On the ice, Gerbe stands tall

[Two or less]

Good article on Nathan Gerbe from NHL.com that i just saw on their web site. Check it out and enjoy.

 

On the ice, Gerbe stands tall

Monday, 10.27.2008 / 11:01 AM /

 

Prospects By Lindsay Kramer - NHL.com Correspondent

 

Some clever prankster on the Portland Pirates didn't take very long to show rookie forward Nathan Gerbe exactly where he stands -- which, as everyone who follows college hockey knows, is about 5-foot, 6-inches from the floor.

 

After one of the team's recent practices, someone left a pair of children's skates in Gerbe's locker. There's probably no height humor that Gerbe, 21, hasn't heard by this point of his career, but he summoned up the goodwill to chuckle a little more.

 

"I haven't found the guy who did it," Gerbe said. "I laugh at that stuff. It's something I've heard all my life. It's one of those things, I've learned it's better to not waste energy on."

 

Gerbe has enough of it for almost everything else, though, including living up to a reputation that precedes him as one of the most dynamic young players in the game.

 

Gerbe doesn't like to sit still in general, and he enters his career as a man on the move. He produced 3 goals and 2 assists in his first 4 games with the Pirates.

 

That follows a spring in which he stood as the largest figure on the college hockey scene, leading Boston College to the national title and earning the Most Outstanding Player award of the Frozen Four. He spit out 5 goals and 3 assists in those 2 games, and overall he tied the NCAA record for most goals in a tournament, 7.

 

Gerbe was a nice novelty story, for sure. But would his offensive magic translate to the pros, at his size? The very early answer is yes.

 

"I don't think I have to change my game," he said. "What got you here is what got you here. You have to be strong and prepared and ready for the challenges that will come."

 

A few years ago, that primarily came down to getting a few scraps at the dinner table. Growing up in Oxford, Mich., Gerbe was the youngest of 6 athletic children.

 

Rest of story- http://www.nhl.com/ice/news.htm?id=388886