The deaths of noted enforcers like Derek Boogaard, Wade Belak and Rick Rypien, among others, set off a chain reaction of events that have brought us to this point, where the role of the "fighter" has essentially disappeared from NHL rosters, give or take a few teams that still feel the need to keep some hired muscle on the end of their bench. He's actually fought Zdeno Chara twice and took him down quite easily both times. So it is interesting how much the game has changed over the years. All What about John Scott? Without further ado, here at the top 15 enforcers that were good hockey players! A hockey player plagued by injuries is confronted with the possibility of retirement when a tough new player challenges his status as the league's top enforcer. Tahir "Tie" Domi (born November 1, 1969) is a Canadian retired professional ice hockey player. When such play occurs, the enforcer is expected to respond aggressively, by fighting or checking the offender. Brown accepted his role as an enforcer and faced off against fellow tough guys like Stu Grimson, Gino Odjick, and Jay Caufield, whom he fought nine times during his career. This copy is for your personal non-commercial use only. So, Jonathan dropped (and bloodied) Bouchard witha flurry of rights and left everyone in awe. Probert spent his career split between Detroit and Chicago, but he is best known for his years cruising the ice at Joe Louis Arena, where in 1987, Probert racked up an impossible 398 penalty minutes in one season! While no hockey player is officially listed as enforcer on the depth chart, these guys might as well have been. Discussing Bobby Robins and Zac Rinaldo, Steve Lepore of Rolling Stone wrote the two are "what's known throughout hockey as classic enforcers. Best known for playing with the Detroit Red Wings, Kocur was an intimidating figure with a devastating right hand that he used with great frequency. On January 24, 1987, Todd Ewen, a young right-winger for the St. Louis Blues, knocked the Detroit Red Wings' notorious tough guy, Bob Probert, unconscious with one bare-knuckled . Shanahan won three Stanley Cups in his career and is a member of the Hockey Hall of Fame. In one scrap in 1976, O'Reilly took on Dave "The Hammer" Schultz. Jr. Islanders (NCDC) P.A.L. Domi started his career with Toronto, beforemaking an impact for the New York Rangersand leadingthe league in penalty minutes after being traded to Winnipeg. He has more penalty minutes than any other player in the history of the Maple Leafs (see Maple Leafs records) and third overall in penalty minutes in NHL history. [1], Enforcers are nevertheless often popular on their teams. Jr. Enforcers alumni are in NCAA D-1, NCAA D-3, NAHL, USHL, NCDC, and the ACHA! Men's Ice Hockey Coaching Staff. Let us take a look at some of the best enforcers the game has ever seen. All three Sunday games are in the South Division and none of them will change the standings Ray finished his career with 241 fights and led the league in penalty minutes during two seasons. It was a different story with Shore, as he was downrightvicious and sincerely enjoyed putting a hurting on people. Selected by the Senators in the 1998 Early Entry Draft, the team was impressed with his toughness in the junior ranks. Dave Semenko was entrusted with protecting Jari Kurri, Mark Messier, Paul Coffey, and, most importantly, Wayne Gretzky during his time with the Edmonton Oilers. Not only did Shanny pot over 1,300 career points in his career, but he tallied 2489 penalty minutes as well! [6] Fighting skills can help a less-talented or smaller player play in leagues that their hockey alone would not.[2]. Standing at six-foot-five, 220 pounds, Belak was a ferocious fighter. In one famoustilt, he left Joe Kocur (a tough guy in his own right) face-down as he hit him multiple times before Kocur could even throw a punch. Wade Belak was found dead at the age of 35 in his Toronto hotel room in circumstances that caused a newspaper's police source to categorize his death as a suicide. Belak was found dead inside his Toronto hotel room, a few blocks from the Air Canada Centre, just as he was embarking on what, from the outside, appeared to be a robust post-hockey career. Still, hes never bested the 231 minutes he spent in the box in first year in the league. He would contribute goals to help the Red Wings win two Stanley Cups over a decade later in his second stint with the team and add another as a coach. Montador had suffered the effects of concussion later in his career, and he had spoken candidly about the experience in an interview with The Peterborough Examiner late last year. The New Jersey Patriots are a youth ice hockey travel program based in Northern New Jersey. If a player on an opposing team injures or fights with one of their teammates, the enforcer's job is to exact revenge on the opponent. Probert was honored with an All-Star Game appearance during the 1987-88 season, and he was truly deserving with 29 goals, 33 assists, and an NHL leading 398 penalty minutes, including 23 fighting majors. Nilan dreamed of playing for the Boston Bruins growing up, but was drafted as the enforcer for their rival Montreal Canadiens. Tiger reached the 300-mark for penalty minutes in a season six times during his career, which was primarily played with the Maple Leafs, Canucks, and Kings. In the current season, fights have occurred in only 38% of NHL games, the lowest of any point since the 1968-69 season. Top 5 Biggest Enforcers to Ever Don the Note. He would agitate, instigate and would goad people into taking penalties. Stu Grimson: While he does not have the penalty minute totals or as long of a career as some of the others on this list, the Grim Reaper was one of the most feared hockey fighters throughout his career. But did you know he had 1685 penalty minutes over his 1767 game career? Despite this insanebehavior, there's no denying that Shore was one heck of a defenseman, as he won the Hart Trophy on four occasions. However, on top of that, Barnaby also had a knack for scoring big goals. Twist recently penned a foreword to the Ross Bernstein book The Code: The Unwritten Rules Of Fighting And Retaliation In The NHL. . Rob Ray created the fighting technique where players would remove their jersey and shoulder pads to prevent their opponents from grabbing ahold of them. His 13 fights against Tie Domi are some of the most brutal fights in the history of the league and a stunning example of the lengths enforcers are willing to go to. Chris Nilan earned the nickname Knuckles by fighting more often that every player in NHL history, except forTie Domi. Brown accumulated 148 fights during his career with the Flyers, Oilers, and Sharks and even managed to win a Stanley Cup during his tenure in Edmonton. The sport of hockey may now be at odds with the ongoing role of the enforcer in the modern game, but throughout the games history fighting has played an integral role. MAYDAY! 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Throughout the years there have been many great players, but also many great enforcers. Retired enforcer Georges Laraque has suggested that the National Hockey League Players' Association provide counselling to enforcers. News on all your favorite celebs, reality TV, and movies. That set the tone for the rest of Neil's career. During one playoff campaign, the Hammer spent 139 minutes in the penalty boxin 17 games. Grimsons remarkable ability to withstand punishment enabled him to outlast many rival fighters, but also ended up costing him dearly. Clark Gillies (April 7, 1954 January 21, 2022) was a Canadian professional ice hockey player. Rick Rypien died at the age of 27 from what was later confirmed as a suicide. Ron Fogarty. Discussing Bobby Robins and Zac Rinaldo, Steve Lepore of Rolling Stone wrote the tw. Following his NHL career, Barnaby has become a television personality and a co-owner of a construction business with former teammate, Rob Ray. With a decrease in fighting, teams are less inclined to keep a roster spot available for a one-dimensional fighter who is a liability as a scorer and defender. In 1984, he managed to rack up 10 points in 19 games en route to the Oilers winning their first Stanley Cup. What some casual hockey fans may not understand is that hockey fights do indeed serve a purpose in the game and are not just a contest in machismo between two goons. Thats a ratio any enforcer would be proud of. Brashear used his size and skill to overwhelm opponents, which led to him frequently being included among the league leaders for fighting majors and penalty minutes. With Jay Baruchel, Gino Odjick, Wendel Clark, Chris Chelios. Who is the greatest enforcer of them all? When he retired from the NHL, Brashear was15thall-time on the league penalty minutes list. They also earn spots on The Richests list of the 10 Greatest Enforcers in NHL History. Once upon a time, NHL players had to have their heads on a swivel on the ice because they knew that if they took a run at one of the star players on the other team, they would have an enforcer chasing them down. Berube currently serves as the head coach of the Flyers and continues to be an influence on the game. Larry Goodenough Don Grosso Dale Hawerchuk Shane Hnidy Craig Coxe Kris King Keith Tkachuk Jim Morrison Bob Sauve Jonathan Cheechoo Darius Kasparaitis Bill Kitchen Uwe Krupp Dickie Moore Rory Fitzpatrick Dino Ciccarelli Joe Reekie Roman Hamrlik Colby Armstrong Brandon Yip And now, the 50 greatest Hockey Enforcer names: 50. In 729 career games, Grimson had 2,113 penalty minutes, and 39 career points. Neil is an example to future NHL tough guys: establish your reputation as a hardass as soon as you lace up your skates and head out onto the ice in your rookie season. Considering this, there's likely a great deal of fans out there who watch hockey just to see the best fighters in the NHL really go at it. Although never a prominent goal scorer, Semenko managed to score the final goal in the history of the short-lived World Hockey Association. This list features the best fighters in the history of the sport, many of whom had an impact and provoked changes to the rules of the game. McSorely was charged with assault as a result of the incident and was eventually found guilty. While playing for the Boston Bruins, McSorely infamously hit Donald Brashear in the head with his stick, causing Brashear to hit the ice and suffer a serious concussion. The following are retired NHL ice hockey enforcers, listed alphabetically by their last name. Jack "The Wolfman" McIlhargey - Jack McIlhargey had a career total of 497 penalty minutes, and when he started his career with the Philadelphia Flyers, it was a successful one. He is also the only player to ever have five fights in a game, a record that will never be broken (it technically can't with the rules of today). He died of heart failure and was later found, like Fleming, to have been living with CTE. The fact of the matter is that they're serving a role on the ice as they're paid to defend their teammates. Twist was known to battle with the leagues biggest and baddest fighters, taking on fellow enforcers like Rob Ray, Bob Probert, and five fights against Bob McKenzie. Most of the enforcers named above were generally considered "nice guys" in their everyday life. Derek Boogaard died at the age of 28 from an accidental mixture of painkillers and alcohol. Ray used this practice to enormous success during his career until the practice was banned. A hockey enforcer is a player that responds to a dirty or violent play by the opponent in kind. After being drafted fourteenth overall in the 1971 draft, the enforcer didn't take long to earn the nickname "Bloody O'Reilly" with five consecutive seasons where he amassed over 200 penalty minutes. News on all your favorite celebs, reality TV, and movies. Throughout his career, Barnaby had a knack for provoking opponents and he pushed their buttons with ease. Everyone's first thought when they hear Brad May is Rick Jeanneret's memorable call of May's overtime goal as the Sabres swept the Bruins in the Adams Division Semifinals. You'd think May was a 50 goal scorer with the way he deked Ray Bourque out of his jock-strap. Simon would be higher on this list but his track record of suspensions and lack of controlbring him down a notch. In death, he became the first hockey player tied to a troubling condition that had, to that point, been linked almost exclusively to football. Some players combine aspects of the enforcer role with strong play in other areas of the game. The Niagara Falls, Ontario native had a reputation for taking on any challenger on the ice. In his essential book, Boy On Ice: The Life And Death Of Derek Boogaard, author John Branch outlines a more nuanced possible cause of death. Pests and enforcers often play together on the same line, usually the fourth line., The greatest of these soldiers on skates have spilled blood and broken bones for their squads across decades. He finished his career with 300 points and a staggering 2,562 penalty minutes. Known for his role as a grinder, he played for the Toronto Maple Leafs, New York Rangers and Winnipeg Jets over a sixteen-year NHL career. In 1987, he also did something unique to the enforcers on this list: released a cookbook entitled Done Like Dinner: Tiger in the Kitchen. But he doesn't necessarily . Williams finished his career with 246 total fights and enjoyed a rivalry with Terry OReilly that spanned five fights. His ability to protect star players was critical to the Islanders' four consecutive Stanley Cups. Outside the arena, away from the roaring bloodlust of the crowd, fighting can be lonely work. The feat has never been equaled. David William "The Hammer" Schultz (born October 14, 1949) is a Canadian businessman and former professional ice hockey coach and player. Sasha Steinlight. The number of fights per game has decreased steadily since the 1980s, when at least one fight typically occurred during a game. OReilly wasnt a mere pugilist, however. Brashear has also participated in boxing and MMA matches, utilizing his considerable hand skills off of the ice. A player likeCorson coulddo it all as he was a consistent contributor on the second line for most of his career, while hecould fight with the best of them. Copyright 2023 HockeySkillsTraining.com, Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window), Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window), Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window), Click to share on Tumblr (Opens in new window). Howes most famous fight came against Maurice Richard in a rare battle between superstars that is still widely talked about today. In the 200708 NHL season fights occurred in 38.46% of the games, up from 33% the season before, which was just below the pre-lockout fighting level of 41.14% of games in the 200304 season. And movies at the age of 28 from an accidental mixture of painkillers and alcohol,! Simon would be higher on this list but his track record of suspensions and lack of controlbring him a. Jersey Patriots are a youth ice hockey Coaching Staff Greatest enforcers in NHL history, forTie! Downrightvicious and sincerely enjoyed putting a hurting on people Jay Baruchel, Gino Odjick, Wendel clark, Chelios. 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