The quest to define the NHL's favorite word: Grind

TORONTO — Craig Berube stood in front of a group of reporters with plenty on his mind.It was late November and Berube’s Toronto Maple Leafs had fallen from a team with Stanley Cup aspirations to the bottom of the NHL’s Eastern Conference.“We all feel it,” the coach said after practice. “Everyone has to grind right now. It’s a grind.”Two months later to the day, Berube’s team was again slipping. He saw only one path forward.Advertisement