Brendan Shanahan: Yes another current hockey executive, the president of the Toronto Maple Leafs, was one of the greatest power forwards in NHL history. Here's my list of the five greatest fighters in NHL history: Matthew Barnaby was one of the best agitators and provocateurs in the history of the NHL. Brashear had a lengthy career in the NHL as one of the top enforcers in the league. Hockey is often considered one of the toughest sports to play, but these five players were a cut above in the toughness department. 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. Director of Hockey Operations. Republication or distribution of this content is The organization has found immediate success - promoting nearly 20 players to college hockey and higher levels of junior hockey. Discussing Bobby Robins and Zac Rinaldo, Steve Lepore of Rolling Stone wrote the tw. Thats a ratio any enforcer would be proud of. Craig Berube entered the NHL with a chip on his shoulder. All Wendel Clark, Craig Coxe, Tie Domi, Stu Grimson, Marty McSorley; Probert dropped gloves against them all and battered them all. The Hamilton, Ontario native accumulated fourth-most penalty minutes in NHL history. First of all, hockey fights send a message to the other team. Les Boys (1997) - 6.7. Schultz was born in Waldheim, Saskatchewan, but grew up in Rosetown, Saskatchewan. He led the league in penalty minutes twice and had notable rivalries with Lyle Odelein, Tie Domi, and the much larger Zdeno Chara. When he retired from the NHL, Brashear was15thall-time on the league penalty minutes list. While other enforcers may have accumulated more penalty minutes or gotten in more fights, no one else was moreefficient in carrying out his goon duties than Dave Schultz. BILL COOK: Renowned for his scoring skills as a member of a legendary Rangers forward line that included his brother Fred (Bun) Cook and center Frank Boucher, Bill Cook played the game as hard as any NHL enforcer from any big-league era. MAYDAY! expressly prohibited without the prior written consent of Toronto David William "The Hammer" Schultz (born October 14, 1949) is a Canadian businessman and former professional ice hockey coach and player. Williams led the NHL in PIMs three times during his career, always eager to prove his toughness, often against much larger opponents. 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. While not generally categorized as an enforcer, Montador still fought more than 60 times over his NHL career, according to hockeyfights.com, the online encyclopedia for fighting in hockey. After their first bout ended in an OReilly victory, Gillies recovered to wreck OReilly in the second bout, which sparked the Islanders to victory. It wasa costly penalty that shifted the momentum in the series. Not until the middle of the 2000s would the league start seeing a slow shift from that old style of playing and roster management. The pest's primary role is to draw penalties from opposing players, thus "getting them off their game", while not actually intending to fight the opposition player (although exceptions to this do occur). The fact of the matter is that they're serving a role on the ice as they're paid to defend their teammates. When TieDomi won their first fight, he did the symbol of the championship belt around his waist. Ice Guardians: Directed by Brett Harvey. 15 15. None of that is true, but what a great song, right? 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Standing at 5'11", he was not the biggest guy but he had a crazy chin. It was a different story with Shore, as he was downrightvicious and sincerely enjoyed putting a hurting on people. He finished his career with 1,468 penalty minutes in 749 regular-season games. Full Bio. presentation-ready copies of Toronto Star content for distribution Free shipping for many products! McSorely was charged with assault as a result of the incident and was eventually found guilty. Brashear ended his career with over 2,600 penalty minutes, and one of. It can be stressful, and any single punch can lead to a concussion. In west Philadelphia born and raised, on the playground was where I spent most of my days. 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. When such play occurs, the enforcer is expected to respond aggressively, by fighting or checking the offender. Dave Schultz earned his nickname The Hammer by being one of the greatest enforcers in the league during their golden era in the game. 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. The World's Most Entertaining Car Website. 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. Second, it is either a momentum stopper or a momentum starter. For his career, Schultz averaged more than four minutes per game in the penalty box: the highest rate ever. Enforcers are expected to react particularly harshly to violence against star players or goalies. Jr. Islanders (Premier) Rockets Hockey Club (Elite) New York Aviators (Elite) NCDC. Domi started his career with Toronto, beforemaking an impact for the New York Rangersand leadingthe league in penalty minutes after being traded to Winnipeg. 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. [10], Instead, more well-rounded players are expected to contribute aspects of the enforcer role. Stu Grimson, who earned the nickname "The Grim Reaper" in his 14 seasons in the NHL, was the quintessential goon. Like Beaver, McCarty thinks the NHL concussion numbers are due to heightened awareness and reporting. Following his NHL career, Barnaby has become a television personality and a co-owner of a construction business with former teammate, Rob Ray. 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. Rob Ray created the fighting technique where players would remove their jersey and shoulder pads to prevent their opponents from grabbing ahold of them. Marty McSorley: The personal bodyguard of Wayne Gretzky in Los Angeles, McSorley was one of the grittiest and toughest defenseman ever to play the game. He was also asturdydefenseman that could movethe puck and had a cannon of a shot from the point. You'd think May was a 50 goal scorer with the way he deked Ray Bourque out of his jock-strap. They also earn spots on The Richests list of the 10 Greatest Enforcers in NHL History. Schultz is renowned as one of hockey's greatest enforcers and holds the NHL record for most penalty minutes in a single season, at 472. In one legendary melee, he scaled the boards, jumped into the crowd and proceeded to beat up a fan because he punched his teammate Stan Jonathan in the face. 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. Barnaby oftentimes ended up on the receiving end of a beat-down, but he did not take a step backwards from anyone as he fought the league's toughest, including his buddy Rob Ray and even Zdeno Chara. Ice hockey is notorious for brawling - at least in North America's National Hockey League. As the rules evolve, hockey may be seen as "softer," he says. Chief among those that dish out the pain are the enforcers, the men drafted to make their living protecting the superstar scorers. In one scrap in 1976, O'Reilly took on Dave "The Hammer" Schultz. 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 also managed to find the back of the net 21 times in the 1984-85 season. Not only did Shanny pot over 1,300 career points in his career, but he tallied 2489 penalty minutes as well! Names like Fetisov, Sergei Federov, Igor Larionov, and Vladislav Tretiak were part of the machine that was Soviet ice hockey. 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 Detroit Red Wing even battled his former tag-team partner Joey Kocur. What about John Scott? While a successful player by some measures, including being voted to the 198788 Campbell Conference all-star team, Probert was best known for his activities as a fighter and enforcer, as well as being one half of the "Bruise Brothers" with then-Red Wing teammate Joey Kocur, during the late 1980s and early 1990s. Probert was also known for his off-ice antics and legal problems. Tiger played with a number of teams over his career but he is best known as the enforcer for the Vancouver Canucks when they went on their Stanley Cup run in 1982, before losing to the New York Islanders. He played for the New York Islanders and Buffalo Sabres of the National Hockey League between 1974 and 1988. He was also a solid contributor, as he chipped in 303 points in 500 games. Nilan only suited up 688 times in his career. Despite all of this, his most significant contribution to the game came with his invention of the riding the stick celebration. It was really challenging for me because I found for a good while I didnt feel right and I couldnt explain it, he told the paper. Dale Hunter is one of the most controversial and skilled enforcers in the history of the National Hockey League.