Bleacher Report - Articles by Rob Webb

Top 10 NHL Enforcers of All Time: No. 4 Dave Brown

Rob Webb — Mon, 04 Aug 2008 16:58:33 -0400

The number-four spot is going to be held by Dave Brown, one of the most feared players in NHL history.

The native of Saskatoon, Saskatchewan was a respected enforcer who spent most of his career in Philadelphia playing for the Flyers.

Brown did not have a great scoring touch, like some of the other enforcers on my list had.

With 729 NHL games, he only had 97 points, but had 1789 minutes in penalties. A lot of those penalty minutes were from fighting majors—he had 186 FMs over the course of his career.

As stated earlier, Dave spent most of his career in Philadelphia. From 1982 to 1988 he was with the Flyers, but then was traded to the Oilers. He spent two and a half years in Edmonton, helping the Oilers win a Cup. He was then traded back to Philly for four years. Dave spent one year with the San Jose Sharks before retiring in 1996.

Brown, like every other enforcer, had a mean streak to him. Some people will probably remember the dirty cross-check he threw at New York Rangers forward Thomas Sandstrom, which broke Sandstrom's jaw and gave him a nasty concussion. Dave received 15 games for the cheap shot, which at the time was one of the largest suspensions ever given out.

An enforcer always has other enforcers to have great feuds with. Some of Brown’s great battles were with other tough guys such as Jay Caufield, Shawn Cronin, Stu Grimson, Tim Hunter, Chris Nilan, and Jay Miller.

The feud with Miller was, in my opinion, the best. All of their nine fights were great slugfests, except for one in which they lost balance early in the fight.

Dave Brown will always be remembered as a great enforcer, especially by all the Flyers’ fans—and that, to me, earns him a spot on this list.

Note: This is part six of a ten-part series.

Top 10 NHL Enforcers of All Time: No.5 Dave Semenko

Rob Webb — Sun, 03 Aug 2008 09:07:57 -0400

Number five would be Dave Semenko also known as "Cementhead" (possibly the coolest NHL nickname of all time). Why did this tough guy play? Well, that answer is easy –-to be Wayne Gretzky’s personal bodyguard.

I’m not too familiar with Semenko, but doing some research and listening to what others have to say, I’ve came to a conclusion that he needed to be somewhere in this list.

The native of Winnipeg, Manitobawas selected by the Minnesota North Stars in 1997. He was later traded to the Edmonton Oilers to become the team’s policeman. He was mainly to protect the young Gretzky but also others such as Jari Kurri, Mark Messier, and Paul Coffey.

Dave was a tough cookie, and was also a pretty good boxer. He once stepped into the ring with boxing legend Muhammad Ali during an exhibition match.

Some say Dave was a big part in helping the Edmonton Oilers win back to back Stanley Cups in 1984 and 1985.

Dave is probably one of the only enforcers to play on the first line. I don’t think we will ever see that now, in today’s NHL.

Dave was traded to Hartford in 1986 but then was moved to Toronto near the end of that season. He played one full year with the Maple Leafs in 1987-88. After that year he retired.

He later found himself becoming an assistant coach for the Edmonton Oilers in 1996. After that he soon joined the scouting staff as well.

Dave played 575 games in the NHL and scored 55 goals along with 88 assists. He tallied up 1175 penalty minutes and dropped the gloves 109 times.

Also, one last little quick fact – Dave was the last person to score in WHA history

Top 10 NHL Enforcers of All Time: No. 6 Tie Domi

Rob Webb — Sat, 02 Aug 2008 18:28:59 -0400

Coming in at No. 6 on the list is Tie Domi.

This guy was a fighting machine. He leads the NHL in number of career fights, with 333.

Argue with me if you must, but you're not going to get anywhere. The guy with the most fights ever in the NHL definitely deserves a spot on this list.

Domi is remembered as a Maple Leaf in most people’s eyes, but he also played for the New York Rangers and the Winnipeg Jets.

The Native of Windsor, Ontario could be the most entertaining fighter ever. His antics on the ice were just wild; he had some great post-fight gestures.

We all saw the heavyweight belt gesture after one of his great fights with Bob Probert, who he had a great career-long feud with.

He also had great feuds with other tough guys, such as Donald Brashear, Sandy McCarthy, and Rob Ray.

A lot of people will probably remember Domi for what he did on March 29, 2001, in Philadelphia. He was in the penalty box and a Flyers fan was heckling him. Domi got angry and reached over the glass and squirted the fan with his water bottle.

One of the fans got up and tried to get a piece of Domi, breaking down the glass and falling into the penalty box. From there Domi pulled his shirt over his head and landed a couple weak punches.

To me, that was classic. I miss the days of the great Philadelphia vs. Toronto games.

Domi played over 1,000 games in the NHL and had 245 points. That’s not too bad for an enforcer.

My uncle actually fought Tie Domi in the OHL. He was an enforcer who never made it. He played for the Oshawa Generals while Domi was with the Peterborough Petes. My uncle said that it was the hardest punch he ever took in his whole playing career.

A lot of people probably lost a bit of respect for Domi on December 11, 1999, when a brawl took place between the Flyers and the Maple Leafs. Domi called out both Craig Berube and Sandy McCarthy at the same time, but didn’t fight them, leaving non fighters like Mike Johnson and Thomas Kaberle to take the beatings.

Domi retired in 2006 as a Maple Leaf. He went on to have a short stint broadcasting for TSN, but never really went anywhere with it.

Domi was one of the greatest enforcers ever, and will be remembered as one for a very long time.

Note: This is part five of a ten-part series

Top 10 NHL Enforcers of All Time: No. 7 Terry O'Reilly

Rob Webb — Fri, 01 Aug 2008 07:29:30 -0400

Terry O’Reilly, also known as “Bloody O’Reilly” definitely deserves a spot on the top 10 list. He was tough as nails, and he protected his teammates like no other.

When the Bruins retired his number and put his jersey up in the rafters in 2002, Ray Bourque said, “His hangs right next to mine, protecting me again. That’s awesome.”

The native of Niagara Falls, Ontario had some great feuds with other tough guys, including Tiger Williams, Clark Gilles, and Dave Schultz.

He is also known for his actions in the infamous post-game bench brawl between the Bruins and the Rangers on December 26, 1979.

A wild fan stole O’Reilly’s teammate's stick and hit him with it. Terry ripped down the glass and went up in the stands to tackle the wild fan. Terry ended up taking off the fan's shoe and hitting him with it. He wound up only getting an eight-game suspension for his actions.

Can you imagine what the suspension would be in today’s NHL?

A lot of you might also remember his name from the movie Happy Gilmore, starring Adam Sandler. In the movie, Terry O’Reilly is Happy’s favorite hockey player because of his tough and aggressive style of play.

O’Reilly could also score. In the 1977-78 season, he managed to get 90 points. I didn’t even think that was possible for a so-called enforcer. But the statistics show that he was definitely a tough guy.

In 891 NHL games, he got 2,095 minutes in penalties and 606 points. Terry dropped the gloves 198 times throughout his NHL career.

He was a great all-around player for the Boston Bruins and after he retired from hockey, he came back to coach the Bruins in the 1986-87 season. He took them to the Stanley Cup finals, but couldn’t beat the Edmonton Oilers. He also was an assistant coach for the New York Rangers for two seasons after the lockout.

O’Reilly was not only a great enforcer, but a great player and a great guy on and off the bench.

Note: This is part four of a ten part series.

Top 10 NHL Enforcers of All Time: No. 8 John Ferguson

Rob Webb — Thu, 31 Jul 2008 05:34:30 -0400

John Ferguson comes in at number eight on our list. The rough-nosed kid from Vancouver could very well be one of the toughest players to ever play the game. I just wish I could have seen him play live.

John had a short career in the NHL. He only played eight seasons, all with the Montreal Canadiens.

It was in 1963 when John got the call-up for the Canadiens. They called him up for one reason only—to protect Montreal’s star player Jean Beliveau.

In John’s first game up with Montreal, he ended up fighting and winning against “Terrible” Ted Green of the Boston Bruins. That’s when Montreal decided that they were going to keep him in the lineup.

John played the enforcer role well. He did take a couple of cheap shots—but really, when you think about it, which enforcer hasn’t? John had 1214 penalty minutes in 500 games. A lot of those penalty minutes were probably added up from his 67 NHL fights.

Ferguson could also score. That was a big bonus. He finished his career with 300 points—and when you do the math, that’s .61 points a game. Not bad for an enforcer. He was the runner-up for the Calder Trophy (rookie of the year), was selected for two All-Star games, and won the Stanley Cup 5 different times. All this in only eight seasons. He even scored a Stanley Cup game-winning goal in 1969.

He retired early, but stayed in the hockey business. In 1972, he was the assistant coach for Team Canada when they played the Soviets in the infamous Summit Series. Then he went on to work for a couple different teams in the NHL, as a GM, head coach, etc.

In 2005 John was diagnosed with prostate cancer, and on July 14, 2007, he died.

John was a great enforcer—and better yet, a great player. Rest in peace. John.

Note: This is part three of a ten-part series.

Top 10 NHL Enforcers of All Time: No. 10 Wade Belak

Rob Webb — Tue, 29 Jul 2008 18:47:03 -0400

Some people will probably question why I’m putting Wade Belak as number 10. Your probably going to say just because he is my favourite I had to stick him in the list somewhere. You should watch some of his fights. He rarely looses. He’s never been knocked out, or even just dropped by a punch.

The guy is a monster on the ice and has beaten everyone he’s fought sometime or other, for the most part anyway. The native of Saskatoon, Saskatchewan is 6’5”, 228 lbs. Now that’s a big guy. Believe it or not, Wade was chosen 12th overall by the Quebec Nordiques in the 1994 NHL Entry Draft. Belak was then traded to Calgary during the 1998-99 season.

He played two and a half seasons with the Flames before being placed on waivers. The Leafs picked him up from Calgary and it would be where he spent most of his playing career. With seven seasons under his belt with the Leafs, they surprisingly traded him to the Florida Panthers this past season. He has now signed a two-year deal with the Panthers.

Playing a total of 442 games in the NHL so far, Belak has 131 fighting majors, 1108 penalty minutes, and only 29 points. Belak only has eight goals throughout his career, but the funny thing is that he has scored on some of the games greatest goalies - Martin Brodeur, Roberto Luongo, and Chris Mason, just to name a few.

Not only does Belak protect his teammates. He is said to be a great leader on and off the ice. He is great with the guys in the dressing room and can do some hilarious interviews with the media. Belak becomes a fan favourite everywhere he plays and was a big part of the Toronto Maple Leafs.

We will be watching Belak drop the gloves with the best of them for at least another two years.

Note: This is part one of a ten part series.

Riley Cote's Hard Work Pays Off

Rob Webb — Sat, 26 Jul 2008 17:40:35 -0400

When someone tells you to think of the toughest player in the NHL, you’re probably going to say someone like Donald Brashear or Derek Boogaard.

But when you take a look at it, that honor really belongs to Riley Cote—in my opinion, anyway.

Cote runs around, and may take the odd cheap shot—but he will drop the gloves with anyone. He’s not the biggest guy in the league either. At just 6’2” and 216 pounds, Riley Cote was called the “toughest guy in the league, pound for pound,” by Montreal Canadiens’ tough guy Georges Laraque.

I want to tell you a little bit about Riley, to the best of my knowledge. He has put in tons of time and hard work to get where he is today. And for that, I give him tons of respect.

Riley was never drafted into the NHL. He was actually what they call a “walk-on” at tryouts for the Toronto Maple Leafs in 2002. That basically means he just showed up and tried out.

Cote’s hard work and aggressive play got him a contract with the Leafs' CHL affiliate, the Memphis Riverkings. He was called up to play for the St. John Maple Leafs a couple times, but never made it to Toronto.

Cote didn’t re-sign with the Leafs. Instead, he signed a two-way deal with Columbus, good for one year. However, he played in the ECHL for most of that year.

For the next year he went back to Memphis to play another season in the CHL with the Riverkings, but was also offered an invitation to the Philadelphia Phantoms’ tryout camp. From there, he would go on to help the Phantoms win a championship.

In the 2006-07 season, Cote signed a two-way contract with the Philadelphia Flyers.

This past season he played 70 games with the Flyers, collecting one goal, three assists, and 202 penalty minutes. His solid and aggressive style of play landed him a two-year, one-way contract this offseason.

It shows that hard work can and does pay off.

Riley didn’t give up, and I respect him for that. He is now one of my favorite players, and I try to follow him as much as I can. I am really disappointed that the Leafs made no effort at all to resign him. But with that said, the fans in Philly love him, and he loves it there.

Congratulations on the contract, Riley. You've officially made it. Best of luck in the upcoming season.

Andre Roy Signs with Calgary: Perfect Fit

Rob Webb — Mon, 21 Jul 2008 08:20:46 -0400

Last year Andre Roy thought he would never get another chance with an NHL team after losing his cool from being dropped by a punch from Flyers' tough guy Riley Cote.

After the fight, Roy blew up and made throat-cutting gestures towards Cote, along with telling him that "you're f***ing dead".

Tampa Coach John Tortorella made Andre Roy a healthy scratch for the remainder of the season after that.

But there was hope for Roy. The Calgary Flames lost their tough guy Eric Godard after he signed a three year deal with the Penguins.

The Flames needed a tough guy, especially when you realise what kind of guys are in their division: Derek "The Boogey-Man" Boogaard, Scott Parker, Zack Stortini, and Darcy Hordichuk just to name a few.

As soon as Roy found out he had an offer from Calgary, he took it right away.

"Every team has somebody who falls into that job -- except the Red Wings," said Roy. "Calgary, it's a tough, physical team, and that's a perfect fit for me."

The Phoenix Coyotes: Bullies of the Ice

Rob Webb — Mon, 21 Jul 2008 05:57:53 -0400

When talking about a tough team in the NHL, we all assume it's the Anaheim Ducks. But not this year, this year there is a new team of bullies, the Phoenix Coyotes.

Don Maloney, the Coyotes GM, asked Shane Doan and Ed Jovanovski if they thought the team needed more "toughness" and they both said "absolutely".

And that is exactly what Maloney has been getting for the team this offseason.

If you looked at their team before the offseason, you would see that they already had some grit. Guys like Shane Doan, Ed Jovanovski, Garth Murray, and Daniel Carcillo all play a physical game and are not afraid to drop the gloves.

Carcillo is especially willing. Last year, he played in 57 games, getting 23 fighting majors with 324 penalty minutes. He also got 24 points making him more than just a fighter.

But let's just take a look at what they have added this offseason.

First they traded for Olli Jokinen, who is a great player that plays with a physical edge and will stick up for his teammates when needed.

Then they brought in Kurt Sauer. A big, hard hitting defenseman who also has a lot of skill.

Then they brought in the big tough guys, two of them actually: Brian McGrattan and Todd Fedoruk.

Brian McGrattan being 6'4" at 234 pounds, is not a guy you are going to want to mess with. In the 2004-05 season, while only playing 71 games managed to get 551 penalty minutes with 43 fighting majors. Now that is a lot.

Then there is Todd Fedoruk who also used to be a legit heavyweight fighter in the NHL before getting metal plates in his face from fights. Todd still lays the body real hard and fights on occasion, but now concentrates a lot more on scoring. He wants to improve that part of his game over the offseason.

I know there is still a lot of time before the season starts, so there could definitely be some more trades around the league. But as of right now, the Phoenix Coyotes look to be the toughest team in the league and will literally bully all the rest of the opposing teams.

Forget Scoring, The Maple Leafs Need a Heavyweight

Rob Webb — Sun, 20 Jul 2008 18:50:01 -0400

We all know the thing that the Toronto Maple Leafs need the most is some scoring power. But what about a player who can hang with the "heavyweight" fighters of the league.

The Leafs have not had a fighter since trading away Wade Belak, and so far this off-season they have not made any attempt to get one.

Part of the re-building process of a hockey club (which the Toronto Maple Leafs are supposedly doing) is to produce good hockey players out of the young guys. Your going to need someone to protect those young players, because that's just the way it is in the NHL these days. You don't have the players that can hold their own like they could in the old days.

Since the Leafs are in the Eastern Conference, it means that they will be playing roughly 80% of their games against opposing teams in that Conference.

So lets take a look at some of the "tough guys" across the East.

You have Riley Cote for the Flyers', George Laraque for the Canadiens', Eric Godard for the Penguins', Colton Orr for the Rangers', and of coarse former Leaf Wade Belak for the Panthers'. Plus that's only naming a couple off the top of my head.

The last thing the Leafs would want is one of those guys taking runs at their young prospects.

So my advice is get a heavyweight, stick them in the lineup when needed, and continue to re-build this organization into a winning team!

Jonathan Toews gets the big "C" in Chicago. Why?

Rob Webb — Sun, 20 Jul 2008 18:02:03 -0400

Just recently the Chicago Blackhawks named twenty-year old Jonathan Toews their 34th captain in club history. This will make Toews the 3rd youngest NHL player ever to receive the big C. Only Sidney Crosby and Vincent Lecavalier have received there C's younger, both getting it at the age of 19.

To me, this is a bad move. Now don't get me wrong, I like Toews a lot as a player but he just isn't ready for this responsibility.

Now I know people are going to tell me "what about Sidney Crosby?". Well, I don't think he should have it yet either.

A captain to me, is someone who is a great leader on and off the ice and has a great personality in the dressing room. Now I have no doubt in the back of my mind that Toews has these qualities. But here is the last thing I think a true captain should have. Experience.

A captain has a responsibility of helping out the young guys and show them the ropes of the league. How do you expect Toews to do that when he is only 20? He can't, he is missing out on that important feature that I think all captains should have.

The true captain of the team should be Robert Lang or Brian Campbell. Who fill all the needs of a true captain.

But out of respect, I can only congradulate Toews and wish him the best of luck for the upcoming season.

Darcy Hordichuk Training with Chuck Liddell

Rob Webb — Sun, 20 Jul 2008 08:59:59 -0400

Darcy Hordichuk is in the NHL for one reason—to fight.

So what better way to help out his game than to train with former UFC Light Heavyweight champion Chuck "The Iceman" Liddell?

Hordichuk thinks this will help his game out alot too. With 302 games in the NHL behind him, Hordichuk has picked up 99 fighting majors, 747 penalty minutes, and only 26 points. You can clearly see that he is a role player who likes to fight.

Darcy feels that fighting is becoming more popular in hockey again, and the "enforcers" are getting bigger and stronger. Darcy knows they he will stay the same size, so he feels that training with Liddell and his trainer, John Hackelman, will give him some advantage in fights.

"I knew that if I wanted to make it in the NHL I wasn't skilled enough to put the puck in the net and my skating at the time was all right. But I said, you know, if I want to play with the big boys, I've got to be one of the big boys," said Hordichuk.

Now, Hordichuk isn't the first NHL enforcer to train in the MMA scene. The Philadelphia Flyers' rising tough guy Riley Cote also trained in the MMA too.

''I'm just trying to get an edge. I'm going to do the most I can to keep my job and be the best at my job,'' says Cote.

This could be trend for upcoming NHL enforcers. Riley Cote can now hang with the best of them after his training. And I'm sure fighters around the league won't be looking foward to see Darcy's new tricks.

"If I can't punch them up on the ice, I'll choke a hold on the ice," jokes Hordichuk.

The man is back! Welcome home Cujo!

Rob Webb — Sun, 20 Jul 2008 07:46:22 -0400

Lately all I've been hearing is how Cujo is a typical Leafs signing, "Old and past his prime". Those people need to wake up and think again.

The native of Keswick, Ontario may be 41 years old but he can still play. He saved Calgary in one game during their 2007-08 season playoff run. The Flames found themselves down by three goals early in the first period. Kiprusoff was then replaced by Cujo. The Flames ended up winning the game 4-3.

When people first heard about the Leafs signing Joseph they may have figured he was going to be the starter, and the answer to all the Leafs troubles between the pipes. But no, the Leafs picked him up to work with our starting goalie, Vesa Toskala. Cujo was arguably one of the best goalies of all time when he was in his prime.

I think this is exactly what Vesa needs. A veteran goalie who can push him to do better, give him some great advice, and back him up when needed.

Cujo is also a great "dressing room" guy, and was a fan favourite when he played here before in Toronto.

In my opinion this was a great signing for Toronto, and I look forward to seeing Joseph between the pipes again for the Blue and White.

Welcome back Cujo!

Wade Belak Set to Shine in 2008-09

Rob Webb — Sat, 19 Jul 2008 17:43:48 -0400

Last season, Toronto Maple Leafs enforcer Wade Belak was traded to the Florida Panthers at the deadline. Most Leaf fans were sad to see Wade go simply because he was a fan favourite, but he also was a team player and a great leader on and off the ice.

Paul Maurice must not have liked Wade. He had a habit of listing Belak as a healthy scratch. For example, last season when the Leafs visited the Ducks at the Pond, Belak fought George Parros and won, giving his team some clear momentum. After that game, Belak was a healthy scratch for the next 10 games.

In Florida, it was a different story. Belak played every game for the remainder of the season—one night, even getting 10:04 minutes of ice time. Florida also had a better winning percentage with Wade in the line-up than they did when he wasn't.

If they continue to play Belak during this upcoming season, it could very well be a solid season for him. He will probably put up about 10-13 fights, as well as get some points when he can. Jacques Martin, the general manager of the Florida Panthers, said that Belak was a great addition to the team. I think so too.

It was sad seeing him leave Toronto, but this was better for Wade. I wish him the best of luck next season, and I will be following him when I can.

Ben Ondrus Could Have Been the Toronto Maple Leafs' Ryan Hollweg...Only Better

Rob Webb — Sat, 19 Jul 2008 17:23:08 -0400

The Toronto Maple Leafs recently acquired Ryan Hollweg from the New York Rangers for a fifth-round draft pick. My question about that is...why?

I thought the Leafs were supposed to be "rebuilding," yet they are giving up a draft pick for a guy who last year was a healthy scratch in more than 10 games with the Rangers, only has 12 points in 200 NHL career games, and is known for taking some stupid penalties at critical times.

Hell, why didn't they just keep Wade Belak, who puts up the same points, was a fan favourite, and can give us one hell of an entertaining fight?

But the Maple Leafs have a young guy in their system right now. His name is Ben Ondrus. He was the Toronto Marlies' captain last year and was also voted their MVP. He had a career high in points, and finished with a plus-26 rating.

Part of rebuilding a hockey team is to produce hockey players like Ondrus who have potential to do well in the NHL. How do the Leafs expect that to happen when they are going out and signing players like Ryan Hollweg?

The Leafs signed Hollweg to fill a spot on the fourth line, I assume—because anything higher than that would just be crazy.

But why not stick Ondrus is there? He hits harder, fights better, and scores more points than Hollweg. Plus he's great at both ends of the ice, offensively and defensively.

Bottom line—the Leafs have to give guys like Ben Ondrus a chance to produce and gain experienced in the big league. Signing players like Hollweg just pushes that further away.