RALEIGH, N.C. _ Brock McGinn is called an "old-school gamer" by Carolina Hurricanes coach Bill Peters, which coming from Peters is quite the compliment.
A gamer is the type who takes a shot off the foot, as McGinn did Saturday against the Chicago Blackhawks, and stays in the game to finish off a penalty kill.
"It was definitely painful, got me right in the soft spot," McGinn said, pointing to the inside of his foot. "I think everybody battles through pain. I didn't even think I was going to leave the game."
Instead, he soon scored for the second time in the game. Getting a surge of adrenaline, he beat Blackhawks defenseman Duncan Keith down the ice and got off a nasty backhander.
"When you're on the bench it's definitely throbbing," McGinn said of the injury. "As soon as you step on the ice you forget it."
McGinn, 23, was back in the lineup Monday as the Canes, who let a two-goal lead slip away against Chicago in a 4-3 overtime loss, bounced back to beat the Dallas Stars, 5-1.
Peters said he was told by the Canes' training staff that McGinn might be questionable for the Stars game.
"I looked at him and said, 'Are you playing?' " Peters said. "He said, 'I'm playing.' There are other skates, right? Some are bigger so he'll just put on another one if it's swollen. He was playing,"
McGinn brings something to the lineup that the Canes generally lack: some bite, some snarl to his game.
Jordan Staal is a big guy whose size at 6-4 and 220 pounds creates physical problems for opponents. Justin Williams and Elias Lindholm play with a physical edge. Fourth-liner Josh Jooris will bang _ he had five hits against Dallas.
But McGinn has a little extra pop that belies his 6-foot, 185-pound frame. He knows how to deliver a blow and leave an imprint.
In the first period against Chicago, McGinn put a shoulder into the chest of Blackhawks defenseman Jan Rutta, who is 6-3 and 200 pounds, along the boards. Down went Rutta, bringing a roar from the crowd.
"Just getting out there and getting a big hit kind of sparks the game a bit and gets the guys energized," McGinn said.
Not to mention himself. Fully engaged in the game, McGinn scored his first goal of the night about 80 seconds after the impact.
"I think growing up it's always been my style," McGinn said. "I like to go play a physical game. If I can continue to do that it will create space for my linemates and just more opportunities."
Peters now has McGinn, who has four goals in the past five games, on a line with Williams and center Derek Ryan. He has him on the power play as well as killing penalties. He likes that McGinn will go to the front of the net and take the punishment.
"Put him at the net, and he's fearless there," Peters said. "We need that. We need to be in the goaltenders' eyes."
McGinn just missed scoring a goal in the Dallas game. Again attempting a backhander on the move, he got off the shot while falling, sliding into the end boards.
Growing up with two older brothers now in the NHL _ Jamie and Tye McGinn _ toughened him up. Once in junior hockey, the hits continued for Guelph in the Ontario Hockey League.
The Canes drafted McGinn in the second round in 2012, believing they could use someone with his sandpaper style of play, and have patiently waited for him to develop.
Last season, McGinn was named the NHL's third star of the week in January when he had four goals and three assists in three victories. He played 57 games, scoring a shootout goal in the final regular-season game that gave the Canes a 4-3 victory over the Philadelphia Flyers.
Peters said it was only after the game that McGinn told the staff he was playing with a partially separated shoulder.
"He wasn't going to miss that opportunity," Peters said. "He's a tough kid."
The Canes gave McGinn a two-year NHL contract after the season, confirming management's belief he was ready to be a lineup fixture in the NHL.
"I definitely feel more comfortable and confident in my game this year," McGinn said. "Coming in here I felt more able to produce and put points on the board. I think it's really helping me in the way I'm playing right now."
