Grinder

A grinder is a player better known for his hard-work and checking than his scoring.[1] [2] A grinder is often a player who has limited offensive skills, but is valuable to a hockey team due to their physical forechecking skills especially along the boards; for "grinding along the boards".[3] They are often fan favorites due to their work effort in games.[4] While grinder often refers to a player of lesser offensive skills, this is not always the case. Hall of Famer Bobby Clarke of the 1970s and 80s Philadelphia Flyers was considered a grinder, but was also a reliable goal-scorer.[3] While a "grinder" plays a physical style of hockey they are distinguished from an "enforcer", whose role is more physical intimidation and engaging in fights which are not within the rules of hockey. A "grinder" refers specifically to a style of defensive hockey which is within the rules of the game.[5] Often grinder is used in combination with "mucker" to describe a player as a "mucker and a grinder"[6], although it is used as emphasis. A mucker is largely synonymous with grinder.[1]