Dirtiest player in NHL history

[bleedgreen]

dont know about players overall, but i know my top cheap shots.

1) without a doubt hunter on turgeon. looking back, everything changed after that. i know that sounds weird, but that was the beginning of the end of the high scoring era and the league just started to feel different. im not saying its related but when i think of that cheap shot it reminds me of how everything was before and how it started to change after.

2) mark messiers cross check to the face of dave roberts. i was watching the game on tv. mess was behind his own net and roberts was on the forecheck. mess knocks the puck up the boards as roberts goes to finish his check. mess cross checks him in the face, as violent as any play ive ever seen. roberts was out for months and had to have surgery on his face. this being before the times of every little violent play being replayed on sportscenter (92..93?he was with the rangers), it went by with very little fanfare. i think mess got maybe a game or two. i lost all respect for him and was shocked at the lack of coverage thinking it must have to do with him being a superstar and getting different treatment. it wouldve been a huge deal now.

3) completely unrelated to everyone else, but i was reffing a tournament game that had an adult division. it was a late game on a saturday and it was a mix of ages on the teams and a few guys were drunk. one player held down a player who had been shoving him behind the net. he shoved the guy down and skated away. i closed in to call them both but stopped as they were seperating since they seemed content on moving on. as the guy came around the net a young teamate of the player on the ground leapt from the bottom of the circle to cross check the guy straight to the face (yes, he had a cage on....thank god). he had a wood stick that shattered on impact and helicoptered off in two pieces - naturally one hits me in the nose (i had a cut and a shiner). the guy took off before the cops came and because it was a mom and pop rink and we were on the road to do the tourney, i dont know that he ever got what he deserved. i doubt it. ive seen a lot of crazy **** reffing, and most of it really bums me out. nothing i see in pros bothers me really anymore cause i see real people do the stupidest things all the time, and the worst of it is they honestly believe its justified.

 

[Gee Wally]

everybody here ...stick to the subject ...not each other !

 

[I.am.ca]

As for the biggest single cheapshot .... Dale Hunter on Turgeon in the playoffs.

Yeah where he broke his arm or something.



Claude Lemieux (his hit on Draper).

 

[mcphee]

There have been quite a few who would do anything on the ice, with no conscience. The worst that come to mind are Chelios,early Stan Mikita,Clarke,Dennis Hextall,Derian Hatcher,old timers will tell you about Ted Lindsay,Marchment,Samuellson, I thought Cashman would do whatever it took. Ferguson would use his fists first but had no limits, he once punched Norm Ullman in an all star game.

 

[bland]

I remember a story where Claude Lemieux told Charlie Simmer that he had, ahem, "used", a copy of the Playboy that Simmer's wife was in.

Factor in the times he would drink out of the opposing goalies water bottle, the reported finger biting incident (can't remember whose digit it was), and the hit on Draper, and it is pretty hard to argue against his nomination for this "award".

 

[glimradnor]

Some excellent choices here, but my vote would go to Link Gaetz.
Although "The Missing Link" wasn't around for long, he was cheap, and frickin crazy.

 

[MacDaddy TLC*]

Link Gaetz absolutely got destroyed in the UHL on consecutive nights vs the Thunder Bay Thunder Cats. Mel Angelstad and Jason Disher did a number on him when he was a member of either the Quad City Mallards or Madison Monsters (could never remember which was which) Anyway, the guy is apparently a legend now: http://www.geocities.com/linkgaetz23/intro.htm I don't remember him being particularily dirty, just your typical goon.

 

[Bring Back Bucky]

I remember a story where Claude Lemieux told Charlie Simmer that he had, ahem, "used", a copy of the Playboy that Simmer's wife was in.

Factor in the times he would drink out of the opposing goalies water bottle, the reported finger biting incident (can't remember whose digit it was), and the hit on Draper, and it is pretty hard to argue against his nomination for this "award".

Hopefully Simmer took this as a compliment.

 

[Big Phil]

Its hard to remember but Gordie Howe wa a cheap shot artist. He is the best player to ever play outside of Orr, Gretz, but he was known for his elbows as much as anyhting. Great player, and maybe that's why he had so much room but Howe would knock your teeth out with an elbow just so he could test you as a rookie! Not the cheapest ever but tough might come to mind with him first when you think of him.

Bobby Clarke for sure is up there - the slash on Kharlamov was bad, but in that same series the game after Boris Mikhailov kicked at Gary Bergman with his skate!

Ron Hextall - Why would you slash a guy like Kent Nillson in the back of the leg for no reason? Really hard too!

Derian Hatcher - Every year he does somehting bad that he gets suspende for. The pre-meditaded Roenick jaw breaking was the worst.

Mark Messier - Either the stick or the elbows. Why? Well IMO Messier couldnt fight his way out of a wet paper bag!

Claude Lemieux - Why is it that after four Cups whenever you mention his name you think of Draper?

 

[mattihp]

Ulf Samuelsson

 

[John Flyers Fan]

Claude Lemieux - Why is it that after four Cups whenever you mention his name you think of Draper?

Claude certainly handed out his share of cheapshots and did more than enough to piss people off, but I always thought he got a bad rap for the Draper hit.

IMO Draper turned at the last second, and put himself in a very vulnerable position at the wrong time. Something that far too many players do nowadays, relying on the refs to protect them, instead of not leaving yourself vulnerable.

 

[Mothra]

Claude certainly handed out his share of cheapshots and did more than enough to piss people off, but I always thought he got a bad rap for the Draper hit.

IMO Draper turned at the last second, and put himself in a very vulnerable position at the wrong time. Something that far too many players do nowadays, relying on the refs to protect them, instead of not leaving yourself vulnerable.

I agree..that hit was made worse by turning.....and Claude was not going to let up at all....

which of course lead to one of the best quotes ever

 

[John Flyers Fan]

I agree..that hit was made worse by turning.....and Claude was not going to let up at all....

which of course lead to one of the best quotes ever

"I can't believe I shook this guys friggen hand" -- Dino :lol :lol

 

[Daryl Shilling]

Sprague Cleghorn makes Ulf Samuelsson look like a choir boy.

Cleghorn was the filthiest player ever. Kneeing, but-ends, high sticks to the face, purposeful cutting with skate blades, ramming guys faces into the boards. He beat up Lionel Hitchman so viciously that Cleghorn's OWN manager suspended him over it. One night he beat the snot out of Newsy Lalonde (no pushover himself) so badly that people in attendance thought that Lalonde was dead, laying on the ice. This is a guy that had to be snuck into arenas to avoid angry mobs.

Cleghorn even beat his own wife with his crutches after he broke his leg in 1918. THAT's dirty. Samuelsson was well known for low hits, but didn't go nearly as a far as Cleghorn enjoyed going.

If there's any good side to a nutjob like Cleghorn, it's that he was a phenomenal offensive player. Most people have never heard of him, but he was truly great, though violent.

Daryl

 

[pei fan]

I didn't read all the thread so this may have been stated but Clarke is known as
one of the dirtiest players in history for alot more than just the Kharlamov hit.He
did a pretty good job at hacking away at Bobby Orr's knees and was just an
all-around dirty player.Yes, he had skill but he was dirty.

 

[C-J...*]

If I ever saw Ulf Samuelsson walking down the street, I'd find a big tree branch and slam it into his hip until his muscles turn into bone.

...yes, I'm still bitter.

Is your first name by any chanse Cam? :lol


Whats a "slewfoot" btw?

 

[John Flyers Fan]

Whats a "slewfoot" btw?

Kicking the guys skates out from behind.

 

[C-J...*]

Kicking the guys skates out from behind.

Doesnt sound that bad..

 

[John Flyers Fan]

Doesnt sound that bad..

Guy ends up landing in his ass, or possibly his head. It's not the worst thing you can do, but not good either.

 

[04' hockey]

I didn't read all the thread so this may have been stated but Clarke is known as
one of the dirtiest players in history for alot more than just the Kharlamov hit.He
did a pretty good job at hacking away at Bobby Orr's knees and was just an
all-around dirty player.Yes, he had skill but he was dirty.

Another idiot.....then why did Orr, who I consider the best EVER, say - "He(Clarke) could play on any of my teams" ???????????
Clarke had and still has the utmost respect for Bobby Orr, they both played with great intensity.....Clarke would never disrespect another player who gave it all like Orr ALWAYS did.
Some of you young posters should do a little research on the players from that era before running your mouths. Those players deserve a little more respect than they're getting in this thread, especially Clarke. Clarke gave as HE GOT, thats a stand-up player in my book.....maybe some of you would prefer the Ice Capades, a little less violence for your tastes?????

 

[04' hockey]

!

And I wear my "warning level 2" as a badge of HONOR!

 

[rt]

Kicking the guys skates out from behind.

The bad ones are where you put your skate behind another guy's and pull him back over it. I remember a few years ago when Danny Briere was a rookie, Ruslan Salei slewfooted him, and Danny was on the IR for awhile. Every time the 'Yotes played the Ducks for the next couple of seasons, Salei got his face punched alot.

 

[rt]

I remember a story where Claude Lemieux told Charlie Simmer that he had, ahem, "used", a copy of the Playboy that Simmer's wife was in.

That kind of reflects more poorly on Claude than Charlie. Think about it. Claude's sitting at home all alone like a 14 year old, while Charlie is enjoying the real thing. If I was Simmer, I would have said, "Don't worry Pepe, I'm sure with your wonderful personality, you'll find a real girl someday."

 

[triggrman]

Sleuth footing a player is the one of the easiest ways to get mcl damage, when weight and force are going pushing one way on both legs at same time only bad things can happen.

 

[mcphee]

Another idiot.....then why did Orr, who I consider the best EVER, say - "He(Clarke) could play on any of my teams" ???????????
Clarke had and still has the utmost respect for Bobby Orr, they both played with great intensity.....Clarke would never disrespect another player who gave it all like Orr ALWAYS did.
Some of you young posters should do a little research on the players from that era before running your mouths. Those players deserve a little more respect than they're getting in this thread, especially Clarke. Clarke gave as HE GOT, thats a stand-up player in my book.....maybe some of you would prefer the Ice Capades, a little less violence for your tastes?????

I'd draft Clarke anyday,but c'mon. He'd spear his mother in the eye and jump behind Schultz or Kelly if the old bag retaliated. Great player, but you can't change history. BTW,John, I agree that the KHarlamov slash is more a legend than anything else. It was never mentionned during the actual series but became worse as the years went on. Ferguson claims he sent Clarke out after him, let's pile on Fergy too,then.