10 Accomplished Athletes Turned Successful Musicians
As an enforcer for the Detroit Red Wings team that won four Stanley Cups (1997, 1998, 2002, 2008), Darren McCarty was best known for two things: (1) being part of the Grind Line -- a defensive trio that ground and wore out the opposing team's scoring line -- and (2) his role in 1997's "Fight Night at the Joe" where a chaotic brawl broke out between the Red Wings and the Colorado Avalanche. It was therefore hardly a surprise when McCarty pursued a music career through a style of rock that is likewise very aggressive in nature: heavy metal. The band called itself "Grinder" and Darren was its lead singer.
The group was actually founded in support of McCarty's former teammate Vladimir Konstantinov and Red Wings' masseur Sergie Mnatsakanov, who were paralyzed in a limousine accident in 1997. Since then, McCarty has worked with a vocal coach to improve his singing, released the album Gotta Keep Movin' through the band's website, and played to crowds of up to 12,000 people.
