From the Little League World Series to the Stanley Cup playoffs, Chris Drury has always been cast as a hero.
While wearing a red, white and blue sweater for the U.S. hockey team, however, Drury now serves as a fourth-line grinder. Dirty work. But he loves every minute, no matter how precious those minutes of playing time might be.
“There are a lot of people who wouldn’t want to be the 13th forward on this team. I’m thrilled to be doing it. To contribute any way I can is very rewarding,” Drury told me Thursday, after the USA trounced Norway 6-1.
As Avalanche fans recall, Drury has an uncanny knack for making big plays. Despite getting only 11 short shifts, the 33-year-old veteran scored a goal that staked his teammates to a 2-0 lead.
Drury, whose selection for a third Olympic team was widely debated because he is no longer the scorer he used to be, demonstrated his scoring touch when he buried a rebound by Ryan Callahan.
