Episode XXI: Hockey Hall of Famer Grant Fuhr - a podcast by wheretheyat

The 21st edition of Whe're They At features 7-time National Hockey League All-Star, 5-time Stanley Cup champion, Hockey Hall of Fame and member of the NHL's 100 Greatest Players of All-Time, Grant Fuhr. Grant is one of 13 Goaltenders in NHL history to win over 400 career games. He won five Stanley Cups with the dynastic Edmonton Oilers of the mid-late 1980's. He won the Vezina Trophy, recognizing the NHL's best goalie in 1987-88. Most importantly, he was a pioneer by becoming the first Black player to be inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame (2003). He co-wrote an autobiography called, Grant Fuhr: Portrait of a Champion and was featured in a documentary about his life called Making Coco: The Grant Fuhr Story. He was named to the NHL's 100 Greatest Players of All-Time list in 2017. Grant has been humanitarian with his involvement in countless charities. Host Nabaté Isles had the honor to speak with Grant on a variety of topics including:               

01:57-Whe're is Grant Fuhr at now?                        
 
02:27-How he and his family are dealing with the pandemic?                     
 
03:22-On his upbringing as an adopted child.                
 
05:27-Athletes past and present that have inspired him.                     
 
06:06-On how the great goaltender Terry Sawchuk was Grant's barometer throughout his career.                   
07:20-He didn't experience discrimination as he was a teenager playing hockey in Canada.                
 
08:21-Did he feel pressure with the Edmonton Oilers as there were a few goaltenders in their system?                     
09:28-On his ups-and-downs during his first couple of seasons in the National Hockey League.                    
 
12:24-On his healthy competition with Andy Moog.                
 
13:27-What made the 1984-85 Edmonton Oilers the widely recognized greatest team of All-Time?                        
15:00-Did he and a fellow Black sports pioneer based in Edmonton during the early-mid 1980's, Warren Moon communicate often?                      
 
16:06-Hockey always took his mind off tough times especially losing his father in 1986.                
 
17:16-Grant's approach and preparation as an elite goalie.                       
 
19:58-How the American expansion and the in-flux of Europeans and Russians impacted the game starting in the 1980's?                    
 
20:51-The on and off the ice impact of his friends and former teammates, Wayne Gretzky and Mark Messier.                         
23:49-On his historic 1987-88 season.                     
 
25:06-Is Goaltender the most pressure packed position in sports?                       
 
25:55-On his substance abuse and how seeking help led to his eventual suspension.                  
 
30:15-Moving from team to team after the Oilers traded him.                 
 
32:20-On playing for Coach Mike Keenan and training with Bob Kersee in St. Louis, resurrecting his career.                                 
34:26-The disappointment of being injured, missing the 1997 Stanley Cup Playoffs.                  
 
35:16-Reuniting with Gretzky and finally being teammates with Al MacInnis in St. Louis.                 
 
36:14-Advice he shares with young athletes.                         
 
38:15-On his last season with the Calgary Flames, how bittersweet it was as he lost his Mother.                     
39:04-On mentoring Black players, Goalie Fred Brathwaite and future Hall of Famer Jarome Iginla in Calgary.                     
 
40:15-The significance of being the first Black player to be inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame.             
 
40:58-The influence of the 1st Black player in the NHL, Willie O'Ree.                 
 
41:45-What are the steps that the NHL are taking to gain more Black players?             
 
43:13-Names Black players who haven't received true recognition.                   
 
44:25-On All-Star caliber Black players, Seth Jones and the charismatic P.K. Subban.           
 
45:12-On the rise of hockey in Jamaica, including possible #1 pick in the 2020 NHL Draft, Quinton Byfield.                
46:07-Who is the best Goalie in the NHL right now?                 
 
47:04-Can the current Oilers go far with the Goalie tandem of Mike Smith and Mikko Koskinen?              
 
47:37-How great can current Oilers stars, Leon Drisaitl, Connor McDavid and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins be?                       
48:28-Should the NHL resume the season?              
 
49:11-There is nothing like the Stanley Cup Playoffs.            
 
50:38-Does Alex Ovechkin have a chance to break Gretzky's career goals mark?              
 
51:20-POWER PLAY segment of random questions for Grant.
 
57:14-How can the NHL become visible?                  
 
58:12-What are the pros and cons on the current game?                
 

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Musical selections are from Nabaté Isles' album, 'Eclectic Excursions', available on iTunes, Spotify, Google Play, Amazon, Tidal, etc. Check out his website as well: www.nabateisles.com             

 

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