The 20 Dirtiest Hitters in the NHL
Whether an NHL matchup is a rivalry or a random contest between two teams, enormous collisions make the game what it is, and they surely bring fans to their feet. Every team has a wrecking ball on skates—a "goon," if you will.
I would include everyone's favorite fashion model Sean Avery, but he's busy down in the AHL, as his NHL affiliate doesn't need his drama and lack of production all the way up there at the top of the Eastern Conference.
Here are the 20 dirtiest hitters in the league. In case I missed one or you find a good video, send them to me on Twitter @kevry88.
Milan Lucic, Boston Bruins
1 of 20Lucic is owner of the dirtiest hit of the year, and surprisingly, he wasn't even suspended. However, Buffalo Sabres goaltender Ryan Miller got the best of Lucic by lashing out to the press on Lucic's choice style of play:
""I'm not really going to get into that," Miller said in TD Garden. "I just stuck around because I wanted to say what a piece of [expletive] I think Lucic is. Fifty pounds on me, and he runs me like that? It's unbelievable. Everyone in this city see him as a big, tough, solid player. I respected him for how hard he plays. That was gutless. Gutless. Piece of [expletive]."
"
Crime Record:
For the record, Burrows' look in this photo: priceless.
Ryane Clowe, San Jose Sharks
2 of 20Clowe attests his rugged style of play to make up for all of the cheap shots teams take on Sharks youngster Logan Couture. But whatever the reason, Clowe brings the hammer every night, both offensively and defensively.
However, with a hard style comes a few dirty plays, which Clowe commits year after year—however hilarious they may be.
Crime Record:
Matt Greene, Los Angeles Kings
3 of 20It seems as if Matt Greene is the only current Los Angeles King that is willing to drop the gloves. Well, perhaps he's the only King that possesses the capability to actually win a fight.
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Daniel Carcillo, Chicago Blackhawks
4 of 20Whether he calls Chicago or Philly home, Carcillo is likely to have a target on his back every night. Teams are well aware of how well Carcillo lays out hits and certainly keep an eye on him throughout the season.
Crime Record:
Jordan Tootoo, Nashville Predators
5 of 20Tootoo is the second dirty player on the list to have tagged Buffalo Sabres and Team USA netminder Ryan Miller.
Crime Record:
Chris Pronger, Philadelphia Flyers
7 of 20It's no secret that Chris Pronger is headed to the Hall of Fame once he calls his career quits. Pronger has been in the league so long that he played his first NHL season with the Hartford Whalers before moving on to the St. Louis Blues, Edmonton Oilers, Anaheim Ducks and eventually, the Broad Street Bullies.
Pronger has an impressive trophy case, including a Hart Trophy as the league's MVP (2000), a Norris Trophy as the league's top defenseman (2000), two Olympic gold medals (2002, 2010) and a Stanley Cup (2007).
However, unless Pronger was suited up in your team's gear, you probably hated him...
Crime Record:
Stanley Cup Finals: Patrick Kane and Jonathan Toews
Steve Downie, Colorado Avalanche
8 of 20Downie plays so dirty that he even got Caps superstar Alex Ovechkin to drop the gloves
Crime Record:
What goes around, comes around, eh?!
Matt Cooke, Pittsburgh Penguins
9 of 20It seems like we've gotten to the point where Matt Cooke is about one dirty cheap shot away from being suspended for life. But when you play the game so dirty, it enrages the rest of the league—to the point where you get "absolutely KO'd."
Crime Record:
He even pissed off the Reverend, Don Cherry.
Brothers Ruutu: Jarkko and Tuomo
10 of 20I think it's hilarious that two of the dirtiest players in the league are brothers. Since I'm sure they share bunk beds and toy cars, they deserve to have their dirty cheap-shot hits highlighted on the same front.
Crime Record:
Maxim Lapierre, Vancouver Canucks
11 of 20Whether he's playing in Montreal, Anaheim or Vancouver, Maxi-Pad's ridiculous style of play is easily recognized as one of the dirtiest in the league. The best part is when the opponent's tough guy comes and politely asks for a brawl, Lapierre somehow can't find the energy.
Crime Record:
Trevor Gilles, New York Islanders
12 of 20Perhaps he's angry because the New York Islanders used to have the most hilarious mascot in NHL history?
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Brad Marchand, Boston Bruins
13 of 20Of course, no Boston fan in their right mind will admit Marchand is a dirty hitter. Right, he just "plays hard."
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Ryan Hollweg, Phoenix Coyotes
16 of 20Extremely proud of his mustache (Twitter handle @TheStache15), Yotes winger Ryan Hollweg loves to scrap with the league's biggest tough guys. However, it's widely known his hits are as clean as his dance moves are good.
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Hollweg is known for receiving cheap shots, too.
Brooks Orpik, Pittsburgh Penguins
17 of 20Rangers head coach John Tortorella has this to say about Orpik's style of play.
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Niklas Kronwall, Detroit Red Wings
18 of 20There's a reason The Joe frequently uses the phrase "Kronwalled."
Niklas plays the game harder than anyone in the league—an easy way to get the rivals to dish out the "dirty" tag.
At least dudes in the Dirty D analyze their hometown heroes.
Crime Record:
Wingers leaving their defensive zone clearly have not learned to check where Kronwall is before they start skating with the puck.
PK Subban, Montreal Canadiens
19 of 20PK Subban was the victim of the "Hit of the Year" in 2011 thanks to superstar Alex Ovechkin. At least he took it like a man.
PK "Slew Foot" Subban is easily one of the dirtiest players in the league, which is quite unfortunate, as he's shaping up to be a great defenseman.
Though he's one of the dirtiest in the league, he definitely receives his fair share of pain.
Crime Record:
What can I say, the dude plays the game hard.
Todd Bertuzzi, Detroit Red Wings
20 of 20It's clear that the NHL executives believe that Bertuzzi's shootout magic deserves to keep him in the league.
There is no other reason that he should be banned after the dirtiest play in the history of the league—perhaps in sports history.
Crime Record:
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