamton's history.

Due to his size, McGrattan believed his best chance of making it to the NHL was as an enforcer.

Dennis Bonvie, the all-time penalty leader in professional hockey, taught him to be a better fighter while the two were teammates in Binghamton.

After posting 173 PIM in 2002–03, McGrattan finished second in the AHL with 327 in 2003–04.

An enforcer, he holds the AHL record for most penalty minutes in one season with 551, set in 2004–05 with the Binghamton Senators.

McGrattan overcame an alcohol abuse problem that plagued him early in his career and has become a lead member of the NHL's substance abuse program and mentor to fellow players.

Upon the conclusion of his playing career, McGrattan rejoined the Calgary Flames in a player development role.

A native of Hamilton, Ontario, McGrattan played minor hockey in the city where he was one of his teams' best scorers before moving to Toronto to play bantam and junior hockey.

He then set an AHL single-season record for penalties with 551 in 2004–05.

Having established himself as an enforcer, and with the Senators seeking to add physical toughness to their lineup, McGrattan earned a spot on Ottawa's roster for the 2005–06 season.

He appeared in 60 games with Ottawa where he recorded five points and 141 PIM.

McGrattan scored his first NHL goal on November 19, 2005, against goaltender Martin Brodeur of the New Jersey Devils, and led the league with 19 fights.

His most famous battle came against Tie Domi of the Toronto Maple Leafs.

McGrattan knocked his opponent down with one punch, which the Toronto Star called Domi's "most decisive loss in 10 years".

His role with the team diminished over the following two seasons, as McGrattan appeared in only 45 games in 2006–07 and 38 in 2007–08.

He had only five points and 146 PIM combined between the two seasons.

McGrattan made headlines midway through the 2007–08 campaign when he fought teammate and goaltender Ray Emery – himself a noted fighter – in practice.

McGrattan's on-ice performance had suffered over time in Ottawa as a result of a worsening drinking problem he had developed beginning early in his career with Binghamton.

The Senators struggled late in the 2007–08 season, leading general manager Bryan Murray to make changes to the team.

Both Emery and McGrattan were sent from Ottawa in separate transactions.

McGrattan, a pending free agent, was traded to the Phoenix Coyotes on June 25, 2008, in exchange for a fifth-round draft pick in the 2009 NHL Entry Draft.

The Coyotes subsequently signed him to a one-year contract for the 2008–09 season.

However, he played only three games with Phoenix before he voluntarily entered the league's substance abuse program.

As a career journeyman, he was also a member of five American Hockey League (AHL) teams, and ended his career in 2017 in England as a member of the Nottingham Panthers of the Elite Ice Hockey League (EIHL).