Christopher Allan Gratton (born July 5, 1975) is a
Canadian
Canadians (french: Canadiens) are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of ...
former professional
ice hockey
Ice hockey (or simply hockey) is a team sport played on ice skates, usually on an ice skating rink with lines and markings specific to the sport. It belongs to a family of sports called hockey. In ice hockey, two opposing teams use ice hock ...
player who last played with the
Columbus Blue Jackets
The Columbus Blue Jackets (often simply referred to as the Jackets) are a professional ice hockey team based in Columbus, Ohio. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division in the Eastern Conference, ...
of the
National Hockey League
The National Hockey League (NHL; french: Ligue nationale de hockey—LNH, ) is a professional ice hockey league in North America comprising 32 teams—25 in the United States and 7 in Canada. It is considered to be the top ranked professional ...
(NHL). He is the cousin of
Josh Gratton
Josh Gratton (born September 9, 1982) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey left winger who last played for the South Carolina Stingrays of the ECHL. Gratton played in the National Hockey League for the Philadelphia Flyers and the Phoenix ...
, who had also briefly played in the NHL as a member of the
Philadelphia Flyers
The Philadelphia Flyers are a professional ice hockey team based in Philadelphia. The Flyers compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division in the Eastern Conference. The team plays its home games in Wells ...
and the
Phoenix Coyotes
The Arizona Coyotes are a professional ice hockey team based in the Phoenix metropolitan area. The Coyotes compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Central Division in the Western Conference and currently play at the Mull ...
.
Early life
Gratton's father coached him for one season during his youth.
Playing career
Junior hockey
Gratton played his minor hockey in his hometown of
Brantford
Brantford (Canada 2021 Census, 2021 population: 104,688) is a city in Ontario, Canada, founded on the Grand River (Ontario), Grand River in Southwestern Ontario. It is surrounded by County of Brant, Brant County, but is politically separate with ...
,
Ontario
Ontario ( ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada.Ontario is located in the geographic eastern half of Canada, but it has historically and politically been considered to be part of Central Canada. Located in Central Ca ...
, playing for such programs as the Brantford Nodrofsky Steelers (the same program
Wayne Gretzky
Wayne Douglas Gretzky ( ; born January 26, 1961) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player and former head coach. He played 20 seasons in the National Hockey League (NHL) for four teams from 1979 to 1999. Nicknamed "the Great One ...
played in many years earlier) and the Brantford CKPC Knights. As a 15-year-old, he played one season with the Jr B Brantford Classics.
In 1991, Gratton was selected third overall in the
OHL OHL or Ohl may refer to:
Initialisms
*Latvian Hockey Higher League, known in Latvian as the ''Optibet hokeja līga''
*Oberste Heeresleitung, the Supreme Army Command of Germany in World War I
*Obrascón Huarte Lain, a Spanish construction company
* ...
Priority Selection by the
Kingston Frontenacs
The Kingston Frontenacs are a junior ice hockey team in the Ontario Hockey League, based in Kingston, Ontario, Canada. The Frontenacs play home games at Leon's Centre, which opened in 2008.
Team history predates the OHA, back to 1945, to a te ...
. After his rookie year in the OHL, Gratton received the
Emms Family Award
The Emms Family Award is presented annually to the Rookie of the Year (top first-year player) in the Ontario Hockey League. The winner is also nominated for the CHL Rookie of the Year. The award was donated by Hap Emms. Leighton "Hap" Emms was a c ...
as rookie of the year. In 1993, he was selected third overall in the
NHL Draft
The NHL Entry Draft (french: Repêchage d'entrée dans la LNH) is an annual meeting in which every franchise of the National Hockey League (NHL) systematically select the rights to available ice hockey players who meet draft eligibility requirem ...
by the
Tampa Bay Lightning
The Tampa Bay Lightning (colloquially known as the Bolts) are a professional ice hockey team based in Tampa, Florida. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Atlantic Division in the Eastern Conference. They play th ...
.
Tampa Bay Lightning
Gratton made his NHL debut for the Lightning on October 6, 1993, against the
New Jersey Devils
The New Jersey Devils are a professional sports, professional ice hockey team based in Newark, New Jersey. The Devils compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division in the Eastern Conference (NHL), Eastern ...
. He recorded his first career point (a powerplay assist on a
Bob Beers goal) in his second game against the
New York Rangers
The New York Rangers are a professional ice hockey team based in the New York City borough of Manhattan. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division in the Eastern Conference. The team plays its home ...
the next night. He scored his first career goal against
Robb Stauber
Robert Thomas Stauber (born November 25, 1967) is an American ice hockey coach and former player. He was the head coach of the United States women's national ice hockey team. He played the goaltender position at the University of Minnesota and pr ...
of the
Los Angeles Kings
The Los Angeles Kings are a professional ice hockey team based in Los Angeles. The team competes in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Pacific Division in the Western Conference and was founded on June 5, 1967, after Jack Kent ...
in a 4–3 Lightning loss on October 20, 1993
Philadelphia Flyers
In 1997, Gratton signed with the
Philadelphia Flyers
The Philadelphia Flyers are a professional ice hockey team based in Philadelphia. The Flyers compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division in the Eastern Conference. The team plays its home games in Wells ...
as a free agent after four seasons with the Lightning, earning a $9 million signing bonus. In
1997–98, Gratton matched his career-high of 62 points and recorded a career-best
plus/minus rating of +11. Gratton was traded back to Tampa Bay the next season.
Second stint with Lightning
Gratton served as Tampa Bay's captain during the
1999–2000 season until his trade in March, 2000, when Tampa Bay traded Gratton to the
Buffalo Sabres
The Buffalo Sabres are a professional ice hockey team based in Buffalo, New York. The Sabres compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Atlantic Division in the Eastern Conference. The team was established in 1970, along w ...
.
Buffalo Sabres
Gratton arrived in Buffalo along with
Doug Gilmour
Douglas Robert Gilmour (born June 25, 1963) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player. He played 20 seasons in the National Hockey League (NHL) for seven different teams. Gilmour was a seventh round selection, 134th overall, of the St. ...
near the trade deadline of the 1999-2000 NHL season. Buffalo added both with the hope that they could revive the team's fortunes and propel them to the playoffs. The Sabres eventually did qualify for the playoffs, but bowed out in five games to the
Philadelphia Flyers
The Philadelphia Flyers are a professional ice hockey team based in Philadelphia. The Flyers compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division in the Eastern Conference. The team plays its home games in Wells ...
in the first round.
Gratton eventually played three seasons with the Sabres, scoring at least 15 goals in each year. In his first full season with Buffalo, he recorded 19 goals and again helped the Sabres reach the playoffs. He notched five goals in helping the Sabres beat the
Flyers in the first round, though his production dipped to a single goal in the next round against the
Pittsburgh Penguins
The Pittsburgh Penguins (colloquially known as the Pens) are a professional ice hockey team based in Pittsburgh. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division of the Eastern Conference, and have playe ...
as the Sabres were eliminated in seven games.
Gratton would still be productive in his final two years in Buffalo, though the team failed to reach the post-season. His final year in Buffalo was his most productive, reaching 44 points and 15 goals in 66 games, good enough for second in team scoring behind
Miroslav Satan.
Phoenix Coyotes
Gratton would play for the Sabres until March 2003, when the Sabres traded him to the
Phoenix Coyotes
The Arizona Coyotes are a professional ice hockey team based in the Phoenix metropolitan area. The Coyotes compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Central Division in the Western Conference and currently play at the Mull ...
for
Daniel Briere. One year later on March 9, 2004, Phoenix traded Gratton (along with
Ossi Väänänen
Ossi Reijo Juhani Väänänen (born August 18, 1980) is a Finnish former professional ice hockey defenceman. He was the captain of Jokerit of the Kontinental Hockey League (KHL), with whom he has previously won two silver medals as runner-up for ...
and a second-round draft pick, ultimately used to select
Paul Stastny
Paul Stastny (born December 27, 1985) is a Canadian-born American professional ice hockey center for the Carolina Hurricanes of the National Hockey League (NHL). He has previously played for the Colorado Avalanche, St. Louis Blues, Winnipeg Jets ...
) in the
2005 NHL Entry Draft to the
Colorado Avalanche
The Colorado Avalanche (colloquially known as the Avs) are a professional ice hockey team based in Denver. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Central Division in the Western Conference. The Avalanche play thei ...
in exchange for
Derek Morris Derek Morris may refer to:
*Sir Derek Morris (academic), Provost of Oriel College, Oxford
*Derek Morris (ice hockey) (born 1978), Canadian ice hockey defenceman
*Derek Morris (jockey), 1990s UK and Irish based steeplechase rider in Adonis Juvenile ...
and
Keith Ballard
Keith Galen Ballard (born November 26, 1982) is an American former professional ice hockey defenseman who previously played in the National Hockey League with the Phoenix Coyotes, Florida Panthers, Vancouver Canucks and Minnesota Wild. He played ...
.
Florida Panthers
After the
2004–05 NHL lockout
The 2004–05 NHL lockout was a labor lockout that resulted in the cancellation of the National Hockey League (NHL) season, which would have been its 88th season of play.
The main dispute was the league's desire to implement a salary cap to ...
, Gratton signed a one-year contract with the
Florida Panthers
The Florida Panthers are a professional ice hockey team based in the Miami metropolitan area. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Atlantic Division (NHL), Atlantic Division in the Eastern Conference (NHL), Eastern ...
. Gratton signed a two-year contract extension with the Panthers in March 2006.
He was traded back to the Tampa Bay Lightning again on June 13, 2007, in exchange for a second-round draft pick (used to select
Jacob Markström
Jacob Anders Markström (born 31 January 1990) is a Swedish professional ice hockey goaltender and plays for the Calgary Flames of the National Hockey League. He was selected by the Florida Panthers in the second round, 31st overall, of the 2008 ...
).
Return to Tampa Bay Lightning
During the
2007–08 season, Gratton scored 21 points in 60 games before tearing the
acetabular labrum
The acetabular labrum (glenoidal labrum of the hip joint or cotyloid ligament in older texts) is a ring of cartilage that surrounds the acetabulum of the hip. The anterior portion is most vulnerable when the labrum tears.
It provides an articulat ...
in his left hip which required season-ending surgery. Gratton re-signed with the Lightning for the
2008–09 season but was waived in December and was assigned to Tampa Bay's
American Hockey League
The American Hockey League (AHL) is a professional ice hockey league based in the United States and Canada that serves as the primary Minor league#Ice hockey, developmental league for the National Hockey League (NHL). Since the 2010–11 AHL se ...
(AHL) affiliate, the
Norfolk Admirals Norfolk Admirals has been the name of two professional ice hockey franchises:
* Norfolk Admirals (AHL), a team which played in the American Hockey League from 2000 to 2015
*Norfolk Admirals (ECHL)
The Norfolk Admirals are a professional ice hock ...
.
Columbus Blue Jackets
Gratton was claimed off of re-entry waivers on February 21, 2009, by the
Columbus Blue Jackets
The Columbus Blue Jackets (often simply referred to as the Jackets) are a professional ice hockey team based in Columbus, Ohio. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division in the Eastern Conference, ...
. He played in six games for Columbus, recording an assist, before retiring in 2009.
Personal life
Gratton lives in
Ancaster, Ontario
Ancaster is a historic town in the city of Hamilton, Ontario, Canada, located on the Niagara Escarpment. Founded as a town in 1793, it immediately developed itself into one of the first important and influential early Kingdom of Great Britain, Bri ...
and has one son, Zachary, who plays hockey, and three daughters. He has coached his son in minor hockey, first in house league in Ancaster, then for AA and eventually with the Hamilton AAA Jr. Bulldogs' bantam team.
Gratton is co-owner of the Florida Jr. Blades Organization (in the 29-team
Empire Junior Hockey League
The Empire Junior Hockey League (EmJHL) was a USA Hockey-sanctioned Tier III junior ice hockey league. The league was classified as Tier III Junior B until the 2011–12 season when USA Hockey combined the Tier III Junior A and Junior B classifi ...
).
Career statistics
Regular season and playoffs
International
See also
*
List of NHL players who have signed offer sheets
This is a list of National Hockey League players who have signed offer sheets.
In the NHL, players who are restricted free agents can be, after being qualified by their current team, signed by another team to an offer sheet with salary greater th ...
*
List of NHL players with 1000 games played
The National Hockey League (NHL) is a major professional ice hockey league which operates in Canada and the United States. Since its inception in , 357 players have played at least 1,000 regular season games, varying in amounts between Patrick ...
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Gratton, Chris
1975 births
Buffalo Sabres players
Canadian ice hockey centres
Colorado Avalanche players
Columbus Blue Jackets players
Florida Panthers players
Kingston Frontenacs players
Living people
National Hockey League first-round draft picks
Norfolk Admirals players
Philadelphia Flyers players
Phoenix Coyotes players
Tampa Bay Lightning draft picks
Tampa Bay Lightning players
Ice hockey people from Ontario
Sportspeople from Brantford