During his final full season of play, the Kings 1986-1987 campaign, Williams netted 16 goals and tallied 358 penalty minutes. Discussing Bobby Robins and Zac Rinaldo, Steve Lepore of Rolling Stone wrote the two are what's known throughout hockey as classic enforcers. Semenko joined the Oilers before they joined the NHL and went on to serve as the enforcer on one of the most memorable teams in league history. HockeyBuzz.com - Zak MacMillan - CBJ G59 v Edmonton Oilers - New Favourite Landing Spot NHL Hockey Trade Rumors 2 DAYS AGO HOCKEYBUZZ.COM Jets get rolled 5-1 at home by Avalanche WINNIPEG -. Dave Brown During the heyday of enforcers during the 1980s, Dave Brown entered the scene as an immediate heavyweight contender. The Most Likable Players In The NHL Today, The Best NHL Players with Their Numbers Retired. 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. He bettered the 250 penalty minute mark an impressive 10 times. Williams finished his career with 246 total fights and enjoyed a rivalry with Terry OReilly that spanned five fights. 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. Without further ado, here at the top 15 enforcers that were good hockey players! 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. Who is the greatest enforcer of them all? Brendan Shanahan: Yes another current hockey executive, the president of the Toronto Maple Leafs, was one of the greatest power forwards in NHL history. His mother, Lorraine, said he had been battling depression. In one scrap in 1976, O'Reilly took on Dave "The Hammer" Schultz. Full Bio. Jr. Enforcers alumni are in NCAA D-1, NCAA D-3, NAHL, USHL, NCDC, and the ACHA! Berube is seventh all-time in career penalty minutes with 3,149 in 1,054 games played. While his name conjures up images of the Michael J. Foxs Marty McFly character in Back to the Future, Marty McSorley was the furthest thing from the diminutive Californian who time-traveled in the DeLorean with Doc. He played left wing in the NHL for the St. Louis Blues and Quebec Nordiques, and was a feared enforcer. Over the course of his career, Probert dropped gloves 283 times (in 935 games). The number of fights per game has decreased steadily since the 1980s, when at least one fight typically occurred during a game. Howe was not the most frequent fighter, due to his immense skill at doing just about everything else on the ice, but Gordie was certainly not afraid to drop the gloves. Head Coach. Enforcers are different from pests, players who seek to agitate opponents and distract them from the game, without necessarily fighting them. [10], Instead, more well-rounded players are expected to contribute aspects of the enforcer role. 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. These days, his son Max Domi plays for the Columbus Blue Jackets, and he definitely carries himself in the same way that his father did, except that Max already has more points than Tie in only 375 career games. Enforcers are seen as working-class superheroesunderstated types with an alter ego willing to do the sport's most dangerous work to protect others. 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. Their circumstances vary, but in the wake of Todd Ewens death, attention is again being focused on similarities found among NHL enforcers who have died in an era of increasing concern regarding repeated head trauma in sports. Tiger Williams: The all-time leader in career penalty minutes, Tiger Williams had nearly 4000 penalty minutes in only 962 career games. Gillies had remarkable goal scoring ability in addition to his fighting skill and toughness, netting 304 goals during his time in the NHL. Toughest Hockey Players in NHL History. Full Bio. In the 1987-88 season, he spent 398 minutes in the sin-bin yet still managed to score 29 goals! Me neither Simon was actually a veryreliableforward in his earlier years in the league. News on all your favorite celebs, reality TV, and movies. McSorleys charge was an important one: protecting the Great One during his stint in Edmonton. 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. Howes most famous fight came against Maurice Richard in a rare battle between superstars that is still widely talked about today. 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Gillies played for the New York Islanders and the Buffalo Sabres during his 14-year NHL career (1974-1988). Call 'em hockey goons if you dare, enforcer type skaters are often one of the most popular players on their respective teams both with fans and with their teammates. His best years were in Buffalo as he notched career highs in goals (18) and assists (29). Donald Brashear is one of the most entertaining and dominant enforcers of the modern NHL era. The Gordie Howe hat-trick is a goal, assist, and a fighting major in a single game and the namesake of it must be included in any list mentioning great NHL fighters. 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. During the 1979-1980 campaign, OReilly accumulated 265 minutes in the sin bin while playing in 71 games. He racked up an impressive 570 penalty minutes in 201 games during his time with the Pats. 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 . 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. 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. He was involved in over 200 fights in his NHL career and continues to ply his trade in the Swedish Hockey League. When TieDomi won their first fight, he did the symbol of the championship belt around his waist. Shanahan won three Stanley Cups in his career and is a member of the Hockey Hall of Fame. Without further ado, here at the top 15 enforcers that were good hockey players! In terms of his other abilities, O'Reilly also managed to rack up 606 points in 891 games, making him an incredibly serviceable player who could fight with the best of them. [11] The frequency has steadily declined over time, from 1.3 fights per game in the late 1980s to 0.5 in 2012. News on all your favorite celebs, reality TV, and movies. Full Bio. His son, Max Domi, is a promising prospect for the Arizona Coyotes. Enforcers can play either forward or defense, although they are most frequently used as wingers on the fourth forward checking line. Ewen, who went by " The Animal " during his playing days, was involved in well over 100 fights during his career, according to HockeyFights.com. Had he spent more time on skates, hed likely be better positioned on this list. Matthew Barnaby Matthew Barnaby was one of the most infuriating enforcers of all-time. Intimidation and fighting continue to be utilized as a strategy in the NHL. 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. Ferguson had a short career, only playing eight NHL seasons, but he made his time count. I was one of these fringe players that had to work his ass off to stay on the team.. Thats a ratio any enforcer would be proud of. Gillies was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 2002. Pests and enforcers often play together on the same line, usually the fourth line. Rob Ray: Ray dominated NHL fighters throughout the 90s and into the 2000s and was well-known as an all-time popular Buffalo Sabre. A Wikipedia entry on the enforcer role states: An enforcer's job is to deter and respond to dirty or violent play by the opposition. Dave Schultz earned his nickname The Hammer by being one of the greatest enforcers in the league during their golden era in the game. ", http://www.hhof.com/LegendsOfHockey/jsp/SearchPlayer.jsp?player=11688, "Ryan VandenBussche hockey statistics and profile at hockeydb.com", "Dennis Vial hockey statistics and profile at hockeydb.com", https://www.detroitathletic.com/blog/2009/03/16/remembering-the-red-wings-enforcer-bryan-bugsy-watson/, "Where Are They Now? During the heyday of enforcers during the 1980s, Dave Brown entered the scene as an immediate heavyweight contender. Even his teammates weren't safe as he infamously brawled with Billy Coutu in practice and nearly lost his ear in the process (it's all good though, he found a doctor that sewed it back on). Semenko was "The Great One's" more notable bodyguard (and we wonder why nobody really messed with him like people do with Crosby nowadays) and Semenko was such a beast that it was as if he packed iron in his fists. He also managed to find the back of the net 21 times in the 1984-85 season. News on all your favorite celebs, reality TV, and movies. The Role of the Modern NHL Enforcers Tale of NHL Enforcers Past. Thugs, Goons, Enforcers. All 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. While no hockey player is officially listed as "enforcer" on the depth chart, these guys might as well have been. Chris Neil didn't waste any time making an impact in the NHL. Chillin' out maxin' relaxin' all cool and shootin' some bball outside of the school. You can imagine what his role was on the team. In his 891-game careerall of which was spent in BostonOReilly accumulated more than 2,000 penalty minutes. Stu Grimson, who earned the nickname "The Grim Reaper" in his 14 seasons in the NHL, was the quintessential goon. This is a list of enforcers who have played in the National Hockey League. Matthew Barnaby was one ofthe most infuriating enforcers of all-time. At 5'8 and 175 lbs, Stan Jonathan was very unassuming, but it was certainly a different story when the gloves came off. Robert Alan Probert relished fighting in a way few NHL players have. Unfortunately, McSorley had a habit of taking things too far, which he did in 2000 by assaulting Donald Brashear with a stick, ultimately leading to McSorleys suspension and retirement. 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. 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. 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. 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