Speculation: Top 5 Goons in NHL History

[desmondtootoo]

Why do we have a thread where the very reason for it has been deleted by the OP?

To remind us to always be on the lookout for dumbassery and dumbfookerie.

 

[desmondtootoo]

Also to remind us to distinguish between goons, principled enforcers, pests, and decent hockey players who could fight well. 4 different lists. Somebody should do all 4 !
Goon list should start with Durbano and Gaetz. Even if they were both prospects at some point... they ended up insane goons.
And no reason to dislike them lol. Thank em for all the wild entertainment.

 

[kyne]

John Ferguson, no question.

Runner up for the Calder, twice an All Star, 5 Stanley Cups and at least 100 minutes of penalties each season he played. The guy was a force on the ice like no other. Although he was only 190lbs, he could score, make plays, fight and opposing players ( and many team mates) were terrified of him. Jean Beliveau called Ferguson "the most formidable player of the decade and possibly in the Canadiens' history"

No one else comes close except perhaps Nilan and Probert. They weren't Ferguson however.

 

[stocker]

5 goons with no skill Paul Higgins Toronto,John Kordic,Gary Rissling, Steve Martinson.Dave Morrisete.

 

[BobbyAwe]

I think there needs to a definate definition for what constitutes a "goon". To me, a goon is a guy who WOULDN'T be in the league at all if except for his fighting ability. The term "goon" is demeaning and shouldn't be applied to anyone who can play the enforcer role but is ALSO a good, or even average, NHL player. In example, to call John Ferguson a goon would be an insult to his memory - John Scott, however, was obviously a goon and should be described as such.

There would be a gray area involving some enforcer types who were borderline in their skills, guys we could not be SURE would have been in the league otherwise, but players like Ferguson or O'Reilly or Gillies were definately NOT goons, IMO.

goon
[ɡo͞on]
NOUN
informal

1. a silly, foolish, or eccentric person.
   synonyms:
   idiot · ass · halfwit · nincompoop · blockhead · buffoon · dunce · dolt ·
   [more]
2. NORTH AMERICAN
   a bully or thug, especially one hired to terrorize or do away with opposition.

 

[Scott r]

Dave schultz....Bob probert....has to obv be top 5

 

[57special]

John Ferguson, no question.

Runner up for the Calder, twice an All Star, 5 Stanley Cups and at least 100 minutes of penalties each season he played. The guy was a force on the ice like no other. Although he was only 190lbs, he could score, make plays, fight and opposing players ( and many team mates) were terrified of him. Jean Beliveau called Ferguson "the most formidable player of the decade and possibly in the Canadiens' history"

No one else comes close except perhaps Nilan and Probert. They weren't Ferguson however.

I'd have to disagree on Probert. I've run into both off ice, and grew up watching Ferguson. Strong man for his time, with big fists. Excellent fighter...one of the best. Probert was much bigger, and was a fighting prodigy. Ferguson was mean on ice, but sane off of it. Probert was not. I'll take the bigger, crazy guy with nothing to lose. Probert is the best I've seen over a long stretch.

One oldtimer who doesn't get brought up much because he didn't fight unless he had to was Orland Kurtenbach. He was as tough as it got, but wasn't an enforcer the way Ferguson and Shack were.

 

[David Bruce Banner]

The best, nothing to offer but fists, goon?

Dave Brown, no contest.

 

[DaaaaB's]

John Ferguson, no question.

Runner up for the Calder, twice an All Star, 5 Stanley Cups and at least 100 minutes of penalties each season he played. The guy was a force on the ice like no other. Although he was only 190lbs, he could score, make plays, fight and opposing players ( and many team mates) were terrified of him. Jean Beliveau called Ferguson "the most formidable player of the decade and possibly in the Canadiens' history"

No one else comes close except perhaps Nilan and Probert. They weren't Ferguson however.

Your last paragraph is one of the most mind boggling comments I've ever read. It's completely false as well.

 

[adsfan]

I remember watching this game. Hull scored a hattrick on Osgood and the Blues start "gooning" it up at the end of the game. Robitaille of all people threw a huge elbow at Doug Weight. Can't quite read Kocur's lips though.

Kocur said a lot of things. The first one was "that was BS out there" when he points to the ice.

When somebody is yelling, it is harder to read what they are saying. The remarks to Q are harder to figure out.

 

[clemmy]

There should be a Goon advanced statistic. Something like:

PIM / Minutes Played
Points

 

[MarkusKetterer]

There should be a Goon advanced statistic. Something like:

PIM / Minutes Played
Points

Kellan Lain tops that list. His entire NHL career lasted 2 seconds.

 

[stocker]

For us old timers Bob Gassoff was the toughest guy I ever saw.Ask Don Cherry.

 

[Albatros]

Link Gaetz, could have been a legit NHL defenseman too but chose a path of madness instead.

 

[Anaheim4ever]

Stu Grimson
George Parros
Travis Moen

 

[sparky88]

Check out “Tough Guy” the Bob Probert story free if you got Amazon Prime.
When they were trying to get him under control Colon Campbell challenged Probie to a boxing match......LOL..
Probert always had the best fights.

 

[buffalowing88]

He was an absolute madman. Wish he lasted longer in the big show.

Screw that. Someone who behaves like that isn't a real fighter. He's a loon. Imagine being the person in the car who he beat up for no real reason. Plenty of respectable fighters would know when to turn it off. If that's true about Gaetz, he's a disgrace and a loser.

 

[buffalowing88]

Stu Grimson
George Parros
Travis Moen

Travis Moen had the worst hands I have ever seen. He made Boogard look like a magician with the puck. He was cringe-worthy.

 

[VanIslander]

Only three posters mentioned Hammerhead. Make this four.

 

[Anaheim4ever]

Travis Moen had the worst hands I have ever seen. He made Boogard look like a magician with the puck. He was cringe-worthy.

He pretty much lived off of his 2006-07 season where in the playoffs he had 12 points in 21 games and 21 points in the regular season as part of the best shutdown line in the league that year.
He made life hard on guys like Zetterberg, Sedins, Heatley, Spezza, Aflredsson.

The Moen/Pahlsson/RobNiedermayer line was like this years Danault line that shutdown Vegas except that those 3 produced offensively in the playoffs while Danault had only like 4 points.

 

[NYSPORTS]

Any list w/o Nicky isn’t a credible list

(Fotiu)

 

[Villella McMeans]

Any list w/o Nicky isn’t a credible list

(Fotiu)

F-Yeah

 

[AHockeyFanatic]

Weirdly the guy in charge of NHL safety.

 

[AHockeyFanatic]

He pretty much lived off of his 2006-07 season where in the playoffs he had 12 points in 21 games and 21 points in the regular season as part of the best shutdown line in the league that year.
He made life hard on guys like Zetterberg, Sedins, Heatley, Spezza, Aflredsson.

The Moen/Pahlsson/RobNiedermayer line was like this years Danault line that shutdown Vegas except that those 3 produced offensively in the playoffs while Danault had only like 4 points.

When I think of Moen I think of Ducks Cup 07… weird.

 

[Villella McMeans]

Weirdly the guy in charge of NHL safety.

Haha yeah weird, but when you think of it someone like Parros who been through more dangerous situations everyday of his career than most players that don't fight would really understand what is too dangerous to let continue in hockey and what is reasonable to let continue.

Better him than some ex ref that makes bad calls once in awhile a better him than someone like Barnaby who just like annoying others - Parros seems like one of the more honorable fighters in hockey, and even though any education better than none, the announcer did say he graduated or at least attended Princeton so executive jobs he'd be qualified for.