Frazer McLaren Profile
By Jeremy Giacomin
“Getting punched in the face is just another day at the office,” said Frazer McLaren. Each player on a hockey team has a role that they are expected to fulfill. Standing at six-foot-four and weighing 235 pounds, 21-year-old McLaren’s role is the enforcer. Although his face is riddled with scars, his smile missing teeth and his hands mangled, McLaren continues to literally fight to make the National Hockey League (NHL).
The Winnipeg native grew up in River Heights and although fighting was not part of his childhood, it came quite naturally. “It wasn’t until my growth spurt at age 14 that I started to use my fists to make hockey teams,” McLaren said.
He has been in over 120 fights in his life but not one of those has been off the ice. This season, he played four regular seasons in the NHL, with the San Jose Sharks. During those four games, he recorded his first point and won his first big league fight against Derek Dorsett. Last week, McLaren was cut from the Sharks line up and sent down to The American Hockey League (AHL) to develop his skating. He is currently playing for the Worcester Sharks.
Tom Akerstream coached McLarens first year of hockey in 1993 , “As a kid, Frazer struggled with his skating, but he also had size 12 shoes at age 6.”
McLaren admits that he didn’t even tie his skates the right way until he was 16; an indication that making the NHL would depend on his knuckles, not his ankles.
For McLaren, fighting is more strategic than emotional. He doesn’t hate the men he fights; he does it because it is his job. McLaren is expected to fight when a teammate gets a cheap shot or when his team needs a boost of momentum. Other players will also provoke and antagonise him to make a name for themselves, “Some games I really don’t want to fight but my teammates, coaches, and fans expect me to.”
Jason Gray, who grew up playing against McLaren said “He is a gentle giant, he doesn’t like fighting, but he is really good at it, and I’m sure the money helps.”
McLaren is young, strong, and brave, “I will never back down from a fight, unless it’s against Georges Laraque. I don’t think I have ever seen him lose a fight,” referring to the six-foot-four 245 pound Montreal Canadiens enforcer.
Akerstream is not surprised by McLaren’s success, “Frazer was the ultimate team player, he followed orders, helped team mates, and was always looking to improve.”
It seems that McLaren still follows these principles today, risking his own health for his team. “I try not to think of the dangers of fighting, I have learned how to protect myself, I just hope I don’t seriously injure anyone else,” McLaren said.
If McLaren wasn’t playing professional hockey, he says he would like to go back to school and get an education. McLaren said, “I would love to get paid to help people instead of hurting them. Unfortunately I have spent all my time in hockey rinks far away from classrooms, graduating would probably be the hardest fight of my life.”
Although it is difficult considering his size, he doesn’t want to be labelled as an enforcer his whole career. He wants to be known as a hockey player capable in all aspects of the game. Even though McLaren was disappointed about not making the NHL this year he said, “I will get a lot more ice time in the AHL, which will develop me into a well rounded player, not just a fighter.”
Would you say he's a gentleman?
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