04/19/24
April 05, 2006
A Bear, a King, the Rookie Champ, a Giant...and the Total Package: NHL fighters ranked.
Boogaard!! I love that goony name. He is the monster in the closet of young hockey players everywhere. "Be sure to work hard at practice, son... Because if you don't the evil Boogaard will come out from under the bed and feed you right hands."
posted by WeedyMcSmokey at 10:04 AM on April 05, 2006
Great photo njsk8r20, though the caption says "attempted" to land a punch, and the shot looks as if he did land it, and land it well. While I like the fact that the fighters have to play well also, I am still a fan of the enforcer role to bring just retribution on cheap shots. And sure, Brendan Shanahan won't make the list, but that Irish lad is one to easily make a fan smile.
posted by RedStrike at 10:16 AM on April 05, 2006
The McGrattan vs Fedoruk scrap sure was a beauty. Boogaard is a monster. Jeez. I hadn't seen much of him this year, but this clip says it all... ouch. No mention of Chara? Surely a guy who breaks his own hand on another guy's melon more than once in his career deserves some kind of kudos...
posted by Succa at 10:27 AM on April 05, 2006
Is Chara's hand broken? I thought it was just "swollen".
posted by qbert72 at 10:32 AM on April 05, 2006
Honorable mention: Ian Laperriere. Not a big guy, but he will fight anybody. Good player, too. Wish the Kings still had him.
posted by Desert Dog at 10:38 AM on April 05, 2006
Is Chara's hand broken? I thought it was just "swollen". I'm not sure, but Ottawa has never been particularly, shall we say... honest, vis-a-vis player injuries. McGrattan definitely wins in the style category, for the way he casually chucks his gloves and stick halfway across the rink before every fight. Sticking the tongue out like MJ doesn't hurt either.
posted by Succa at 10:41 AM on April 05, 2006
Oglethorpe? "... His subsequent deportation to Canada and that country's refusal to accept him." My favorite Chara moment (and I agree, he may not drop them a lot, but don't tell me he isn't more intimidating than any of these guys) was when he pulled a muscle last year tossing Bryan McCabe around like he was his little sister.
posted by WeedyMcSmokey at 11:42 AM on April 05, 2006
"There's not enough hitting or fighting." It sounds like someone needs get caught on the tracks when the Phaneuf Express roars into town. There are only two types of players in the NHL: those that have been hit by Phaneuf, and those that are going to be hit by Phaneuf.
posted by grum@work at 12:12 PM on April 05, 2006
Boogert's got him a nice uppercut. Ouch...
posted by The_Black_Hand at 05:47 PM on April 05, 2006
The list seemed to focus on only "non-skill" players. Iginla and Chara are two good fighters totally left off the list because the do other things beside fighting. Fedoruk is a monster. I love his work ethic as well, but I think +/- in more so than points are a good way to measure a goons contribution to a team. Tough guys are going to have to be able to fufill some kind of checking role and Fedoruk seems determine to step his play up to that level. Fellas like Goddard or Carins are just way to slow to do any thing useful besides hooking or fighting.
posted by HATER 187 at 05:48 PM on April 05, 2006
Just found this one hit wonder.
posted by njsk8r20 at 07:18 PM on April 05, 2006
I'm sorry, but I love the fighting. I'm not in favor of the league cracking down on it. You need the enforcers in the league to keep the cheap shots out of the game. Just the other night, the Wings were at Calgary, and Marchment tried to take out Zetterberg with a "knee on knee," but missed. In the old days, Marchment would have got his bell rung for that stunt.
posted by wingnut4life at 07:20 PM on April 05, 2006
Its ridiculus to rank fighters in todays game the NHL in all its wisdom has pretty much gotten rid of it so that the sport will be more palatable to the tv audience in doing so of course I half to watch the games on the oln and a set that belongs in a basement. If you want to rank fighters do it all time not in todays flag hockey league.
posted by lionsfanandithurts at 08:42 PM on April 05, 2006
WWE+Rollerderby=NHL (National ''Hokey'' League)
posted by joromu at 09:00 PM on April 05, 2006
hockey is not what it used to be...every team had an enforcer to keep the other teams honest..guys like bob probert and dave smenko those were the days...glory days...
posted by ktown at 09:48 PM on April 05, 2006
Down with the Instigator!
posted by garfield at 09:36 AM on April 06, 2006
Just found this one hit wonder. Hey, it's Aaron Downey! Gainey brought him to Montreal with him. Nice to see a competent Habs goon. Been a while.
posted by qbert72 at 10:28 AM on April 06, 2006
I think that Detroit has had some good enforcers in the past (Probert could be called one of the best ever) and in my opinion, the best fight rivalry in the days of Lemieux and the Avs. I'll never forget March 26th when McCarty beat the shit out of Lemieux (and it was also fun watching Roy lose in his fights). As for the enforcer role, I would have to vote for Sean Avery as the best enforcer simply because he is annoying, and has the ability to get on people's nerves like no other. Plus, he is a stud in a fantasy league if you're strapped for penalty minutes.
posted by Ying Yang Mafia at 05:14 PM on April 06, 2006
Sean Avery as the best enforcer? I dunno, dude. The guy's got like 8 fights this year. I think you have the "enforcer" role mixed up with the "pest" role. He's a great pest, though. He gets on my nerves, and I'm not even on the ice.
posted by Samsonov14 at 05:46 PM on April 06, 2006
Out of all those guys, Brashear is the one I would most hate to meet in a dark alley. I myself like the fact that there is not room anymore for guys who just fight. Now you have to be able to play the game too and we are more likely to see a Gordie Howe hat trick. I'd like to give Cam Janssen an honorable mention. He has had some great fights this year. This photo is for you, DrJohn.