Dirty players in your team's history that you loved

[Mike8]

I can't remember the Hawks ever employing dirty players. Doing bad things to bad guys makes you the good guy.

Well, there was Bryan Marchment. And Craig Muni, of course. I didn't love them, but I appreciated what they brought to the team.

I don't think Enrico Ciccone should count, because he was more of an enforcer really, but I loved him. He wouldn't actively play dirty, but he had a temper and things easily spilled over. And I don't think he ever attempted to injure, unlike the aforementioned Muni & Marchment.

Anything more recent, it's mostly just hockey players playing with an edge. Like Bolland/Shaw type. Not dirty.

Gary Suter, Chris Chelios, Bryan Marchment were all actively dirty.

Shaw played on the edge and crossed the line at times (whether due to being reckless or intentional) -- e.g., McQuaid and Mike Smith elbows to the head, and he was prone to charging a lot (if that penalty was ever called as it should be). Agreed that he doesn't really rise to the level of intent-to-injure type of dirty (as Marchment certainly did, Suter had a few notable ones, and Chelios intended to hurt with his stickwork)...

 

[Nihiliste]

Claude Lemieux? He was a pest though, not dirty.

I’m pretty sure I’ve seen Claude describe himself as a dirty player. He knew what made him effective and he was willing to play over the line to make it happen. He was a warrior and a big piece in all of his cup wins but he also created the powerhouse Wings by causing them to trade for Shanahan and galvanizing their locker room around him as a common enemy

 

[Nihiliste]

Avs despite their short history so far, have a quite big list that could be named here. if I'm picking just one, although he only played one season for the Avs (where they were champions. coincidence? ) I'd say Chris Simon. when I think of a "psychopath on ice", he is always the first that comes to my mind.

In retrospect that 96 team was both tougher and dirtier than I often remember. Avs could have used Simon’s services in 97-8

 

[SotasicA]

Gary Suter, Chris Chelios, Bryan Marchment were all actively dirty.

Shaw played on the edge and crossed the line at times (whether due to being reckless or intentional) -- e.g., McQuaid and Mike Smith elbows to the head, and he was prone to charging a lot (if that penalty was ever called as it should be). Agreed that he doesn't really rise to the level of intent-to-injure type of dirty (as Marchment certainly did, Suter had a few notable ones, and Chelios intended to hurt with his stickwork)...

Well, I did like Suter. He was really good with the puck, too.

 

[Mike8]

Despite the bullshit from Canadien fans about Kreider, the Rangers rarely had dirty players. Just like the Rangers trading for washed up superstars, by the time Ulf Samuelsson and Kasparitis played for the Rangers, they were much more victims of revenge of their own earlier activities than perpetrators. Messier had calmed down. The only notorious hit I remember from Messier was on Modano and no one lifted a finger against him nor was it a penalty. Domi didn't get vicious until he was traded.

I hated the few dirty players the Rangers had. Hollweg, Dale Purinton, Ed Hospodar. I couldn't believe it when they signed Brashear, the only Ranger I ever remember rooting against in fights.

Looking at this thread, it does amaze me who people consider "not dirty" players for their team, like Cooke, Ruutu and Burrows.

Of course, I never did anything dirty to anyone.

Messier was still dirty as a Ranger. He tossed his elbows around a ton still.

Others on the Rangers: Theo Fleury, Tikkanen, but you're right that all the infamous dirty players that the Rangers have had were more known for incidents when playing for other teams (Samuelsson, Pilon, Kasparaitis and to lesser extents, Verbeek, Holik, etc.).

 

[Smartguy]

Raffi Torres with Edmonton was just a little bit dirty but still decently productive and brought solid energy. Once he went to Vancouver he was a full pyscho though.. maybe too much time spent at Roxy and after hours places?

This is the correct answer. Unfortunately people only remember the dirty hits he had at the end of his career. But he was a very good energy player, had 27 goals and was a big piece in the Oilers almost winning the cup in 06

 

[Mike8]

I’m pretty sure I’ve seen Claude describe himself as a dirty player. He knew what made him effective and he was willing to play over the line to make it happen. He was a warrior and a big piece in all of his cup wins but he also created the powerhouse Wings by causing them to trade for Shanahan and galvanizing their locker room around him as a common enemy

Hmm, I didn't remember the Shanahan trade that way. I thought Primeau's contract demands & lackluster playoff performances, along with Coffey's butting heads with Bowman and not being a great fit for the Wings system (and the fact that he was on the downswing of his career) was what had prompted both of them being dealt. I suppose it makes sense that Detroit felt the need to get a powerforward as well, especially since Primeau was the team's only skilled forward with size.

 

[Alexander the Gr8]

Some people on this thread: “My team never had any dirty players! We had pests and agitators but none of them were dirty!”

No, your team has had dirty players, every team has had dirty players.

 

[Mike8]

In retrospect that 96 team was both tougher and dirtier than I often remember. Avs could have used Simon’s services in 97-8

I think it looks dirtier on paper. The Avs suffered from bringing on too many mercenaries. Tremendous core, but not a whole lot of chemistry among their depth players. Unlike the Wings that had Draper, Maltby, McCarty types (among many others), the Avs really only had one quality depth player that had any longevity with the team (Yelle).

 

[Trade]

It was only one year, but I absolutely loved Steve Downie when he was a Penguin.

He had like 230 PIM, a decent amount of them being pretty borderline reputation calls.

Had some pretty underrated hands, imo.

 

[IceNeophyte]

Perron for a year. Sorry but my team hasn't been around long enough for super dirty players.

 

[Forthlinegrinder]

Ulf Samuelson, Jarrko Ruttu and .......Matt Cooke.......

 

[Officer Fred]

Basically this. The Pens have had their fair share of dirty players, Ulf, Cooke, maybe Kasparaitis, but I always loved the players that could play to the line, but not cross it, like Jarkko Ruutu.

Sharkko was suspended for biting at least one time

 

[Five Alarm Fire]

Steve Downie was a POS but he had a pretty good run in Tampa. I wouldn't say I "loved" him. He ended up getting us Vasilevskiy, but I remember a lot of people here were upset to see him go when we thought we were getting Quincey.

Radko Gudas was a fan favorite here. Dotchin was also seen favorably for the back half of the 2017 season too.

 

[The Grim Reaper]

Sharkko was suspended for biting at least one time

I’ll allow it.

 

[Rschmitz]

Steve Downie, Radko Gudas, Brian Marchment, Ulf Sammuelson, Evgeni Artyhukin

 

[double5son10]

Chris Nilan, I guess. He was not super-dirty but he liked to get into other players' skin.

Ummmm.....







Loved Knuckles. Part of one of the finest checking lines I've ever seen. Definitely got under the Bruins skin like no other but to say he wasn't super-dirty seems, oh I dunno, WRONG. I mean that's Nifty, a Byng winner and 5 time finalist for the award he's butt-ending in the mouth! 9th most PIMs in a career, highest career penalty avg. per game @ 4.42, most PIMs in a playoffs (141 in 18 games!), 2nd most career playoff PIMs to Dale Hunter, and holds the record for most penalties in a single game w/ ten (6 minors, two majors, 10-min misconduct, game misconduct). It's quite the rap sheet and he was not shy crossing the line. The great Bruce Hood in his biography Calling the Shots singled out Nilan as one of the biggest shit disturbers in the league whose games he hated to have to officiate.

 

[Mike8]

Ummmm.....







Loved Knuckles. Part of one of the finest checking lines I've ever seen. Definitely got under the Bruins skin like no other but to say he wasn't super-dirty seems, oh I dunno, WRONG. I mean that's Nifty, a Byng winner and 5 time finalist for the award he's butt-ending in the mouth! 9th most PIMs in a career, highest career penalty avg. per game @ 4.42, most PIMs in a playoffs (141 in 18 games!), 2nd most career playoff PIMs to Dale Hunter, and holds the record for most penalties in a single game w/ ten (6 minors, two majors, 10-min misconduct, game misconduct). It's quite the rap sheet and he was not shy crossing the line. The great Bruce Hood in his biography Calling the Shots singled out Nilan as one of the biggest shit disturbers in the league whose games he hated to have to officiate.

I don't disagree with you here, but the first and third clips don't show Nilan doing anything dirty. I also think Nilan was more shirt disturber than dirty. Enforcers that I think of as dirty are guys like Odjick, who had no code and really intended to injure, as opposed to Nilan who intended to hurt and make his presence felt/get under the opposing team's skin. Domi intended to injure more than Nilan did as well, in my view.

 

[double5son10]

I don't disagree with you here, but the first and third clips don't show Nilan doing anything dirty. I also think Nilan was more shirt disturber than dirty. Enforcers that I think of as dirty are guys like Odjick, who had no code and really intended to injure, as opposed to Nilan who intended to hurt and make his presence felt/get under the opposing team's skin. Domi intended to injure more than Nilan did as well, in my view.

Well, the first one doesn't show him doing anything dirty because the camera misses him cross-checking Peeters, who admittedly sells it. O'Reilly gets split open thanks to another Kevin Collins f*** up but Nilan's the one laying lumber 150 feet from everything that gets things rolling. The 3rd, I may give you, given it's a line-brawl in THE rivalry, Miller's just destroyed Maley and Boutilier is an idiot for turning his head, but Knuckles is taking full advantage of the situation. Maybe we all just have different definitions of dirty?
Now it IS at Paul Baxter but is throwing a puck at another players head within The Code?

 

[Stephen]

Claude Lemieux? He was a pest though, not dirty.

Might have to explain that one to Kris Draper's face.

 

[Yog S'loth]

I mean, people would be absolutely aghast at what Marty McSorley used to do, back when pounding somebody's head into the ice just seemed like another day at the office.

 

[oobga]

Torres. Guy basically won the Oilers a series with a nasty hit to the head on Michalek. I’m just not a classy enough person to ever dislike that hit.

 

[Mike8]

Well, the first one doesn't show him doing anything dirty because the camera misses him cross-checking Peeters, who admittedly sells it. O'Reilly gets split open thanks to another Kevin Collins f*** up but Nilan's the one laying lumber 150 feet from everything that gets things rolling. The 3rd, I may give you, given it's a line-brawl in THE rivalry, Miller's just destroyed Maley and Boutilier is an idiot for turning his head, but Knuckles is taking full advantage of the situation. Maybe we all just have different definitions of dirty?
Now it IS at Paul Baxter but is throwing a puck at another players head within The Code?

We're seeing different things in this clip. Baxter got his stick up on Nilan not once, but twice: the first time at the blueline; the second time after Nilan tapped him on the shins.

 

[5 14 6 1]

I enjoyed Raffi Torres of 2006 on the Oilers, and Kassian circa 2017. (Not so much anymore)

 

[Chet Manley]

Rangers fans loved Avery back in the day.

Peak Avery was actually pretty great.

I never watched him enough to have much of an opinion. But I vividly remember my dad teaching me how to screen a goalie as a little kid. Millions of kids learned the same and never thought of it as unsportsmanlike to purposely block a netminders view. It's amazing to me that none of us even thought about turning around and visually making sure the goalie couldn't see the play. Avery did and I love that moment in sport. Blew so many "that's just not right" minds for a few minutes before they could even start to verbalize why.