Athlete profile: Keith Primeau

Posted: Tue February 3, 1998 at 5:00 PM ET

Athlete notes

After an uninspiring performance at the 1996 World Cup of Hockey tournament, in which Primeau tallied zero points, spent 21 minutes in the penalty box and did not play much in the finals against the United States, Primeau was a surprise pick for the Canadian Olympic team to many observers...but at the 1997 World Championships in Helsinki, Primeau shut down Russian star Alexei Yashin...he was also labeled "Public Enemy Number One" in Sweden after he slashed Michael Nylander across the groin with such a vicious hit that Nylander was urinating blood for two days...the news made front page headlines in Sweden..."I'm sorry about that it was unintentional, but I know my play at the Worlds didn't hurt my chances for the Olympic team," said Primeau, who was only there because his NHL team, the then-Hartford Whalers did not make the playoffs. "I'm thankful that I had that opportunity. It also gave me the chance to play on the larger international surface and show Team Canada that I can handle myself out there"...Canadian brass realized Primeau's most vital statistics are his 6'5", 220-pound frame that can match up against the US power forwards..."I think maybe I was underused against the US," says Primeau. "I've always been labeled a power forward. We have some of those up north, too. They can put me at cheerleader for all I care. It's such an honor. I'll try and contribute offensively, but I look forward to the chance to be a checking line forward"...Primeau is a player who is used to dealing with close public scrutiny...ever since he was selected third overall in the 1990 NHL entry draft by the Detroit Red Wings, a lot has been expected of the young center...the city of Detroit longed for a Stanley Cup title and wanted a quick-fix franchise player...when Primeau did not pay immediate dividends, the media and the public turned negative...by 1992-93, Primeau was asking for a trade..."I brought a lot of this on myself," said Primeau a few years later. "The people expected me to score like Jimmy Carson and fight like Bob Probert. They had such high expectations for me, but I had high expectations for myself. I understood their frustration. For a year, I tuned out the radio, didn't watch the TV, wouldn't look at the sports section except to read about other sports"...for the 6'5" player, his large frame was his very problem..."Size always has been a huge advantage and a huge hindrance to me. It makes you stand out on good nights and bad nights, and there were a lot of bad nights. My mistake was taking the trade request to the papers"...things seemed to calm in 1995, when Primeau helped lead his team to the Stanley Cup finals, but a four game sweep by the New Jersey soured the moment...in fact, during that playoff run, Primeau's equipment bag was sabotaged when someone threw an octopus inside...then in the 1996 Western Conference finals, Primeau's lack of production was sometimes blamed for the loss to the Colorado Avalanche...that fall, Primeau was finally traded by the Detroit Red Wings to the then-Hartford Whalers for forward Brendan Shanahan and defenseman Brian Glynn...that makes two players on the Canadian team who have been traded for national team member Shanahan...St. Louis defender Chris Pronger was dealt for Shanahan back in 1995...after the 1996-97 season, Primeau played for Canada in the 1997 World Championships...he teams with Finnish forward Sami Kampanen on a line on the Carolina Hurricanes ...he is a multi-sport athlete, having played rugby, volleyball, and lacrosse in high school...Keith and his wife, Lisa, have three children, Corey (9), Kylie and Chase...his brother Wayne was a number one pick by the Buffalo Sabres in 1994...