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The Brian McGrattan Story
Photography by Mathieu Brunet
He was known as an enforcer on the ice. Big Ern is what everyone called him. But the biggest battles that he fought were off the ice in his own mind. The toughest player, who stood up for his teammates game after game, became an even stronger warrior when he tackled his own demons. Hamilton-native, Brian McGrattan, was signed by the Ottawa Senators in June of 2002. He played three seasons in Binghamton, and three seasons in Ottawa, before moving on to play in Phoenix, Calgary, and Nashville. After 14 seasons associated with the NHL, he ended his playing career in England in the Elite Ice Hockey League in 2016-17. Now, he has re-joined the Calgary Flames in an exceptionally unique lifestyle role. He is fighting for the physical and mental well being and safety of players on the Flames. A year and a half into this management position, McGrattan is using his own life experience on and off the ice to fulfill his duties as Director of Player Assistance. The 37-year-old husband, and father to one son, sat down with us while he was in town for the Molson Sens Alumni and NHL Celebrity Cup, a fundraiser for the Ottawa Senators Foundation. He told us that to mark coming back to Ottawa, he was going to visit his very close friend and tattoo artist. Before heading back to Calgary just 36 hours later, Big Ern added to his sleeves of art with an X to symbolize ten years of sobriety, the gift of recovery, and how to never lose hope of once again being able to love yourself.
20 | FACES MAGAZINE
You set the AHL record for most penalty minutes in a season with 551. As someone who scored 20 goals in only 31 games during a junior season, describe the transition for you towards becoming an enforcer during your time with the Senators AHL team in Binghamton. Did you think it was your best chance at making the NHL? Peter Chiarelli was the Assistant GM at the time and called me a week before training camp to say they had one rookie spot open at camp. I figured going in I had to do something to stand out. I fought a little bit in Junior but it wasn’t a primary role for me. I knew I had to get noticed, and at the time, you had to make the main camp from rookie camp. They didn’t bring everybody like it is now. I fought every game. I wasn’t good but I got noticed and got invited to the main camp. I wasn’t there long and then got sent down to Binghamton. Then I had the chance to play pre-season in Binghamton and kept the fighting thing up but I wasn’t good. I lost a lot (laughs). I was terrible, but stuck with it. I earned my first NHL contract at the end of my first year in Binghamton and that’s how I got started with the Sens.
