PAUSECAST: Former Devil Grant Marshall Joins the Pausecast

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For the ninth episode of the Devils Official Pausecast, our guest is Grant Marshall. Marshall played in the Devils organization during the 2000s, and was a part of the Devils 2003 Stanley Cup winning team.

Marshall hails from Port Credit, Ontario and started his hockey career there in the small town south of Toronto.

"Basically I always say I'm from Mississauga," joked Marshall. "Port Credit, good old town that I grew up in. I started my hockey in Port Credit, going to school there as a kid, and that was my life. It's nice going back home the past two years, couple years."

Marshall was drafted by the Toronto Maple Leafs 23rd overall in the 1992 NHL Entry Draft. Before he could make his debut for the Maple Leafs, he was involved in a trade which sent him to Texas. Somewhat like trade announcements today, Marshall found out from the media, not his agent.

"Driving in my car to go work out at the gym, and it was the FAN, the sports station, it was on the radio and it said 'the Leafs have traded with the Dallas Stars Grant Marshall and Peter Zezel for the rights to Mike Craig."

Marshall's agent called him about 20 minutes later to confirm the news that Marshall had just heard on the radio. Not long after that call, the Stars Coach gave Marshall a call.

"Bob Gainey says to me, 'Hi Grant, Bob Gainey, so listen as you know we traded for you I want to start off by saying, I never have really seen you play.' And I'm like well that's not a good start for me," Marshall joked.

New Jersey Devils Official Podcast · Grant Marshall: "Pausecast" - Episode 10

"I went to training camp, did my thing, they wanted to give me an opportunity, I went to the minors for a year, and it was good. The coach there was Ken Hitchcock who you know was one of the best coaches ever to coach, and from there it took off."

Marshall has a unique experience when it comes to the 2000 Stanley Cup Final - he was playing for Dallas against the Devils.

"We went into the Finals that year as somewhat the favorite, only because we won the Cup the year before. But, the Devils had a better record. The Devils were probably a little bit better of a team, you know we had the same team. We got beat. We got beat, it was a fairly even team, but we got beat by a better team in that moment."

"I look back, and people say 'Oh you were able to win two Stanley Cups' but yeah I went to three Finals. And to me that's almost better than winning just two Stanley Cups, because I had that opportunity to win the third one and didn't but that doesn't take away the fact that I worked hard and was part of a team that went 2 out of 3 for a Stanley Cup. I try to add that to the mix as well even though it was a loss."

Marshall ended up leaving the Dallas Stars and he played for the Columbus Blue Jackets for one and a half seasons.

"I went to Columbus which was great, we had a team that wasn't that good, but I played a lot. I was one of the older guys, I was a leader, and I had an opportunity to show what I could do."

During his second season with the Blue Jackets, Marshall was traded to the New Jersey Devils during the 2002-03 season. Later that year, Marshall would win his second Stanley Cup, this time with the Devils.

"I remember getting the trade the only real thing I know about the Devils was whenever we played the Devils we stayed in New York City and come in and play the Devils and go back or when we played them in the Finals in 2000, and all I knew was Secaucus. Nothing against Secaucus but that's the only thing I really knew."

"Now I know living here all these years there's so much to New Jersey, and it's a beautiful state, but it was just that, getting traded, having an opportunity to win and being a part of a strong professional franchise just like it is now. It was a really great feeling."