All Time NHL Psycho

[Hardyvan123]

Steve Durbano was a classic loose nut.

If Brian Spencer wasn't completely unhinged, then his dad sure was.

From what I've read here, Sprague Cleghorn would probably be in jail or an asylum rather than playing hockey if he was around these days.

A couple of years back, Ryan VandenBussche, for some post-hockey run in with the law was declared to have been a "non-insane automaton"... which, while technically not crazy, still sounds ****ing scary.

As for the minor leagues, no one got weirder than Kerry Toporowski or Garry Coupal.

Link Gaetz certainly deserves mention here too, although I always felt that without the car accident and the rampant alcoholism, he was on his way to being a pretty good NHL defenseman. He had skills beyond the gooning... and he was damn good at gooning. Ehhh, water under the bridge now, I guess.

Oh yeah, and Bill Goldthorpe (my avatar)... who was the inspiration for Ogie Oglethorpe.

Steve Durbano and "the Missing" Link Gaetz were the two guys that came 1st to me as there were both nuts.

 

[tikkanen5rings*]

Grimson is a lawyer now.

I guess that could considered scary.

Grimson is about the last player who I would have thought to become a lawyer..

 

[Epsilon]

Oliwa was a friggen nut.......when he was with the Devils, he just wanted to fight and couldn't careless about much else

He was great to have on your side, but he was just a beast on skates.......that story about the nightclub in Calgary doesn't suprise me it's just Oliwa being Oliwa

One of the Calgary bar stories I was told about Oliwa involved him hitting his girlfriend with a pool cue.

 

[Passchendaele]

About Bezeau..

Bezeau was involved with one of the IHL's strangest trades at the start of the 1996-97 season. Bezeau was upset with the Komets and demanded a trade, even going as far as attending training camp with the Michigan K-Wings while still officially being a member of the Komets' roster. Bezeau would officially be traded to the K-Wings for "future considerations", which ended up being two equipment dryers that used to be part of the Phoenix Roadrunners organization.

 

[DaveG]

here's a lesser known one for you guys: Anthony Iob

http://sports.espn.go.com/nhl/news/story?id=2441016

Canadian-born Iob, a ninth round Buffalo Sabres draft pick in 1991, has been involved in a long list of disturbing episodes throughout a career spent primarily in European leagues.

The most bizarre incident occurred in the 1994 Italian league season when Iob picked up a lighter from the debris thrown on the ice during a bench clearing brawl and grabbed an opponent's jersey before attempting to set him on fire.

he had enough talent to make it too, he was just flat out bat**** insane.

 

[Dreakmur]

Billy Coutu

He actually wasn't that bad.

Sprague Cleghorn on the other hand....

 

[Axxellien]

come on!:

..You guys aint got it..HOWIE YOUNG..Detroit Red Wings...Far and away!!..Gone Baby Gone...Real Gone!

 

[tarheelhockey]

I heard a lot of stories about Sasha "The Pitbull" Lakovic's adventures in the minors, including one where he got out of the team bus during a blizzard and skated off down the highway.

He's known to NHL fans as the protagonist of this little episode:

 

[Sumoki Dachiba]

For those mentioning Odjick, I have to step in on his behalf as in person he is just a real nice and humble guy. Very calm and grounded too whenever I've been around him. That doesn't take away from the fact that he loved to get hyped-up and drop 'em when playing. He was very often one of the most entertaining Canucks during the dark years of the late '90s. I think he's a case of those athletes who become a different person when playing.

For the topic, I missed most of his career but from what I've read, seen and heard John Kordic always sounded pretty scary/psycho.

 

[lovetherangers]

Bob Probert definitely had some screws loose, but Grattoony the Looney takes the prize!

 

[Boxscore]

I say Probert. He would fight anyone on the planet, even his teammates in practice. He was also one of the scariest human beings in NHL history.

 

[Chumley]

I can`t believe no ones mentioned Dave Tiger Williams Yet.

First guy I thought of. Tiger was very tippy.

 

[MXD]

Grimson is a lawyer now.

I guess that could considered scary.

I needed to take a course which was only available at another university, a law class.

Who was my classmate?

Enricco.

 

[Flames420]

I, admittedly, had never heard of Sprague Cleghorn before I saw his name here. After doing some reading up on the guy I am seriously amazed that they put him in the HOF. Obviously the game was a lot nastier back then but that dude sounded like he made other crazy, violent players look like timid fairies.

 

[Canadarocks]

Several of you said Sprague Cleghorn. What did he do? I googled him and couldn't find anything worse than typical nasty goon hockey.

 

[Analyzer*]

Several of you said Sprague Cleghorn. What did he do? I googled him and couldn't find anything worse than typical nasty goon hockey.

Even in an era of rough play, Cleghorn was notorious for being among the dirtiest of the lot, and ranked amongst the league leaders in penalty minutes for nine of the first ten seasons of the NHL's history. In 1923, Cleghorn hit Ottawa Senators player Lionel Hitchman in the head with his stick. Charged with aggravated assault, Cleghorn was found guilty and fined $50

I've also read that he would put, like pam on his stick so he could slide it out of his hands fast to spear people.

I heard Billy Smith would slash anyone... Including teammates if they were in his crease and in his way

 

[tikkanen5rings*]

I, admittedly, had never heard of Sprague Cleghorn before I saw his name here. After doing some reading up on the guy I am seriously amazed that they put him in the HOF. Obviously the game was a lot nastier back then but that dude sounded like he made other crazy, violent players look like timid fairies.

Where can I find more info? I only read the wiki page and it was a torso. Is there a book of him?

 

[Kocur Dill]

Ryan Hollweg

Crazy or Pejorative Slured is a fine line to decifer with him.

 

[David Bruce Banner]

Where can I find more info? I only read the wiki page and it was a torso. Is there a book of him?

Don't know of a book on Sprague Cleghorn... but here's a good synopsis of his career.

 

[polarslam]

Mike Danton has to be included as well for the psycho off ice drama he brought to the game.

 

[BenchBrawl]

Sprague Cleghorn would probably be in jail or an asylum rather than playing hockey if he was around these days.

Talking about this mother****er , I was just at the hospital he died in Montreal the other day. ( st luc hospital downtown montreal )

The guy was a piece of **** , charged with aggravated assault and fined with 50$ for hitting somebody on the head with his stick.

 

[Canadarocks]

I was looking at my book "The Top 100 NHL players of all time" and it says about Sprague Cleghorn "He once disabled three Ottawa players in the same game." However, all the internet sites I read just say that he attacked them. Did he actually give those three guys permanent disabilities? If so, that's definitely psychopathic.

 

[Dangler99*]

Cleghorn was suspended by his own team! In the middle of a playoff series! Him and his henchman sidekick Coutu.

This was after the game when he clubbed Cy Denneny with his stick, fracturing Denneny's skull. Probably the game your book refers too.

And in the rematch Denneny apparently came off the bench to score the winner, his head still wrapped in bandages. Wow! That makes Kirk Gibson look like a sissy.

 

[Slapshooter]

I don't know vintage hockey(pre ww2) history well at all, so it's interesting to read those anecdotes about Sprague Cleghorn. As far as on-ice antics are considered, he looks like a clear winner here.

Cleghorn must have his sane side, though, since he had a pretty long career as a coach.

 

[Shawa666]

Link Gaetz. Case Closed.