Summing up his desire to stay out of the spotlight away from the rink, Steve Yzerman once put his determination to blend in with the crowd into simple terms.
"I don't want to be a rock star," Yzerman said. "I want to be a hockey player."
In Kraig Nienhuis' case, he sought to be both and has achieved his goal.
"I was lucky enough to be able to pursue two dreams," said Nienhuis, 45, a Sarnia native who played 87 National Hockey League games for the Boston Bruins between 1985-88 and today belts out tunes as the front man for the band 9 House, a popular group on the Detroit club and concert circuit, opening for famous rock bands such as ZZ Top, Nickelback and The Beach Boys.
"Music was something that I was always into," said Nienhuis, known as Neener to his friends. "I kind of played for years as a hobby and sort of knew in the back of my mind that it was always there as an option when hockey was done for me."
Perhaps the most astonishing aspect of Nienhuis' story is that he's reached the pinnacle of each of these challenging occupations following the path less taken.
On the ice, Nienhuis never skated with a travel team, playing house league and church recreational league hockey until he was 19.
"I went to a Sarnia Bees (junior B) playoff game that spring and when I saw the action, the excitement and the fans chanting, I said to myself, 'This is incredible. I want to be part of it,'" Nienhuis recalled.
He befriended the Zamboni driver at a local arena and spent all of his free time that summer skating to hone his skills, attending an open tryout for the Bees late in the summer.
"I played a lot of pond hockey, so I could skate and had pretty good puck skills," Nienhuis said. "Ken Maczko was Sarnia's coach-GM and I think he saw some raw ability in me and kept me around."
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By the next season, Nienhuis was a regular with the Bees, scoring 25 goals as they drove all the way to Game 7 of the Ontario junior B finals before falling to Toronto St. Michael's. A number of American colleges were looking at him and Nienhuis accepted a scholarship to RPI. In 1984 - 85, playing alongside future NHLers like Adam Oates and Daren Puppa, he helped the Engineers capture the NCAA title at Joe Louis Arena. HIGH DEMAND Eleven NHL teams sought his signature on a contract. Nienhuis eventually settled on the Bruins. "In five years I went from house-league hockey to the NHL," Nienhuis said. "It's a pretty incredible story." He scored 16 goals for the Bruins as a rookie in 1985-86, but it was a score of a different kind, while he was playing pro hockey in Germany for the Berlin Ice Bears, that brought Nienhuis back to his first love. "I wrote a team theme song," he said. "The fans started singing it at games, it became a hit on the radio and they still play it at their home games today." Music was always in Nienhuis' genes. His parents Jake and Dianne were gospel singers at Sarnia's Temple Baptist Church and Nienhuis sang with the church choir as a youngster. Perhaps that explains how he became a professional musician without a second of formal training. "Music is just one of those things where I'm gifted," Nienhuis said. "It comes naturally to me." Blessed with an athlete's build and rugged looks, Nienhuis was a natural to front a band on guitar and lead vocals, joining Brian Joyce (lead guitar), Tony Zangolli (percussion) and Jamie McDowell (bass guitar) to form 9 House eight years ago. |
Their most recent CD "Tear It Down" included the single "Play", which garnered regular radio time in the Sarnia area. On stage, they've played alongside Tom Cochrane and the Tragically Hip at charity events and 9 House is a regular at Freedom Hill Amphitheater in Sterling Heights, Mich., opening for a variety of acts including David Lee Roth, the Doobie Brothers, Loverboy, April Wine, Heart, Simple Minds and INXS, although it was another popular 1980s band that provided Nienhuis with his biggest thrill in music.
"We opened for the B52's at Freedom Hill last summer," Nienhuis said. "They're one of my favourite all time bands.
"When we performed, they came out by the stage and actually listened to us. Most headliners don't do that. Afterwards, they told us how much they enjoyed our sound."
When 9 House performs, they try to be versatile, adapting their sets to the crowd in attendance, something they can generally judge based on who they are opening for that night.
"We can play everything from Metallica, to Queen, to KC and The Sunshine Band," Nienhuis said. "Dance music, eighties hair bands - whatever you want.
"The last few years, we've really established ourselves in the Detroit area. We've chipped away and now we've got a good following. We're playing all the big clubs and we're pretty regular at packing places."
Nienhuis understands that hockey has opened musical doors for him. He still plays with the NHL Alumni and Red Wings Alumni, often combining games with gigs.
He recently played at the NHL All-Star Game in Dallas.
"I definitely get some of the opportunities I do because of hockey," Nienhuis said. "I don't ever take it for granted. I realize I'm lucky. Two times lucky, as a matter of fact ". |
