Milestone for Mr. Grit

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This article was published 08/12/2015 (3625 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

In just over a week Chris Thorburn will hop over the boards for the Winnipeg Jets, put skate blade to ice and make history.

And, if you know the man even a teeny-tiny bit, the whole spotlight thing is going to make him squirm.

Thorburn, a 32-year-old product of Sault Ste. Marie, Ont., is slated to play in his 595th game as a member of the Jets/Atlanta Thrashers on Dec. 18 against the New York Rangers. In the process, he’ll become the franchise leader in games played. Ilya Kovalchuk is the current all-timer, at 594.

“It’s definitely cool,” said Thorburn after practice at the MTS Centre Tuesday. “You see a guy like Ilya Kovalchuk that leads that list and having a chance to play with him and see the kind of guy and leader he was… to be considered in the same category with somebody like that is an honour.

“But, you know what? I don’t like to focus on that in the present time. There’s guys in here like Bryan Little and Toby Enstrom who are coming up on that all-time list, too. We’ve kind of grown up together with this franchise. We’re like a brotherhood.

“But right now it’s about winning hockey games, as cliché as that sounds.”

And as cliché as it sounds, that last sentence might just perfectly sum up Thorburn.

He’s never been the most talented player on his team. He’s a third-slash-fourth liner who last hit double-digit goal totals a decade ago with the AHL’s Rochester Americans. But through a combination of perseverance, durability and his ability to adapt to his role as grinder/tough guy/Grade A teammate, he’s now at 632 career NHL games (including two with the Buffalo Sabres, the team that drafted him, and 39 with the Pittsburgh Penguins). And counting.

He comes from a middle-class upbringing — his father was a teacher, his mother worked at a hospital while raising five kids. They all played hockey in the winter; his two sisters played soccer in the summer while he and his brothers turned to baseball.

“My mom and dad made everything possible,” said Thorburn. “It wasn’t always easy, but they gave us every opportunity to be successful. They allowed me to at least try to get to my dream. I’m fortunate. I know that.”

It’s that humility and his work ethic that also, in a sense, is part of why he is on the verge of franchise history. He is a lunch pail and hard hat guy on a list with the likes of Kovalchuk, Little and Enstrom.

“This is how I was taught,” said Thorburn. “I’ve had some struggles and I took that into my play growing up. When I first was in the pro my coach (Randy Cunneyworth) sat me down and told me, ‘If you’re going to make it to the next level you might have to mix in some fights here and there to survive.’ ”

Now, make no mistake, while Thorburn first tried to steer clear of the all-time games-played-list angle when we approached him about it, the number means something.

It means he’s been able to provide for his family and buy some land in Michigan.

And it means he’s been able to carve out a respectable career. Every kid grows up dreaming of playing in the NHL. But for a guy like Thorburn to have survived this long, says a lot about who he is, too.

“Sometimes the guys that score the goals or are getting points or making the big save get a lot of the recognition, but you can never overstate how important Thorbs is for what we do,” said Jets winger Blake Wheeler.

“His character and the attitude he brings to the rink every day is unmatched. There’s nobody that comes with a better attitude every day and his work ethic matches that. He embodies what we try to do: bring an honest effort to the rink every day, and he always has a smile on his face doing it.

“For me, he’s one of my favourite teammates I’ve ever played with.”

And that’s universal. As Jets coach Paul Maurice said, if you were to poll every player in the dressing room as to who their two or three closest friends are on the team, Thorburn would be on every list.

“I just love being around the guys,” said Thorburn. “I’ve been willing to do anything for anyone in here. I expect it back, but I’ll put myself out there… you either laugh at me or laugh with me but, either way, I don’t really care. As long as everyone’s laughing. I just love hanging out. I love the hockey, but when this is done that’s probably what I’ll miss the most — the laughter and the joking around.”

That’s what will make 595 special, because it represents a career in the game he loves.

“When we get there, if it’s next week, I will celebrate it… I’ll keep it pretty quiet, though,” he said. “My wife’s been with me for every game. We’ll have a couple drinks and a couple laughs.

“I’ll think about it, about all the time that’s past. And, believe me, I’ll appreciate it.”

ed.tait@freepress.mb.ca

Twitter: @WFPEdTait