The Blue Jacket Original only spent parts of four seasons in Columbus, but he showed that he can be an enforcer if needed.
Jean-Luc Grand-Pierre – 202 GP | 239 PIMS | 21 Fights (with CBJ)
Jean-Luc Grand-Pierre was traded to the Blue Jackets during the 2000 Expansion draft, and from then on, he would instantly become a fan favorite. The former 7th-round pick by St. Louis stood at 6-foot-3 and 225 pounds during his playing career. Grand-Pierre was a typical defenseman for that time, not a lot of points, tough, and protected his lines mates and his goalies. JLGP was a very fast skater as it is reported that he once won the AHL All-Star Speed Skating competition, beating Martin St. Louis and others.
Grand-Pierre would fight 21 times in his CBJ career, with his highest season fight total being eight during the year 2001-02. His favorite team he liked to fight was the Calgary Flames, as he would fight them four times in his career. JLGP didn’t have a particular rival, but he did fight Scott Parker twice. All other fights were single bouts. He fought the likes of Stu Grimson, Krzysztof Oliwa, and Robyn Regehr.
[embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UW2Il3RCQqA[/embed]
Grand-Pierre’s cousin is all-time tough guy Georges Laraque, so maybe that is where he gets his toughness from. Laraque fought over 130 times in his NHL career. Unfortunately, we never got to see a fight between the cousins, at least not on the ice. Laraque would fight the CBJ seven times in his career, but six of those were against CBJ tough man Jody Shelley.
Grand-Pierre was traded away from Columbus during the 2003-04 season, but no one will ever forget his time here. A lot of the Blue Jacket Originals are unforgettable and JLGP is certainly one of them. After the 03-04 season, Grand-Pierre would leave North America and play in Europe until 2013 when he retired. Grand-Pierre now sits behind the desk on Bally Sports breaking down CBJ games, as well as being called up to do playoff games for the national broadcasts. Grand-Pierre is an elite on-air talent and fans who watch on TV are lucky to have him.
Like most NHL enforcers, off the ice they are some of the nicest people you will ever meet, and Jean-Luc Grand-Pierre is no different.
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