Brashear ended his career with over 2,600 penalty minutes, and one of. Were going deep into the annals of professional hockey for the number eight entry in our roundup of the greatest enforcers in NHL history. 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. Stock hockey statistics and profile at hockeydb.com", "GET TO OUR GAME: Top 10 Penguins' Enforcers", "Rocky Thompson's move from enforcer to Memorial Cup-winning coach | Calgary Herald", "Are ice hockey 'enforcers' the toughest guys in sport? Anthony Rory Twist (born May 9, 1968 in Sherwood Park, Alberta) is a former professional ice hockey player. None of that is true, but what a great song, right? A Boston Bruins legend, Terry O'Reilly was one of the most famous enforcers in NHL history. He played a critical role in the Oilers 1988 Stanley Cup run and was eventually traded to the LA Kings with Wayne Gretzky in the 1989 shock deal. Some clubs still employ an enforcer but they are slowing being phased out of the game. Full Bio. Semenko was more than just a fighter as he has also has two cups to his name. Sadly, the fearsome winger dropped dead on a boat on Lake St. Clair of a heart attack in 2010. Who else? However, he had to tone down his act after a fight with Montreal Canadiens forward Sergio Momesso. Doug carved himself out a niche in Montreal as one of the better defensive forwards in the league.. You can call them what you wish, but these men play a critical and necessary role in the game of professional hockey. During that time, he watched the back of legends like Phil Esposito, Ray Bourque, and Bobby Orr. His ability to protect star players was critical to the Islanders' four consecutive Stanley Cups. Throughout his career, Barnaby had a knack for provoking opponents and he pushed their buttons with ease. Me neither Simon was actually a veryreliableforward in his earlier years in the league. Donald Brashear is one of the most entertaining and dominant enforcers of the modern NHL era. He's built like a fridge and can fight with the best of them. Free shipping for many products! MAYDAY! Gillies had remarkable goal scoring ability in addition to his fighting skill and toughness, netting 304 goals during his time in the NHL. There are some enforcers that serve as policemen and others that will not hesitate to use bully tactics. He played for the New York Islanders and Buffalo Sabres of the National Hockey League between 1974 and 1988. When he was done, he'd stick out that stupid tongue and frustrateeveryone even more. 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. 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. Early in his NHL career, Marty McSorley was given an opportunity to serve as the enforcer assigned to protect Wayne Gretzky. Sadly, Probert died of a heart attack in 2010, and his brain was donated to the Sports Legacy Institute, which revealed chronic traumatic encephalopathy, a side effect of his brutal profession. Enforcers are seen as working-class superheroesunderstated types with an alter ego willing to do the sport's most dangerous work to protect others. Derek Boogaard died at the age of 28 from an accidental mixture of painkillers and alcohol. MAYDAY! Matthew Barnaby Matthew Barnaby was one of the most infuriating enforcers of all-time. He died of heart failure and was later found, like Fleming, to have been living with CTE. Despite this insanebehavior, there's no denying that Shore was one heck of a defenseman, as he won the Hart Trophy on four occasions. Tales of Horner wrecking people are legendary. The term is sometimes used synonymously with "fighter", "tough guy", or "goon". Les Boys (1997) - 6.7. Enforcers are also referred to as goons or tough guys. Grimsons remarkable ability to withstand punishment enabled him to outlast many rival fighters, but also ended up costing him dearly. "[3], John Scott's reputation as an enforcer and fan favorite helped him earn enough fan votes to secure a spot in the 61st National Hockey League All-Star Game, despite having been demoted out of the league at the time of his election. Nobody will ever forget the time he got ejected from the game and decided to take on the entire Bruins bench on his way out, but what's often forgotten about Nilan is how effective a hockey player he was. While no hockey player is officially listed as "enforcer" on the depth chart, these guys might as well have been. And in his era, refs were just a tad more lenient in their penalty calling. Nilan dreamed of playing for the Boston Bruins growing up, but was drafted as the enforcer for their rival Montreal Canadiens. 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. Robert Alan Probert relished fighting in a way few NHL players have. Here's my list of the five greatest fighters in NHL history: I think people will look at themselves a little bit, too, about how we so readily prop these athletes up and consider them invincible, Branch said in an interview, and we dont really take a hard look at what theyre going through.. Mr. Hockey himself? Shayne Corsonwas the kind of player that teams would be lining up for in today's game. 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. Playing for the rough-and-tumble Philadelphia Flyers of the 1970s Schultz stood out as an enforcer on an already physical and aggressive squad. 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. All While no hockey player is officially listed as enforcer on the depth chart, these guys might as well have been. Howes most famous fight came against Maurice Richard in a rare battle between superstars that is still widely talked about today. Standing at six-foot-five, 220 pounds, Belak was a ferocious fighter. 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. 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. 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 west Philadelphia born and raised, on the playground was where I spent most of my days. Dave Tiger Williams is the career penalty minute leader with 3,966 and that is a number that will likely remain for the rest of time. McSorleys charge was an important one: protecting the Great One during his stint in Edmonton. In one scrap in 1976, O'Reilly took on Dave "The Hammer" Schultz. Rob Ray created the fighting technique where players would remove their jersey and shoulder pads to prevent their opponents from grabbing ahold of them. Domi earned his stripes with the Winnipeg Jets, but it was with his trade to the Toronto Maple Leafs in 1995 that he became the most popular enforcer in the league and a beloved figure among Leafs fans. Skeptical? He led the league in penalty minutes twice and had notable rivalries with Lyle Odelein, Tie Domi, and the much larger Zdeno Chara. Here are the top five enforcers in NHL history. Like Beaver, McCarty thinks the NHL concussion numbers are due to heightened awareness and reporting. 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. Craig Berube: That is right, the current head coach of the St. Louis Blues had a real mean streak when he patrolled the ice. 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We definitely have to walk a fine line when writingthis list, in terms of what exactly constitutes as an enforcer. Despite these newfound abilities, he continued to fight throughout his career racking up 173 fights in terms with the Flyers, Kings, Penguins, Bruins, Caps, and Coyotes. . 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. 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. To order 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). 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. Brashear had a lengthy career in the NHL as one of the top enforcers in the league. 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. His mother, Lorraine, said he had been battling depression. 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. In death, he became the first hockey player tied to a troubling condition that had, to that point, been linked almost exclusively to football. During one playoff campaign, the Hammer spent 139 minutes in the penalty boxin 17 games. Top 15 Enforcers That Were Actually Good Hockey Players, 10 Things You Should Know About Kevin Nash's Life Outside WWE, 10 Worst WWE Wrestlers To Compete For A World Championship At WrestleMania, 5 Best WWE Tag Team Champions Of The Golden Era (& 5 Worst). 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. But he doesn't necessarily . Twist recently penned a foreword to the Ross Bernstein book The Code: The Unwritten Rules Of Fighting And Retaliation In The NHL. 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. Thoughhe was known more for his pugilistic skills and wild acts of violence that seemingly came out of nowhere. He. Dave Brown During the heyday of enforcers during the 1980s, Dave Brown entered the scene as an immediate heavyweight contender. This is not entirely accurateas there have been many players in the past and present that can drops the mitts and play the game e. The word "goon" is often tied in with the word "enforcer" in the NHL. 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. This incensed Probert and he beat the heck out ofDomi in their next tilt. 10 Former Impact/TNA Wrestlers Who Surprisingly Are Still Wrestling, 10 WCW Character Transformations That Made No Sense. A couple of decades ago enforcers had one role on the team: fights. Enforcers sometimes take boxing lessons to improve their fighting. Jr. Islanders (NCDC) P.A.L. 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. Fans of todays NHL may not recognize a lot of the names on this list but that is just because the game has evolved so much. ", 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? At times, he would take heavy haymakers and stand there unfazed until he would throw one of his own and drop his opponent like a sack of bricks. Montreal Canadiens going deep into the annals of professional hockey for the Boston Bruins legend, Terry O #. The rough-and-tumble Philadelphia Flyers of the greatest enforcers in NHL history the 1970s Schultz stood out as enforcer... Played for the New York Islanders and Buffalo Sabres of the top enforcers in NHL history donald brashear one... Fleming, to have been be hockey enforcers list up for in today 's game are. True, but what a great song, right listed as enforcer on the depth chart, these might... 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