What's the most vicious stick incident you ever saw in hockey?

[SoundwaveIsCharisma]

Not in professional hockey but when I used to play (err..not rec league...) I checked somebody pretty hard. The guy didn't like it, got up and swung aiming for my head, one of my friends on the ice called out my name, and somehow I got my arm up before the stick connected. The stick broke over my elbow, frikin it up pretty bad, and the guy still wanted to go at me.

In terms of bad ones in the league, the May hit on the CBJ player was pretty bad. In fact almost all these high stick slashing contests are just disgusting, where in hockey do they tell you to swing your stick at another players head?

 

[Mr. Hab]

GARY SUTER on Paul Kariya...

Anyone see, remember it?



Gosh...you shouldn't do it to anyone, but...Kariya of all people?
Suter targetted Kariya and crosschecked him in the jaw.
Kariya had to skip the Olympics , and Suter was IN the Olympics (year?).

Suter is a *&$%£*% for that crosscheck, there was no need for that violent move...

 

[Jumptheshark]

I was at the game when McSorley wacked Brasher--that was ugly

 

[iloveyouzac]

GARY SUTER on Paul Kariya

That's my pick as well. Kariya's crime was scoring a goal and celebrating. The play was over, and that gutless puke Suter two-hands him in the face, hard.

I've never been so pissed off over the length of a suspension. What was it, four games? Should've been much, much longer.

 

[ClassicHockey]

The McSorley and Bertuzzi things were ugly but I personally saw the Shack-Zeidel stick swinging affair and that was worse - mainly because they kept whacking each other at their heads with their sticks until they broke.

The Spectrum's roof caved in so the Flyers were playing the Bruins in Toronto and I witnessed the whole thing right in front of me. I had never heard a crowd boo so loud as when the head chopping was happening. It was pretty sickening. I'll never forget it.

I was at the game when McSorley wacked Brasher--that was ugly

 

[Brad*]

Perezhogin was completely justified in his attack. If some one is swinging a stick at my head with both hands you better believe they are getting one right back. Perezhogin isn't a dirty player, never has been never will. Way to show your bias again cyclops.

I find it amusing when people defend gutless cheap shots because the player in question happens to be from the same country.

 

[19nazzy]

Brashear/McSorely.

Tkachuk on Sedin was bad too though not on the same level.

 

[BNHL]

Chris Nilan buttending Rick Middleton in the mouth and knocking a few teeth onto the ice.Cheap shot savagery at its worst!

 

[Ogopogo*]

When Dave Brown was with the Flyers he visciously cross-checked Tomas Sandstrom of the Rangers, in the head. It was very nasty - about 1988ish.

 

[the overrated]

Add me to the list that thinks that the McSorley hit has been overrated rated in it's viciousness. His swing is nowhere near as strong or forcefull as the one by Ciccarelli or Perezhogin or May ... to use a golf analogy, to me it was more comparable to a putt or a chip-shot compared to an out-and-out drive, which a lot of the others were. The fact that Brash got hurt is what made it seem so vicious.

And while my memories of that particular game aren't great, I do recall the two of them having a fight earlier in the game and Brash dominating McSorley. The game progressed and Brashear played his normal cheap-shot-and-run style of hockey - I think he even knocked out the B's goalie that game - and late in the game (which was a one-sided Vancouver win) McSorley sought out a rematch ... and tried to smack Brashear on the shoulder to get him angry enough to fight. Yes, it was chicken-sh*t to do so from behind, and was COMPLETELY uncalled for. But to call it the most vicious stick incident seems a bit harsh, IMHO.

 

[DaaaaB's]

Add me to the list that thinks that the McSorley hit has been overrated rated in it's viciousness. His swing is nowhere near as strong or forcefull as the one by Ciccarelli or Perezhogin or May ... to use a golf analogy, to me it was more comparable to a putt or a chip-shot compared to an out-and-out drive, which a lot of the others were. The fact that Brash got hurt is what made it seem so vicious.

And while my memories of that particular game aren't great, I do recall the two of them having a fight earlier in the game and Brash dominating McSorley. The game progressed and Brashear played his normal cheap-shot-and-run style of hockey - I think he even knocked out the B's goalie that game - and late in the game (which was a one-sided Vancouver win) McSorley sought out a rematch ... and tried to smack Brashear on the shoulder to get him angry enough to fight. Yes, it was chicken-sh*t to do so from behind, and was COMPLETELY uncalled for. But to call it the most vicious stick incident seems a bit harsh, IMHO.

Not only did Brashear knock the goalie(Dafoe) out of the game he put him out for the rest of the year. He also taunted the Bruins bench during the game. Of course, Marty shouldn't have did what he did but Brashear was asking for trouble. And like others have said McSorley's swing wasn't full strength and I think he might have been trying to hit his shoulder. Pretty gutless nonetheless but not as vicious as Perezhogin's.

 

[bleedgreen]

ive never thought the suter on kariya thing was intentional. he never did anything like that before, it wasnt really his style or way. i think he just didnt realize the play was over and swung too hard at the wrong time.

not really a stick swinging play, but imo the dale hunter cheap shot on turgeon is the worst ive seen.

 

[ered7]

Greg Stefan, the old Red Wing Goalie had a couple bad incidents with his stick and opposing players (I recall Al Secord as a Hawk getting into it with him). Stefan was even suspended because of his stick work. Although Gary Suter on Paul Kariya; Tony Granato on Neil Wilkinson; and Marty McSorely on Donald Brashear were probably all more notable...there was an incident in Detroit were Vlad Konstantinov slashed open Jocelyn Lemieux's face (it took over 100 stiches to close), and there was blood all over Lemieux. Then there was the time Igor Larionov attempted to slash open Steve Smith. Hockey has a slew of stick incidents. I always remember Dino Ciccarelli's because he got arrested and charged for slashing his stick twice over Luke Richardson's head/neck region.

 

[Hunter Gathers]

McSorley's wasn't even that bad. Hardly as much force as when Perezhogin's swing.

McSorely's was so overblown because the media got a hold of it and blew it out of proportion.

 

[Heavy Fuel]

The Green/Maki was pretty sick, but I never saw it live.

One of the meanest I did see live was another bit of McSorley stickwork, but not on Brashear. The 88 Flames/Oilers series featured an amazingly vicous spear to the crotch of Mike Bullard by McSorley. McSorley had just been pasted into the boards face first and was a little woozy heading off the ice. Little Mike Bullard jumped onto the ice as McSorley was going off and Marty flashed back to his farming background when he pitchforked Bullard on the way by. It looked like a guy throwing hay into the loft.

I wouldn't mind seeing a clip of it again to see if it was as bad as I remember, but it seemed pretty sickening at the time. To make matters worse for the Flames, the Oilers scored on the play as the ref never saw it because it was so far from the play. McSorley got a 3 game suspension, but only after the Flames were eliminated.

 

[Squiffy]

I'll weigh in saying didn't think McSorley was as bad as it made out to be... bad stuff, but if he really hit him (McSorley was a strong dude) with that shot he'd never have gotten up...

Worst one I ever saw was my rec league too, I was in a scrum up against the boards, own zone, around the bottom of the circle, all of a sudden our goalie, guy I knew, comes out and gives a two-handed tomahawk chop hard as possible with the goalie stick,thin side, straight on the top of the head of this poor guy. Down like a ton of bricks. Helmets save lives, seriously. Goalie never played again, life ban.

 

[Chili]

None of the above --- in 50+ years -- the worst stick I have ever seen was the Teddy Green incident ..

I didn't see the game but remember all the talk of this incident. I don't remember another stick fight anything close to this one, Green almost died.

Can you imagine the airplay that an incident like this would get now? The suspensions would be prohibitive.

In a real twist of fate, Wayne Maki died a few years after this of brain cancer.

 

[Father Ted]

I remember a couple from back in the day that stick (no pun intended) with me. Dave Forbes caught Henry Boucha with a vicious butt-end, and Bouche lost vision in his eye and never played again. He sued and was awarded $3.5 mil.

Wilf Paiement cross-checked Dennis Polonich in the face...severely messed him up. Polonich sued and got $850,000.

Anyone else remember these?

 

[jiggs 10]

ive never thought the suter on kariya thing was intentional. he never did anything like that before, it wasnt really his style or way. i think he just didnt realize the play was over and swung too hard at the wrong time.

not really a stick swinging play, but imo the dale hunter cheap shot on turgeon is the worst ive seen.

Suter was a punk! He had already done enough damage in the '87 Canada Cup, he nailed Gretzky in that outdoor exhibition game in Vegas and caused all of Wayne's back problems, and then he does THIS? He knew Kariya had scored, why the ******* did he hit him? What a cheap piece of crap!

 

[Fish on The Sand]

one time I saw Igor Ulanov on a breakaway. That's the worst stick involved incident I can remember.

 

[DayWalk3r]

one time I saw Igor Ulanov on a breakaway. That's the worst stick involved incident I can remember.

well put

 

[Complaining Customer]

I find it amusing when people defend gutless cheap shots because the player in question happens to be from the same country.

I'm not Russian and I too think Perezhogin was 1) reacting to an attack he wasn't prepared for the same way most people would and 2) unaware he was hitting at head level. You can't justify it because a player should be responsible for his stick in all situations and never use it in dangerous ways under any circumstances, but I still don't think it qualifies as a gutless cheap shot.

 

[Tretiak]

I would say that all US team played like a bunch of goons in that game.
Suter broke his stick across Lomakin's face.
Nilan took a deliberate run at Mylnikov.
Barrasso slammed Khomutov in the face.

Of course, the Soviets still won 5-1 ...

By the way in 1984 Canada Cup another goon - Messier viciously carved Kovin's face with a stick in a preliminary round game.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7XAQgsvwQ-0

Brutal....

 

[dustinbrownfan]

What's the most vicious stick incident you ever saw in hockey?

Mine would have to be the Gary Suter slash to the face against the Russians in '87 Canada Cup.

it's important to mention that he did it after he had been speared in the neck area
BUT that DOESN'T Justify his actions

 

[Namso]

i dont think perezhogin's is that "vicious". It was definitely uncalled for and the one-year suspension was deserved but the intention was not there. Is just that unfortunately the result was a lot worse than others. Perezhogin's not a dirty player, and it wasn't pre-meditated nor was he aiming for the face.

WHen you look at something like Suter or McSorley or others, the intention there clearly is greater than perezhogin's. I think those should be classified more "vicious".

Again Perezhogin's was bad but the result definitely seems to make it worse. Others have been worse but might not seem like it because the damage wasn't as bad.