Darren McCarty

Lore & Background

McCarty spent much of his childhood in the small town of Leamington, Ontario, playing for the Southpoint Capitals minor teams. He played for the Belleville Bulls of the Ontario Hockey League from 1989 through 1992, serving as captain during the 1991–92 season and recording 55 goals and 72 assists for 127 points in 65 games, earning the Jim Mahon Memorial Trophy as the top scoring right winger. Drafted by the Red Wings in the 1992 NHL entry draft in the 2nd round, 49th overall, McCarty scored 26 points in his rookie season to help the team win the Central Division title.

During the 1996–97 NHL season, arguably McCarty's most eventful, he managed to score a career-best 19 goals and 42 points. One of McCarty's most infamous moments was in the famous 'Fight Night at the Joe' on March 26, 1997, where a massive brawl broke out between the Colorado Avalanche and Red Wings. McCarty stunned Avalanche right winger Claude Lemieux with a blistering punch and continued punching Lemieux while Lemieux 'turtled' his body to avoid damage. The fight was revenge for a hit that Lemieux inflicted on Kris Draper in the previous year's playoffs. McCarty ended his eventful night with scoring the overtime goal against Patrick Roy. The Red Wings swept the Philadelphia Flyers for their first Stanley Cup in 42 years; in game four, McCarty scored the most famous goal of his career, which turned out to be the game winning and Cup-clinching goal on Ron Hextall.

After 11 seasons with the Red Wings, McCarty signed as a free agent with the Calgary Flames on August 2, 2005. He scored seven goals for the Flames during the regular season and scored the overtime winning goal in game one of the Flames first round series against the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim, a series Calgary would eventually lose in seven games. In the 2006–07 season, McCarty appeared in only 32 games and for the first time in his career, failed to register a point. He later resurrected his career in the Red Wings minor league system, eventually returning to Detroit and winning his fourth Stanley Cup in 2008.

Reader's Guide

Darren McCarty's significance lies in his role as a key enforcer and member of the Detroit Red Wings' famous Grind Line with Kris Draper and Kirk Maltby, a unit often matched up against the opponent's top offensive line. His most famous moment came during 'Fight Night at the Joe' on March 26, 1997, when he fought Claude Lemieux in retaliation for a hit on Draper, then scored the overtime goal against Patrick Roy. That fight was considered what brought the team together in time for the playoffs and helped break the Stanley Cup drought curse over the franchise. McCarty scored the Cup-clinching goal in game four of the 1997 Final, a goal some compared with a Mario Lemieux play. He is one of only five players who won all four championships the franchise achieved between 1997 and 2008. After his playing career, McCarty worked as a color analyst for Versus and started a weekly podcast, Grind Time with Darren McCarty, in December 2018.

Did You Know?

• He was awarded the Jim Mahon Memorial Trophy as the top scoring right winger in the OHL during the 1991–92 season.
• McCarty made his debut as an NHL Analyst for Versus on November 23, 2009.
• He appeared on the truTV reality series Hardcore Pawn in January 2012.