Was Dino Ciccerelli a dirty player?

[Puckgenius*]

For those who watched him in his prime.

Click to read more...

 

[tarheelhockey]

Yes.

 

[Boston Bruno]

He was a mix of explosive scoring and dirty stuff personified. Not a huge scrapper but I believe he was prone to "slash" a lot.

I would say he was dirty - not like Cooke or Marchment type of dirt - but still pretty dirty

I believe he once tried to carve a guys eyes out with his stick Luke Richardson vs Toronto?

 

[jkrx]

Dino was as dirty as the best of them. He did whatever it took to lose.

 

[Killion]

I believe he once tried to carve a guys eyes out with his stick Luke Richardson vs Toronto?

He hit then rookie Richardson over the head with his stick twice in 88 in Toronto & was charged; fined $1000 and spent a day in jail. And ya, he was pretty free & easy with the lumber. Still surprising to me he was passed over in the Draft; really prolific goal scorer in Junior and in the NHL with Minnesota etc...

 

[BraveCanadian]

Yeah he was.. he took and gave out a lot of punishment - especially with his stick.

 

[Killion]

Yeah he was.. he took and gave out a lot of punishment - especially with his stick.

Yepp. The Naked Lumberjack.

 

[Jinsell]

Yes, he was a dirty player but not like Matt Cooke or anything. He was fiesty and aggressive, parking himself in front of the net like Tomas Holstrom or Dustin Byfuglien and getting most of his goals that way. In Ciccarelli's case though it was pretty a impressive way of playing because he was not a very large player. Because of his size (and short fuse) he did often relying on stick swinging a lot though.

Still surprising to me he was passed over in the Draft; really prolific goal scorer in Junior and in the NHL with Minnesota etc...

His stock in the draft the year he was eligible dropped drastically because he broke his femur crashing into a goal post while playing for the London Knights in Junior. Most teams didn't want to risk a pick on him because he was considered damaged goods. The Minnesota North Stars were one of the few teams willing to take a chance.

 

[tjcurrie]

Yes, he was a dirty player but not like Matt Cooke or anything. He was fiesty and aggressive, parking himself in front of the net like Tomas Holstrom or Dustin Byfuglien and getting most of his goals that way. In Ciccarelli's case though it was pretty a impressive way of playing because he was not a very large player. Because of his size (and short fuse) he did often relying on stick swinging a lot though.



His stock in the draft the year he was eligible dropped drastically because he broke his femur crashing into a goal post while playing for the London Knights in Junior. Most teams didn't want to risk a pick on him because he was considered damaged goods. The Minnesota North Stars were one of the few teams willing to take a chance.

Ya and he was told he likely wouldn't play hockey ever again. I'd say he did pretty good for himself.

He was your typical "get-you-back" type of guy. If someone roughed him up a bit whether clean or not, he'd get you back whether that meant a slash, a cross check, a run at you, whatever he had to do. He was like that person who just has to get the last word in, word being jab/punch/slash/check/etc. I think he suffered from little man's syndrome. But the guy had the heart of a lion and could play on my team any day. Definitely HOF worthy.

Here's a few beauties.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v1smxdTrYuw

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hodb0LUALjI

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F2k6LMugIAE

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P66fiwPUUj0

 

[Jinsell]

I think he suffered from little man's syndrome. But the guy had the heart of a lion and could play on my team any day. Definitely HOF worthy.

Little man's syndrome would explain a lot. Ciccarelli was a bit of a loose cannon and had some issues both on and off the ice such as:

- The Luke Richardson assault from January 1988 that gave him jail time.

- An indecent exposure charge stemming from him taking out the trash, wearing nothing but a t-shirt at his home in Eden Prairie, Minnesota in November 1987 (My question is who the hell would wear nothing but a shirt outside in Minnesota in November!).

- Along with his Washington Capitals teammates Scott Stevens, Geoff Courtnall, and Neil Sheehy, Ciccarelli was also involved an alleged sexual assault on a young woman in May of 1990 outside of a Georgetown bar in D.C. Although no criminal charges were filed, the Capitals management quickly got rid of the players involved with Stevens and Courtnall going to St. Louis while Sheehy's NHL career basically wound down. Ciccarelli was the only one to stick around until 1992 when he was traded to Detroit.

 

[Psycho Papa Joe]

Yes he was.

That incident with Richardson is one of the worst stick swinging incidents I have ever witnessed. I count at least 4 attempted whacks here and at least three connected:

 

[Killion]

His stock in the draft the year he was eligible dropped drastically because he broke his femur crashing into a goal post...considered damaged goods...

Yikes. Had no idea. Thats one nasty injury so ya, I can see how most would've taken a pass...

 

[tjcurrie]

Little man's syndrome would explain a lot. Ciccarelli was a bit of a loose cannon and had some issues both on and off the ice such as:

- The Luke Richardson assault from January 1988 that gave him jail time.

- An indecent exposure charge stemming from him taking out the trash, wearing nothing but a t-shirt at his home in Eden Prairie, Minnesota in November 1987 (My question is who the hell would wear nothing but a shirt outside in Minnesota in November!).

- Along with his Washington Capitals teammates Scott Stevens, Geoff Courtnall, and Neil Sheehy, Ciccarelli was also involved an alleged sexual assault on a young woman in May of 1990 outside of a Georgetown bar in D.C. Although no criminal charges were filed, the Capitals management quickly got rid of the players involved with Stevens and Courtnall going to St. Louis while Sheehy's NHL career basically wound down. Ciccarelli was the only one to stick around until 1992 when he was traded to Detroit.

I remember when both incidences with the North Stars happened when I was a kid. I wondered what the heck ? Didnt he say his robe fell of or something ? Ha ha. He sure was a beauty though. It's a shame he and Bowman had a falling out or he woulda hoisted the Cup. Such a character, hell of a player.

 

[bigwillie]

Ya and he was told he likely wouldn't play hockey ever again. I'd say he did pretty good for himself.

He was your typical "get-you-back" type of guy. If someone roughed him up a bit whether clean or not, he'd get you back whether that meant a slash, a cross check, a run at you, whatever he had to do. He was like that person who just has to get the last word in, word being jab/punch/slash/check/etc. I think he suffered from little man's syndrome. But the guy had the heart of a lion and could play on my team any day. Definitely HOF worthy.

I think this describes it perfectly. I remember a lot of nights I hated Dino. "Whiny little *****" probably was my favorite description, but I would have always welcomed him onto the Sharks. I just hated him playing against my team.

 

[Ogopogo*]

If by dirty you mean: would he walk around his yard in nothing but a shirt? He was as filthy as they come.

 

[Franck]

Dino was as dirty as the best of them. He did whatever it took to lose.

I literally laughed out loud when I saw the end of that post.

 

[Big Phil]

I literally laughed out loud when I saw the end of that post.

Not sure I agree with that post at all. He wasn't a "loser" by any means. While not a legendary playoff performer he had 73 playoff goals which is deceptively high on the all-time list, and 118 points in 141 playoff games. He was a loose cannon but I think on here people put way too much stock into decisions Scotty Bowman has made with certain players. Dino along with Paul Coffey are players that he got rid of before Detroit won their Cups but Coffey never had a tough time winning in his life and if you look at Dino's playoff career he might not have had any "elite" playoff years other than 1981 but he didn't have bad ones either.

Unfortunately people remember some bad penalties he took in 1996 against the Avs that many think might have cost them the series. Who knows really?

But was he a dirty player? Yes. In the mold of Bryan Marchment? No. In the mold of Ted Lindsay? Yes. As much as people don't like to hear this, we all love a dirty player when he's on our team and is a feared player to play against. I don't agree with what he did to Richardson and he really should have wore some pants when he took the trash out that one day but Dino was the type of player that you never knew when he was going to snap and that is a valuable asset so long as there aren't any untimely penalties that go along with it.

 

[redbull]

But was he a dirty player? Yes. In the mold of Bryan Marchment? No. In the mold of Ted Lindsay? Yes. As much as people don't like to hear this, we all love a dirty player when he's on our team and is a feared player to play against. I don't agree with what he did to Richardson and he really should have wore some pants when he took the trash out that one day but Dino was the type of player that you never knew when he was going to snap and that is a valuable asset so long as there aren't any untimely penalties that go along with it.

excellent post.

Ciccarelli was a loose cannon more than he was dirty. He really didn't go out of his way to hit/hurt anyone, he simply went to the net hard and expected to stay there until he scored. Anyone in the way of him, the net, the puck would get slashed - he was too small to do anything else.

He was as fierce a battler as I've ever seen around the net. He earned every goal he scored and given his size, it's amazing he managed to play as long as he did, and remain effective as much as he was.

He was really tiny, couldn't skate, wasn't particularly strong but managed to be incredibly productive against much bigger, meaner, more skilled players trying to stop him.

You don't see players like this very often. That willingness to battle, sheer desire to score, completely fearless.

Can't think of players in today's game that compare well. Maybe a Thomas Holmstrom but he doesn't have the same scoring touch. Forsberg really battled but was a different player. Active players? hm.....tough one.

Crosby battles that way, but he's far more talented. Can't really think of anyone else.

 

[Jinsell]

Yeah despite his controversial moments, Dino was a very valuable player to his team. He put in very good years for Minnesota, Washington, and Detroit and even was decent as his career wound down in Tampa and Florida.

 

[Big Phil]

You don't see players like this very often. That willingness to battle, sheer desire to score, completely fearless.

Can't think of players in today's game that compare well. Maybe a Thomas Holmstrom but he doesn't have the same scoring touch. Forsberg really battled but was a different player. Active players? hm.....tough one.

Crosby battles that way, but he's far more talented. Can't really think of anyone else.

Holmstrom is not even close to mean enough to be Dino. Forsberg either. I have a hard time seeing Dino lose a fight to Igor Larionov (Forsberg). I am not sure there is a player past or present quite like him. Esposito wasn't that mean but he stood in front of the net too. He had far better hands though. If there is anyone close enough to him that way I guess it might be Theo Fleury, but just not that small. Dino, also was meaner than him. Hmmmm, I don't know its a tough one to compare him with someone.

 

[Slapshooter]

If there is anyone close enough to him that way I guess it might be Theo Fleury, but just not that small. Dino, also was meaner than him. Hmmmm, I don't know its a tough one to compare him with someone.

Pat Verbeek had a similar profile with Ciccarelli. A dirty and feisty dog who could bite and score.

 

[redbull]

Holmstrom is not even close to mean enough to be Dino. Forsberg either. I have a hard time seeing Dino lose a fight to Igor Larionov (Forsberg). I am not sure there is a player past or present quite like him. Esposito wasn't that mean but he stood in front of the net too. He had far better hands though. If there is anyone close enough to him that way I guess it might be Theo Fleury, but just not that small. Dino, also was meaner than him. Hmmmm, I don't know its a tough one to compare him with someone.

It's pretty rare that there isn't a similar player to compare with ANY player - outside of Mario/Gretzky who were unique talents. But Ciccarelli was pretty unique in terms of how he played the game, what be brought to a team.

Pat Verbeek had a similar profile with Ciccarelli. A dirty and feisty dog who could bite and score.

Verbeek is the best example I've seen. I was thinking Rick Tocchet as well. I think Tocchet/Verbeek compare better than either with Dino though.

 

[Slapshooter]

Verbeek is the best example I've seen. I was thinking Rick Tocchet as well. I think Tocchet/Verbeek compare better than either with Dino though.

Tocchet was dirty, but he was also stronger and tougher than Verbeek or Ciccarelli and certainly a superior fighter. Tocchet was imo too much of a power forward to be compared to these guys.

 

[overg]

The one other thing about Cicerelli is that he was on the receiving end of an insane amount of abuse too. I can't even fathom the number of cross checks and slashes he must have taken over the course of his career. Crease campers like Dino have always been pretty much fair game for goalies and defensemen, and the fact that Cicerelli was so willing to dish it right back, or even initiate it, only increased the amount of lumber he saw.

Dino's entire role was dirty. He took and gave dirty. But damn if he didn't have some of the best eye-hand coordination I've ever seen. His ability to deflect pucks was off the charts. He wasn't just having pucks bounce in off him or scoring off rebounds, he was also re-directing a crazy number of shots past goalies. He's got to be at or near the very top of the all time "goalies' most hated players" list.

 

[tjcurrie]

The one other thing about Cicerelli is that he was on the receiving end of an insane amount of abuse too. I can't even fathom the number of cross checks and slashes he must have taken over the course of his career. Crease campers like Dino have always been pretty much fair game for goalies and defensemen, and the fact that Cicerelli was so willing to dish it right back, or even initiate it, only increased the amount of lumber he saw.

Dino's entire role was dirty. He took and gave dirty. But damn if he didn't have some of the best eye-hand coordination I've ever seen. His ability to deflect pucks was off the charts. He wasn't just having pucks bounce in off him or scoring off rebounds, he was also re-directing a crazy number of shots past goalies. He's got to be at or near the very top of the all time "goalies' most hated players" list.

100%

Tocchet was dirty, but he was also stronger and tougher than Verbeek or Ciccarelli and certainly a superior fighter. Tocchet was imo too much of a power forward to be compared to these guys.

Agreed. Tocchet was more of a power guy. While people feared Dino and Patty because of their unpredictability, they feared Tocchet for the simple fact he could and would put you on your azz, hard. Dino and Patty were in to guerrilla warfare while Tocchet was more of an atom bomb.

Not sure I agree with that post at all. He wasn't a "loser" by any means. While not a legendary playoff performer he had 73 playoff goals which is deceptively high on the all-time list, and 118 points in 141 playoff games. He was a loose cannon but I think on here people put way too much stock into decisions Scotty Bowman has made with certain players. Dino along with Paul Coffey are players that he got rid of before Detroit won their Cups but Coffey never had a tough time winning in his life and if you look at Dino's playoff career he might not have had any "elite" playoff years other than 1981 but he didn't have bad ones either.

Unfortunately people remember some bad penalties he took in 1996 against the Avs that many think might have cost them the series. Who knows really?

But was he a dirty player? Yes. In the mold of Bryan Marchment? No. In the mold of Ted Lindsay? Yes. As much as people don't like to hear this, we all love a dirty player when he's on our team and is a feared player to play against. I don't agree with what he did to Richardson and he really should have wore some pants when he took the trash out that one day but Dino was the type of player that you never knew when he was going to snap and that is a valuable asset so long as there aren't any untimely penalties that go along with it.

Good post. Being a Dino fan though, I have to include 1990. The guy was on a tear. Almost single handedly beat New Jersey in round one scoring 8 goals and 11 points in the 6 games. Unfortunately he was injured in game 2 vs the Rangers and that was that for him. The Caps eventually lost to Boston in the Wales final. Who knows what would have happened with Dino in the lineup. That 8 goals and 11 points vs New Jersey is legendary.