Randall Graves*
Guest
Just curious who you guys would rate as the hardest/best hitter that you've seen that has played in the NHL?
Lindros, in his prime, was the most physically intimidating player in the history of the game.
Did he actually reach his prime?
I only associate dirty hits with his name to be honest.How about Bryan Marchment. There's a reason his nickname was "mush".
Maybe not the best or hardest, but waaaay up there if we're talking about him playing at his peak.
I only associate dirty hits with his name to be honest.
The best hitter and hardest hitter are related but distinct, in my mind. Tim Horton was a hard hitter, but what set him apart from others was his ability to ensure that he quickly seperated the puck from his opponents and took control of it himself (based on what I've read). Hitting is more than just checking the opponent; the purpose of a hit (aside from intimidation) is to force a turnover, and Horton was probably tops in that regard.
The best pre-expansion hitters are probably (no particular order):
- Sprague Cleghorn
- Marcel Pronovost
- Ching Johnson
- Joe Hall
- Tim Horton
- Jack Stewart
- Eddie Shore
- Lionel Conacher
- Gordie Howe
- Ted Lindsay
- Ken Reardon
Cleghorn was a monster. He was suspended by his team's owner after attacking Lionel Conacher (!). The team owner said that Cleghorn's actions were "befitting an animal".
My darkhorse pick would be Joe Klukay, who had good size and strength. He probably wasn't as hard a hitter as the ones I've listed, but he was extremely aggressive and was apparently great at stealing the puck from opponents when he checked them.
The best that I've personally seen is Lindros in his prime.
Along the boards, defenitly Forsberg.
He could, at times standing still, sink anyone who went after them.