Best enforcer of all-time (based on peak)

[MXD]

there is not enough Tony Twist in this thread. He was the most feared fighter I have ever seen.

Good answer as well. Probably the only guy to beat Mario Roberge (who didn't fought enough to be considered here due to lack of hockey skills), but if we're going by weight class, Roberge is just the best middleweight ever. Yeah, better than Domi.

 

[Slapshooter]

The best enforcer should also be the most intimidating, otherwise he's not that effective.

I go with Dave Brown here. He could not (IMO) play NHL level hockey, but still made a pretty long career by scaring the crap out of opponents by just sitting mostly on the bench. Brown did not much care about "the code" and that made him more intimidating than some other enforcers with similar fighting skills.

Bob Probert was probably even better (or at least equal) fighter than Brown, but I don't think Probie was feared as much as Brown was. Even some other enforcers admitted that they feared Brown who could destroy orbital bones with his lefts.

Dave Brown was not a "good cop", like say Laraque. Brown was a genuine, mean SOB who could really hurt you any time and did not give a damn. Beating the opponents heavy weight to a bloody pulp or brutally by cross-checking star player in the face. Dave Brown would go after anybody.

 

[Canadiens1958]

Dave Schultz

Were Schultz and Williams THAT tough? Seems to me they get extra credit for just being the most frequent fighters.

Never understood the Dave Schultz aura. Saw him in the pre QMJHL - MMJHL for 1/2 a season and Kevin Morrison cleaned him. A few others also beat him.

http://www.hockey-reference.com/players/s/schulda01.html

In the NHL of the early 1970's he was rather selective who he fought. Larry Robinson certainly exposed him.

Schultz and to an extent Williams received favourable press.

Neither was as good a fighter as Kurtenbach or Gillies.

 

[Slapshooter]

Have not seen much 70's NHL, but from what I've heard Schultz was merely a goon. He could cause havoc by bullying opponents and beating middle-weights, but he was not much respected, yet alone feared by other tough guys.

It was because of goons that enforcers appeared in the first place.

 

[Loto68]

I want to make sure I'm not crazy and that you in fact did omit Kocur from the poll.

 

[Boxscore]

I want to make sure I'm not crazy and that you in fact did omit Kocur from the poll.

Yes, I made two glaring errors with this poll - not including O'Reilly and Kocur. But, in all fairness, as tough as Kocur was, Probert was the tougher (and more feared) enforcer during those prime Wing years.

 

[LeBlondeDemon10]

Is this really true? That's an honest question, BTW. There are so many debates about cheap shots and guys to act as deterrents. Was Robinson's presence really enough to make other guys think twice? Was this unique to him and maybe Semenko? Was it also a product of the era? Because there are guys in the league today who you would think would act as "deterrents" but I don't think they do.

I am basically repeating what I have heard and seen. When watching Bos/MTL and Philly/MTL games from the late 70's not too many Bos or Philly guys challenged Robinson. And he was very physical. Kind of like Pronger today, although Pronger has earned his reputation in a different way than Robinson. Have you heard the story about Doernhoffer and Robinson? Watch Robinson's Legend's of Hockey episode. Actually, Robinson was more like Chara is today. He was bigger and stronger than most players, plus he had great skill.

As for today, I think one of the last "deterrent" guys played with the Habs, George Laracque. Most tough guys in today's NHL are also extremely skilled. And a lot more stars play physical games today than in the past. They typically can defend themselves.

 

[John Flyers Fan]

It's definitely not Schultz. The "Hammer" was great against guys his size and smaller, but struggled against guys bigger than him.

Dave Brown was definitely the best Flyers fighter of all-time, and he has to be top 3 if not #1. Big, mean, left handed. Just a very bad man.

Other Flyers yet to be mentioned: Behn Wilson, Paul Holmgren and Craig Berube (NHL's all-time fight leader)

 

[timekeep]

Dave Brown for me, what a mean fighter and player. He knew his role and played it great.

 

[seventieslord]

Dave Brown is not winning the poll, but I'm seeing the best arguments in his favour.

 

[DonInKanata]

Best enforcer

Enforcer? How about Al Secord riding shotgun for Denis Savard.

In one of his early days, he was "over the glass" with Mike Milbury in BOS.

Cheers,

DH

 

[Eisen]

Willi Plett was an enforcer and could play well as well.

 

[tony d]

Bob Probert

 

[Fire Sweeney]

O'Reilly wasn't an enforcer by any means.

Joey Kocur gets my vote

 

[SealsFan]

Tough call. I voted for Probert (without knowing there were already so many votes for him). But I also felt O'Reilly and Kocur should have been on the list.

After watching a Bruins fight compilation tape, O'Reilly stood out to me from all the rest of their brawlers. He attacked with an insane ferocity that was downright frightening.

I always thought Schultz was overrated as a fighter/tough guy back in the day. They had a whole team of tough guys so it wasn't like he was the lone cop on the team, protecting a lineup of European playmakers. O'Reilly was sort of in the same boat, there were other tough guys on the Bruins then so he didn't need to be protecting anyone. But if anything, I'd say O'Reilly was slightly underrated as a fighter. His fights were psychotic.

 

[Reverend Mayhem]

Homer vote to Tiger Williams. Not only was he damn tough, but was also a psycho.

 

[TANK200]

Why is Georges Laraque even on the list? All of his fights started when he lined up next to the other team's tough guy off the faceoff, and said, "Hey buddy, wanna go?". An enforcer is someone who fights to stick up for his teammates. Laraque was a very good fighter, but he was never an enforcer.

 

[jkrx]

Why is Georges Laraque even on the list? All of his fights started when he lined up next to the other team's tough guy off the faceoff, and said, "Hey buddy, wanna go?". An enforcer is someone who fights to stick up for his teammates. Laraque was a very good fighter, but he was never an enforcer.

He were an enforcer who became very uninspired.

 

[lancer247]

1. Probert - the best fighter
2. Brown - almost as good a fighter but a better leader.

* I don't think Shultz was the best enforcer but I do feel that he was the most important enforcer of all-time. Shultz helped set a tone for a franchise that had been pushed around its first few seasons. The league followed shortly after.

 

[FiveForDrawingBlood]

Nilan should be in there. He was league heavyweight champ years Montreal had a good team

 

[Dennis Bonvie]

Tough call. I voted for Probert (without knowing there were already so many votes for him). But I also felt O'Reilly and Kocur should have been on the list.

After watching a Bruins fight compilation tape, O'Reilly stood out to me from all the rest of their brawlers. He attacked with an insane ferocity that was downright frightening.

I always thought Schultz was overrated as a fighter/tough guy back in the day. They had a whole team of tough guys so it wasn't like he was the lone cop on the team, protecting a lineup of European playmakers. O'Reilly was sort of in the same boat, there were other tough guys on the Bruins then so he didn't need to be protecting anyone. But if anything, I'd say O'Reilly was slightly underrated as a fighter. His fights were psychotic.

I'd take Wensink and Jonathan over O'Reilly.

Dan Maloney was a pretty fearsome fighter who also had a bit of a loose screw.

 

[lancer247]

Have not seen much 70's NHL, but from what I've heard Schultz was merely a goon. He could cause havoc by bullying opponents and beating middle-weights, but he was not much respected, yet alone feared by other tough guys.

It was because of goons that enforcers appeared in the first place.

Schultz was barely 200lbs himself and about 6'1" so he really had trouble with bigger guys.

 

[Infinite Vision*]

Bob Probert.

 

[BraveCanadian]

Bob Probert


29G and almost 400 PIM... crazy.. the guy had talent at more than throwing fists. It is too bad he had so many personal issues.

I'll take the guy who can play and throw bombs.

(also I don't consider Gillies a true enforcer even though you didn't want to be taking liberties with him around!)

 

[Dangler99*]

There's gotta be a way to measure this statistically. I don't mean in terms of KOs. If the role of the enforcer is to create/preserve space for the skill guys, won't that be reflected in the stats of the skill guys? How about a team's win-loss record with and without their top enforcer?