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Looking at New Jersey Devils Unsung Heroes: Grant Marshall

By Steve Palumbo |
EAST RUTHERFORD, NJ - OCTOBER 5: Grant Marshall #29 of the New Jersey Devils, sporting a black eye from a previous game, during a break in the NHL opener against the Pittsburgh Penguins on October 5, 2005 at Continental Airlines Arena in East Rutherford, New Jersey. The Devils defeated the Penguins 5-1. (Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images)
EAST RUTHERFORD, NJ - OCTOBER 5: Grant Marshall #29 of the New Jersey Devils, sporting a black eye from a previous game, during a break in the NHL opener against the Pittsburgh Penguins on October 5, 2005 at Continental Airlines Arena in East Rutherford, New Jersey. The Devils defeated the Penguins 5-1. (Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images)

The New Jersey Devils are the one hockey club most associated with the logo on the front and not the name on the back, which makes finding good unsung hero candidates a limitless task. There are discovered numerous candidates throughout the annals of Devils’ history. Each and every one of the Stanley Cup winning teams had something special about them, but there was something extra special about the 2002-03 team.

That particular group led by unsung heroes Jamie Langenbrunner, Jeff Friesen, and Pascal Rheaume will forever hold a very special place in the hearts of New Jersey Devils fans. That group reminds us of a bunch of ragtag grinders overachieving when it mattered most. It wasn’t the prettiest hockey, but it was championship hockey. Any number of players from that squad could be featured, (and that is coming soon), but today we have somebody specific in mind to start off with. Today, we look back at Grant Marshall, a bottom-six talent that harnessed something special that spring. In 2003 he elevated his game to a whole other level and his heroics were paramount to the Devils capturing a third Stanley Cup in eight seasons.

The Toronto Maple Leafs drafted Marshall in the 1st round (23rd overall) of the 1992 NHL Entry Draft. The Ontario native never had the opportunity to suit up for the Leafs. Instead, he found his way into the NHL with the Dallas Stars at the start of the 1994-95 season. He became the Stars’ property when the league awarded him and Peter Zezel to Dallas as compensation for the Leafs’ signing free agent Mike Craig. Marshall would play his first seven seasons in the Lone Star State, winning the Stanley Cup in 1998-99, before being traded to Columbus for a 2nd-round pick in the 2003 draft.

By this time, Marshall had clearly established himself as a bottom-six depth forward with little offensive upside. He hit double-digits in goals just twice with Dallas before scoring a career-high 15 goals in 2001-02 with the Blue Jackets. Despite the uptick in goals, Marshall’s stint with the Jackets was short-lived. Columbus flipped him at the 2002-03 trade deadline to the Devils for a 4th-round pick.

Marshall played the final 10 regular-season games with the Devils, tallying one goal and two assists. As expected, those are some very pretty pedestrian numbers, but once the regular season ended and the playoffs began, Marshall’s game and importance really took off. Keep in mind as a pint of reference that in 59 playoff games with Dallas, Marshall never scored a single playoff goal and had a grand total of eight assists – period.  Again, this was to be expected from a player of Marshall’s ilk.

Next. New Jersey Devils Unsung Hero: Valeri Zelepukin. dark

And again, I reiterate, 2003 would be very different.

The 2003 team was the least talented of the three Cup winners, but like many championship squads, they came together as one, getting the most out of each and every player in that lineup.

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Marshall was one of 13 Devils to play in all 24 games during that playoff run. He finished tied for third on the team in goals scored with six. He was held scoreless in the opening round versus Boston before erupting for three goals in the Tampa Bay series. He cemented his place among New Jersey’s expansive list of unsung heroes with his triple-overtime series-clinching goal in Game 5.

Marshall continued to score big goals for New Jersey throughout that run. He found the back of the net again in-game four of the Eastern Conference Finals against Ottawa, helping New Jersey take a commanding 3-1 series lead. He’d score another clutch goal in Game 1 of the Cup Finals before scoring his final goal in the Devils game 6 loss. New Jersey would eventually defeat the Mighty Ducks in seven games, cementing that group’s legacy for all of eternity.

Marshall would never again come close to the level of heroics he achieved that spring. He played the next two full NHL seasons with the Devils scoring just 16 goals and 24 assists in 141 games. He retired after the 2007-08 season, following two seasons playing for the Lowell Devils in the AHL. Today, Marshall remains an active member of the Devils’ alumni and will forever be remembered at one of New Jersey’s true unsung heroes.

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