He accumulated more than 3,000 penalty minutes for his efforts and was a bad boy off the ice too, with legal issues and drug problems aplenty. He played for the New York Islanders and Buffalo Sabres of the National Hockey League between 1974 and 1988. 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. At present in the National Hockey League (NHL), teams generally do not carry more than one player whose primary role is that of an enforcer. 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. Gillies served as captain of the Islanders from 1977 to 1979, and won the Stanley Cup four years in a row with them, from 1980 to 1983. His best years were in Buffalo as he notched career highs in goals (18) and assists (29). Dave Manson was a dependable force on D for an impressive 20 NHL seasons. What more can you ask for from an enforcer? Granted, he tarnished all that in one ugly incident where he clubbed Donald Brasher in the head with his stick. Its only appropriate the NHLs all-time leader in penalty minutes finds his way to the top of the list. 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. He was also asturdydefenseman that could movethe puck and had a cannon of a shot from the point. The World's Most Entertaining Car Website. Steve Webb - New York Islanders - The Checking Line - Islanders Edition", "Former NHL tough guy Jay Wells 'Never been a big fan of the fights', "30 for 30 Short on former Bruins enforcer John Wensink", "An Enforcer on the Ice and at the Negotiating Table", http://www.hhof.com/LegendsOfHockey/jsp/SearchPlayer.jsp?player=11761, "York County's Only Daily Newspaper > Archives > Sports > Former NHL enforcer Worrell makes most of career change", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=List_of_NHL_enforcers&oldid=1142364815, This page was last edited on 2 March 2023, at 00:34. Not only did Shanny pot over 1,300 career points in his career, but he tallied 2489 penalty minutes as well! Grimson had a career-long rivalry with Bob Probert and the two squared off 12 times, with Probert enjoying the majority of the wins, but Grimson also earned a few victories himself. His son, Max Domi, is a promising prospect for the Arizona Coyotes. He's widely considered to be one ofthe best fighters ever to play the game and what was so impressive about Probert's game was his durability. What Tie Domi lacked in stature, he made up for in pure toughness, by becoming one of the most fearsome and entertaining enforcers in the history of the game. A couple of decades ago enforcers had one role on the team: fights. 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. Goon (2011) R | 92 min | Comedy, Drama, Sport 6.8 Rate 64 Metascore McSorley won two Stanley Cups in his career, but unfortunately he may best be known for his vicious slash against Donald Brashear that ended in a lengthy suspension. They are also not highly paid compared to other players, and tend to move from team to team. His most famous tilt was against Pierre Bouchard where the much bigger Bouchard grabbed him in a scrum and left him no choice. A concussion suffered during a fight with Georges Laraque in 2001 ended Grimsons career, and Grimson he has moved on to fight his battles in the courtroom as a lawyer. 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. Chillin' out maxin' relaxin' all cool and shootin' some bball outside of the school. Star Newspapers Limited and/or its licensors. This incensed Probert and he beat the heck out ofDomi in their next tilt. Second, it is either a momentum stopper or a momentum starter. 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). Standing at a generous 5'10" in a land of behemoths, Domi was still one of the most feared fighters in the league as he took on all comers, night after night. Gillies played for the New York Islanders and the Buffalo Sabres during his 14-year NHL career (1974-1988). 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MAYDAY! This article is going to be all about enforcers that were relied upon to fight and to play a dependable role in terms of on-ice production. These warriors serve as the on-ice police force that . Probert played for the National Hockey League's Detroit Red Wings and Chicago Blackhawks. He led the league in penalty minutes twice and had notable rivalries with Lyle Odelein, Tie Domi, and the much larger Zdeno Chara. did you know that Simon scored29 goals in the 1999-2000 season? During the heyday of enforcers during the 1980s, Dave Brown entered the scene as an immediate heavyweight contender. NHL Fighting Majors Leaders for the 2022-2023 Regular Season NHL Fighting Majors Leaders 2022-2023 Regular Season As of Feb 28, 2023 Player Away Fights Home Fights Total Fights Nicolas Deslauriers 7 4 11 Austin Watson 5 5 10 Jonah Gadjovich 7 2 9 Tanner Jeannot 6 3 9 Patrick Maroon 3 6 9 Mathieu Olivier 2 7 9 Arber Xhekaj 2 7 9 Sam Carrick 5 3 8 His main job was to scare the bejesus out of people (and he did), but you can'tscore 144 goals in the NHL if you're not a decent hockey player. The bone-crushing Boston native somehow managed to commit 10 penalties in a single contest, spending a ludicrous 42 minutes in the box. Robert Alan Probert (June 5, 1965 July 5, 2010) was a Canadian professional ice hockey forward. Enforcers are also referred to as goons or tough guys. He's actually fought Zdeno Chara twice and took him down quite easily both times. Howes most famous fight came against Maurice Richard in a rare battle between superstars that is still widely talked about today. Our program includes full ice mite. His NHL career was ended when he broke his pelvis in a motorcycle accident, but during his time in the league, few were as feared as Tony Twist. Athletic Trainer. It was hockey all the checking and hits, things like that.. In west Philadelphia born and raised, on the playground was where I spent most of my days. 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. Men's Ice Hockey Support Staff. This copy is for your personal non-commercial use only. Mr. Hockey himself? 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). Only four NHL players accumulated more penalty minutes than Probert, who became one of the most feared enforcers in hockey history, with 3,300 PIMs and dozens of legendary fights on his resume. 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. Philadelphia Flyers Top 5 Enforcers of All Time. He famously battered legendary Boston Bruins enforcer Terry OReillyand wonseveral times. Even Don Cherry himself admitted that he thought Jonathan was about to get fed. McSorley would go on to lead the NHL in penalty minutes during the 1992-93 season, where he had 15 fighting majors. He's built like a fridge and can fight with the best of them. Matthew Barnaby was one ofthe most infuriating enforcers of all-time. As most fans know, the Blues have a rich history of tough guys and brawlers alike, but here is the cream of the fighter's crop. To order copies of Probert finished fifth all-time in career penalty minutes with 3300 in 935 games played. The club has expanded, adding a USPHL Elite level team for the upcoming 2022-23 season. Rob Ray created the fighting technique where players would remove their jersey and shoulder pads to prevent their opponents from grabbing ahold of them. Craig Berube: That is right, the current head coach of the St. Louis Blues had a real mean streak when he patrolled the ice. Over the years, rules have been instituted to restrict how and when fighting takes place. The Niagara Falls, Ontario native had a reputation for taking on any challenger on the ice. McSorley finished his career with 3,381 penalty minutes in 961 games played, good for fourth all-time in NHL history. Bloody Terry accumulated more than 200 penalty minutes in five consecutive seasons. On-ice enforcers struggle to rise through the professional ranks of the world's most prestigious hockey league, only to be confronted with a new found fight for the existence of the role itself. 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. He averaged 4.12 penalty minutes per game, which is second all-time. Thats a ratio any enforcer would be proud of. He finished his career with 300 points and a staggering 2,562 penalty minutes. 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. 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. Hockey has become faster, more skilled, and dictated by analytics. Selected by the Senators in the 1998 Early Entry Draft, the team was impressed with his toughness in the junior ranks. With that in mind, who are the all-time most feared fighters in the NHL? If you knew Rick, he fought with everything he had in him. The organization has found immediate success - promoting nearly 20 players to college hockey and higher levels of junior hockey. The truth is Brad May was a rock out there for whichever team he played for. 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. I helped out in whichever way I could, he said in a 2001 interview. Shane Talarico. He. When he entered the league during the 1985-86 season, he quickly established himself as one of the toughest players in the league. Most people know Howe as one of the greatest offensive players of all time as he is currently fourth all-time in NHL career points scored. Sadly, the fearsome winger dropped dead on a boat on Lake St. Clair of a heart attack in 2010. Who else? Stu Grimson was the NHLs heavyweight champion of the 1990s. Full Bio. Berube had 16 seasons of 100 or more penalty minutes, including 15 straight seasons at one point in his career. However, he wasn'tjust a bystander on those terrific teams. Clark Gillies (April 7, 1954 January 21, 2022) was a Canadian professional ice hockey player. . There are some enforcers that serve as policemen and others that will not hesitate to use bully tactics. Director: Jay Baruchel | Stars: Seann William Scott, Alison Pill, Marc-Andr Grondin, Liev Schreiber Votes: 14,115 2. Following his NHL career, Barnaby has become a television personality and a co-owner of a construction business with former teammate, Rob Ray. While no hockey player is officially listed as enforcer on the depth chart, these guys might as well have been. [9] This has led to a decrease in the number of players whose predominant role is enforcer. In the 1970s, the Boston Bruins and Philadelphia Flyers were known respectively as the "Big Bad Bruins" and "Broad Street Bullies", for stocking up on grinders and enforcers. All Stu Grimson, who earned the nickname "The Grim Reaper" in his 14 seasons in the NHL, was the quintessential goon. OReilly wasnt a mere pugilist, however. He continued the trend in the playoffs, amassing 69 PIMs in just 10 games played. 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. Semenko was more than just a fighter as he has also has two cups to his name. 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. This is a list of enforcers who have played in the National Hockey League . 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. That set the tone for the rest of Neil's career. Dave Schultz earned his nickname The Hammer by being one of the greatest enforcers in the league during their golden era in the game. Here's my list of the five greatest fighters in NHL history: Domi was the epitome of the saying, its not the size of the dog in the fight, its the size of the fight in the dog, as he tipped the scales at 213 lbs and was only 510. 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