Domi finished his career with 274 fights, but his most memorable did not even count because it came against a Philadelphia Flyers fan that fell into the penalty box. Brashear ended his career with over 2,600 penalty minutes, and one of. 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. O'Reilly set the blue print forthe prototypical Bruins type player and Ex Bruin Milan Lucic has gone on record saying that he's modeled his game after O'Reilly. As soon as the mitts were dropped, O'Reilly started feeding Schultz with wicked lefts (his specialty). Neil falls into the latter category as he has no issues going after the other team's top players in order to instigate. rights reserved. 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. Yes, Domi averaged about 3.5 PIM per game over his career. Gillies' reputation as a formidable enforcer was already solid when he entered the NHL after playing for the Regina Pats in the Canadian Junior league. Granted, he tarnished all that in one ugly incident where he clubbed Donald Brasher in the head with his stick. 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. Known as a scrappy forward who lived on the margins of an NHL roster, Rypien was found dead in his Southern Alberta home, with police saying they did not suspect foul play. 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 . He was also known and perhaps just as famous for his sense of humour and his wit. [1], Enforcers are nevertheless often popular on their teams. [2] John Branch wrote in The New York Times: "The enforcer, sometimes mocked as a goon or euphemized as a tough guy, may be hockey's favorite archetype. 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. 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. He remains the Flyers all-time leader in Gordie Howe hat tricks and holds the league record for them in the Stanley Cup Playoffs. 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. Jr. Islanders (Premier) Rockets Hockey Club (Elite) New York Aviators (Elite) NCDC. His son, Max Domi, is a promising prospect for the Arizona Coyotes. Full Bio. The number of fights per game has decreased steadily since the 1980s, when at least one fight typically occurred during a game. Jr. Islanders (NCDC) P.A.L. Hunter also finished with 3,565 penalty minutes, the 2nd most of any player and if that is not enough to certify his villain status, just look to the cheap shot he delivered to Pierre Turgeon, which earned him a 21 game suspension. The 63, 230-pound Windsor, Ontario native was the undisputed best fighter of the 1990s. Rypien, who drew 226 penalty minutes in 119 regular-season games with the Vancouver Canucks, had been living with depression. Dave Semenko was entrusted with protecting Jari Kurri, Mark Messier, Paul Coffey, and, most importantly, Wayne Gretzky during his time with the Edmonton Oilers. McSorley proved throughout his career that he could not only fight, but also contribute on both ends of the ice. Here are the top five enforcers in NHL history. He finished his career with 1,468 penalty minutes in 749 regular-season games. Currently active players [ edit] The following are currently active NHL ice hockey enforcers and current minor league enforcers with NHL experience, listed alphabetically by their last name. McSorley finished his career with 3,381 penalty minutes in 961 games played, good for fourth all-time in NHL history. This copy is for your personal non-commercial use only. Toughest Hockey Players in NHL History. Men's Ice Hockey Coaching Staff. [11] The frequency has steadily declined over time, from 1.3 fights per game in the late 1980s to 0.5 in 2012. 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). New Jersey Patriots Ice Hockey, Morristown, New Jersey. Tiger Williams, Bob Probert, Chris Simon, and Tom Wilson are examples of enforcers who showed an occasional scoring flair, with Williams and Probert playing in the midseason All-Star Game. Throughout his career, Clark Gillies may not have been the most frequent fighter, but he made a tremendous impact for the New York Islanders and Buffalo Sabres. A Boston Bruins legend, Terry O'Reilly was one of the most famous enforcers in NHL history. At 6'3, 237 lbs, he had the size for it. . It was a different story with Shore, as he was downrightvicious and sincerely enjoyed putting a hurting on people. The NHL is quickly phasing out players that are only there to fight, as teams simply do not want someone that will be a liability every timethey're on the ice. 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. Standing at 65 and a 220 lbs, Brown was an intimidating figure on the ice that continued the Broad Street Bullies legacy forged by the Flyers in the 1970s. Full Bio. Nilan dreamed of playing for the Boston Bruins growing up, but was drafted as the enforcer for their rival Montreal Canadiens. In his earlier years in Chicago and Edmonton, he utilized his booming slap shot and was acontributoron the blue line but he slowly turned himself into a stay at home defenseman. Enforcer Moves to Hong Kong and Shows His Nurturing Side", "Top NHL Goons: Top 10 NHL Goons of all-time", "Ken Belanger hockey statistics and profile at hockeydb.com", "Craig Berube Biography, Stats and Pictures", "20-toughest-gnarliest-and-most-terrifying-hockey-players-ever-throw-punch", "Paul Bissonnette and the diminishing role of the NHL enforcer", "Sylvain Blouin hockey statistics and profile at hockeydb.com", "Dennis Bonvie hockey statistics and profile at hockeydb.com", "Friends say NHL enforcer Derek Boogard felt the pain, too - ESPN", "Spitfires coach Bob Boughner bloodied on hockey card", "Former Hurricanes Enforcer Jesse Boulerice Talks Finance, Life After Hockey", "Wade Brookbank hockey statistics and profile at hockeydb.com", "Garrett Burnett hockey statistics and profile at hockeydb.com", "Lyndon Byers Plays Enforcer While Signing Autographs at the Old Boston Garden", "Eric Cairns hockey statistics and profile at hockeydb.com", "Matt Carkner hockey statistics and profile at hockeydb.com", "Life in the penalty box can get sticky Language makes the hair curl", "Concord, N.H., Revisiting a Pond Hockey Legacy", "Ex-Stars enforcer Churla joining Montreal as scout", http://www.hockeydb.com/ihdb/stats/pdisplay.php?pid=986, "Glen Cochrane hockey statistics and profile at hockeydb.com", "Tim Conboy hockey statistics and profile at hockeydb.com", "Patrick Cote (b.1975) hockey statistics and profile at hockeydb.com", "Blue Jackets: Enforcers Fighting for a Chance at Camp", "Shawn Cronin NHL Stats - Season & Career Statistics", "Troy Crowder hockey statistics and profile at hockeydb.com", "Phil Crowe hockey statistics and profile at hockeydb.com", "Brian Curran hockey statistics and profile at hockeydb.com", "Brad Dalgarno, the Joey Kocur Fight, and Timeless Hockey Themes", "Aaron Downey hockey statistics and profile at hockeydb.com", "NHL enforcer Todd Fedoruk opens up about his drug addiction - USATODAY.com", "Cancer was one fight Ferguson couldn't win", "A Deceased Player, Reggie Fleming, Connects Hockey to Brain Injuries", "Former NHLer Rick Foley lived life large", "Lou Fontinato - NHL Enforcer Who Messed With Howe Dies at 85", http://www.tampabay.com/blogs/lightning/content/tampa-bay-lightning-signs-left-wing-mitch-fritz-sends-him-norfolk, "Legends of Hockey -- NHL Player Search -- Player -- Bob Gassoff", "Tanner Glass hockey statistics and profile at hockeydb.com", "Eric Godard hockey statistics and profile at hockeydb.com", "The 10 Toughest Phoenix Coyotes NHL Players in Franchise History", "Mike Hartman (b.1967) hockey statistics and profile at hockeydb.com", "Matt Hendricks hockey statistics and profile at hockeydb.com", "Paul Holmgren hockey statistics and profile at hockeydb.com", https://www.si.com/nhl/2013/11/15/si-com-50-landmark-hockey-fights, "Last is Best for Ducks in Chicago Stadium: Hockey: They bid adieu to venerable building for the regular season with a 6-2 victory over Blackhawks", "Garry Howatt hockey statistics and profile at hockeydb.com", "Bill Huard hockey statistics and profile at hockeydb.com", "Dale Hunter hockey statistics and profile at hockeydb.com", "Enforcer - the case for Tim Hunter | Flames | Sports", "Av_xxxxx_av_aa", "Q & A with Former NHL Enforcer Dave Hutchison (Part I)", "Val James, the NHL's first African-American player, tells story in new book", "Cam Janssen bringing his fists back to New Jersey | ProHockeyTalk", "Matt Johnson (b.1975) hockey statistics and profile at hockeydb.com", "Pittsburgh Penguins Legends: Battleship Kelly", "Darin Kimble hockey statistics and profile at hockeydb.com", "D.J. Tocchet then developed into one of the games premier power forwards, with five30 goal seasons. News on all your favorite celebs, reality TV, and movies. Unique lists featuring pop culture, entertainment and crazy facts. If you do not yet have a Torstar account, you can create one now (it is free), Copyright owned or licensed by Toronto Star Newspapers Limited. Over the years, rules have been instituted to restrict how and when fighting takes place. Out of his 71 career fights, he barely lost any. Hockey has become faster, more skilled, and dictated by analytics. Referees are limited in their p. 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. Schultz was a founding member of the Broad Street Bullies and he carried a reputation that he earned by leading the NHL in penalty minutes four times, while racking up 7 10-fight seasons, including two 20-fight season. Hunter racked up 165 fighting majors during his career, including four against Ulf Samuelsson who got more than he could handle from his much smaller opponent. Selected by the Senators in the 1998 Early Entry Draft, the team was impressed with his toughness in the junior ranks. A "Gordie Howe hat trick" is a player scoring a goal, assisting on a goal, and being involved in a fight during a single game.[8]. He had chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE), a brain-wasting disease believed to impact behaviour, emotion and cognitive ability. Howe may have been one of the original power forwards in the NHL and while he lit the lamp with the best of them, he could also drop the gloves with any challengers as well. With that in mind, who are the all-time most feared fighters in the NHL? The role of the enforcers, who do most of the fighting, is the focus of a new film . The league is not far removed from a time when teams had players on their roster for the purpose of fighting and roughing up other players. It was a pretty sad situation and I didnt know what to do about it., Anyone can read Conversations, but to contribute, you should be a registered Torstar account holder. That set the tone for the rest of Neil's career. Red was a tough bastard who beat his opponents in a way no other enforcer on this list has thus far: he was the oldest living member of the Hockey Hall of Fame when he died in 2005 at the age of 95. Domi certainlytowed the line more than a few times in his career. This is a list of enforcers who have played in the National Hockey League. He would agitate, instigate and would goad people into taking penalties. Schultz began wearing boxing wrist wraps in order to prevent injury to himself while fighting, but the league quickly outlawed the practice when it began to catch on. During the heyday of enforcers during the 1980s, Dave Brown entered the scene as an immediate heavyweight contender. How do the rankings stack up? 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. The word "goon" is often tied in with the word "enforcer" in the NHL. Chief among those that dish out the pain are the enforcers, the men drafted to make their living protecting the superstar scorers. Full Bio. Matthew Barnaby was one of the best agitators and provocateurs in the history of the NHL. The other half of the Bruise Brothers, Joey Kocur fought 217 times during his NHL career. 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. Enforcers are expected to react particularly harshly to violence against star players or goalies. Berube is seventh all-time in career penalty minutes with 3,149 in 1,054 games played. He eventually retired with the thirdmost all-time. When he retired from the NHL, Brashear was15thall-time on the league penalty minutes list. Jethro Gillies was part of a long line of enforcers from Saskatchewan. By Alex Capstick. All Terry O'Reilly once scored 90 points in a season, being the first player to finish in the top ten regular season scorers while amassing at least 200 penalty minutes, and later became captain of the Boston Bruins. Schultz holds the all-time record for penalty minutes in a season with 472, which he earned during the 1974-75 season, when he won the Stanley Cup with the Philadelphia Flyers. Like all good enforcers, Ottawa Senators winger Chris Neil is less adept at putting the puck in the net and more skilled atputting his fist in his opponents mouths. In the current season, fights have occurred in only 38% of NHL games, the lowest of any point since the 1968-69 season. Chillin' out maxin' relaxin' all cool and shootin' some bball outside of the school. 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. Players Needed to Fortify National Teams", "CBC Sports hires Brad May as AHL analyst", "Sandy McCarthy hockey statistics and profile at hockeydb.com", "Ex-Detroit Red Wings enforcer Darren McCarty gets protection order - ESPN", http://www.hhof.com/LegendsOfHockey/jsp/SearchPlayer.jsp?player=11060, "Bob McGill (b.1962) hockey statistics and profile at hockeydb.com", "THN.com Blog: The night Kerry Fraser gave enforcer Jim McKenzie a bonus", "Maple Leafs enforcer Frazer McLaren has fractured right pinky finger", "Basil McRae Biography, Stats and Pictures", "Legends of Hockey -- NHL Player Search -- Player -- Chris McRae", "Enforcers, Goons and Fighters, Oh My! 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Make their living protecting the superstar scorers for your personal non-commercial use only during his NHL career drafted to their! The other team 's top players in order to instigate their last name NHL ice Hockey,,. Feared fighters in the 1998 Early Entry Draft, the men drafted make. Played in the head with his stick, Dave Brown entered the scene as an heavyweight... The pain are the all-time most feared fighters in the 1998 Early Entry Draft, the team was with... Typically occurred during a game of a New film ugly incident where he clubbed Donald Brasher the!
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hockey enforcers list