Chicago Blackhawks: Their 10 Most Hated Opposing Players

Every player and every team in the NHL has enemies. There are always those players that you despise and love to hate.

Whether that player has dirty tendencies or just lights it up when your team plays against him, some guys frustrate the daylights out of you and your club.

The Chicago Blackhawks are no different when it comes to the hatred of opposing players. When you have hit a skid, the way the Hawks have of late, it is easy to focus on other players you have a certain distaste for. 

Their could be a separate list for the Vancouver Canucks alone, but for this list we kept the Canuck-cap at two.

Without further ado, here is a quick list of guys that, in recent years, have really gotten under the skin of the the boys we root for.   

Alex Burrows

Alex Burrows buried the game winner in overtime last April to end the Hawks' season. The hatred did not begin there.

Burrows is a very talented hockey player, but is often outspoken, flops to the ice, chirps at the opposition, plays chippy but refuses to fight, and yes, bites people. Even though he never bit a Blackhawk, most Hawks supporters cringed at his unpunished, distasteful act in the 2011 Stanley Cup Finals.

Every time he plays the Hawks he is in their heads and he often puts numbers on the scoreboard. That makes him really irritating.

Barrett Jackman

Every time the Hawks play the Blues there is that one player that gives a little extra. That is that one player that will give someone a shot after the whistle.

When the Hawks play St. Louis, that is the only time I am fine with John Scott being in the line-up. If Scott dresses, Barrett Jackman will be somewhat accountable for his dirty antics after the whistle.

Jackman will make every attempt to give Patrick Kane and Jonathan Toews an extra whack after the whistle. He is there to get them off their games and it is very perturbing to watch. 

Rene Bourque

Maybe we will not think of this former Blackhawk as often since he's been traded to the Montreal Canadiens. The fact of the matter is that when Rene Bourque was in a Calgary Flames uniform, he was rather dirty when he played against his former mates.

Very few will forget earlier this season, when Bourque decided to railroad Brent Seabrook from behind into the United Center glass. Bourque was suspended and was not looked upon very favorable in the Windy City.

Pavel Kubina

Right about now, I would love to have this guy on the Hawks' roster. When I mention that to a friend, the response I get is not a good one.

A lot of very bad memories still exist following Kubina's head shot to Dave Bolland last season, which almost ended Bolland's season.  Bolland missed a few weeks and if the Hawks had him for the entire first round of the playoffs, things may have ended differently in the 2011 postseason. 

It's safe to say that Kubina is not very well liked in Chicago, but I would love that to change with a deadline move for his rights.

Raffi Torres

He went straight after Brent Seabrook's head last postseason and went unpunished. Seabrook was not the same for the remainder of the series.

It matters not what team he plays for now—Raffi Torres plays the game with reckless abandon and a complete disregard for an opponent's safety.  

Scott Hartnell

When the Hawks played the Flyers in the Stanley Cup Finals in 2010, Scott Hartnell was all over the place. Many had a distaste for Chris Pronger but Hartnell was the one that was posing the biggest problem.

He was playing the body, pumping in goals and almost ruined the parade.

He is a player that you love to hate but would love on your team. I would give anything for the Hawks to have a player that plays the game the way Hartnell does. 

Sam Gagner

I don't think I hate you, but dude, that was really annoying what you did the other night.

Eight points for Sam Gagner against the Hawks last week. He made the Hawks the embarrassment of the league, and Gagne became the toast of the NHL. As the skid for the Hawks continues, it's clear they have not fully recovered. 

The Hawks probably won't hate him for long, but Sam Gagne will not be getting a Christmas card in December.

Steve Ott

Steve Ott has an agenda. That agenda is to get under the skin of every player with a different color jersey. Half of the time it works and when it does, he is a nightmare to play against.

Ott will take his shots after the whistle, fight with the best of them, but often will do just enough to get an opposing team to take a penalty.

That makes him a very irritable personality to deal with and a royal pain in the neck.

Roberto Luongo

When you pick a Vancouver Canucks player for this list, you can draw names out of a hat, or you can just go to "old reliable."

The Hawks love him when he's cold, but when he's hot he is a stone wall. You never know when that will be, but for the last three seasons, Bobby Lou has been arguable the most significant adversary of our beloved Hawks.

Deryk Engelland

A player from the Eastern Conference jumped on the list around the holidays.

When Deryk Engelland left his feet and elbowed Marcus Kruger in the head, he tested the Hawks' depth chart and made some enemies in the process.

Kruger was off to a great start and has not been the same player since his injury. Engelland should feel lucky that he will not see the Hawks again this season.