Minor Memories: NHLers look back

On Thursday, May 28, from 1-2 p.m. ET, Our Game connected with the pros in a live chat and asked about their minor hockey experience

Last Updated: Thursday, May 28, 2009 | 5:09 PM ET

By Lindsey Craig, CBC Sports

Chat with Chris Gratton (above with the Tampa Bay Lightning in November 2008) and former Maple Leaf Alyn McCauley about their path to pros. (Jim McIsaac/Getty Images)

You've seen them on TV. You know their moves. You've seen their goals. You've memorized their stats and watch them in awe.

But these players haven't always been in the spotlight. They came from minor leagues - the same leagues you grew up playing in.

On Thursday, May 28, from 1-2 p.m. ET, Our Game connected with the pros about their minor hockey experience in a live online forum, Minor Memories: NHLers look back.

Hockey fans chatted with Hockey Night in Canada's Kelly Hrudey, an Edmonton native who played for the New York Islanders, Los Angeles Kings and San Jose Sharks.

Kelly shared his thoughts on how he sometimes felt "isolated" as a goalie when he was younger, but how he thrived on the pressure that came with being between the pipes.

Also on board was Alyn McCauley, a 10-year NHL veteran who is also a former CHL player of the year and two-time gold medallist with Canada's world junior team.

Among many topics, McCauley talked about his experience with concussions. He also expressed shock that Marty Havlat played in a recent playoff game following a massive on-ice hit that left him unconscious.

Chris Gratton also weighed in on the chat, revealing what he thinks about paying coaches in minor hockey. Chris has played more than 1,000 NHL games in his 17-year career and recorded more than 550 points.

View the entire forum by scrolling to the Replay page below.

<a href="http://www.coveritlive.com/mobile.php?option=com_mobile&task=viewaltcast&altcast_code=e6f8da8e18 " >Minor Hockey Talk: NHLers look back</a>

Our Game Headlines

Replay: A celebration of Minor Hockey: On June 11th, CBC Sports' hosted a live, online forum for fans to connect with NHLers and share their favourite minor hockey memories.
Minor Memories: NHLers look back: On Thursday, May 28, from 1-2 p.m. ET, Our Game connected with the pros, including Chris Gratton, Alyn McCauley and Kelly Hrudey, in a live chat about concussions, paying minor hockey coaches and who had the best 'trash talk' on the ice.
'I felt like I was dreaming,' winner of Stanley Cup tickets says: As winner of CBC's Our Game Star contest, Montreal's Simeon Kirimidtchiev, 14, is off to the Stanley Cup Finals, which he says is a dream come true
Replay: Coaching the coaches: On May 14th, Our Game chatted in a live forum with three-time gold medal winning national junior coach Craig Hartsburg along with the former women's national u-22 coach Lisa Jordan and the head of coaching for Hockey Canada.
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Latest Minor Memories

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Meet the Coaches

'Sometimes I do half French, half English': Coach Jean Pelletier in Dalhousie, N.B., speaks to his players in both French and English, and says not everybody on his team is bilingual, so he often has to elaborate in both languages.
'Sgt. Hockey' coaches more than the game: Lots of players had watched Stan Polsom from afar, shouting from the bench, his loud, hoarse voice echoing across the ice. But most come to realize that playing for Polsom means learning to become not only a better player but also a better person.
Former NHLer finds fit in peewee: Dave Babych spent the better part of two decades with five NHL teams including the Winnipeg Jets and the Vancouver Canucks. Today, the 48-year-old finds himself on the North Shore of British Columbia giving back to the game, which provided him with a memorable 20 years.
Wanted: Female coaches: In her last three years behind the bench with competitive women's hockey teams in Nova Scotia, Alicia MacDonald has come across only one other female head coach. And she's been looking.
Growing the game: When Wade Parker's work is done, 20 years from now, the arenas of Summerland, B.C., will be bursting. Not just with kids -- but with middle-aged Canadians who live for the game.