Hit Me with Your Best Shot: The 50 Biggest Badasses in NHL History

Playing hockey is not for the faint of heart.

Hockey is the one sport where if two players fight, they don't automatically get ejected and then fined or suspended. It's the one sport where if you have a problem with another player, you can drop the gloves and punch away, with seemingly the only repercussion being a major penalty.

Hockey is a tough, physical game, where players are skating over 20 mph around an enclosed space. That speed is incredible, especially when compared to the speed of running in all the other major sports.

Plus, players skate at that speed and get slammed into the glass or checked to the ice.

The basic principles of physics allow us to deduce that those are much harder hits than tackles in football.

To sum up, every player has to have a little badass in him to step out on the ice day in and day out. However, there are other players who are complete badasses, and they prove that with their style of play.

Here are the top 50 badasses throughout NHL history.

50. Keith Magnuson

Keith Magnuson was a beloved member of the Chicago Blackhawks from 1969-1979.

He was an incredible defenseman, also known for his propensity to drop the gloves with any opponent. Magnuson remains the Blackhawks' leader in penalty minutes, amassing a total of 1,442 in his career.

Magnuson was a fitting representation of the warrior that the Blackhawks depict.

49. Kevin McClelland

Kevin McClelland will be remembered as a bodyguard on the ice for the Edmonton Oilers alongside Dave Semenko and Marty McSorley.

While "Mac" was a little smaller than most of the enforcers, he was fearless and physical.

He wasn't a top-producing forward, but his physical play contributed to his four Stanley Cup rings. He retired with 1,672 PIM.

48. Jim Kyte

Jim Kyte was the first, and to this day only, legally deaf player to ever play in the NHL. Kyte overcame his disability to play for the Winnipeg Jets, Pittsburgh Penguins, Calgary Flames, Ottawa Senators and San Jose Sharks.

Kyte was not known for scoring. In fact, he only tallied 66 points in almost 600 career NHL games.

He was known for being physical—clearing the front of the net and throwing his body around. He had 1,342 career PIM.

47. Forbes Kennedy

Forbes Kennedy was a small center who played in the NHL from the late '50s through the '60s. He played for the Toronto Maple Leafs, Philadelphia Flyers, Boston Bruins, Detroit Red Wings and Chicago Blackhawks.

Despite being only 5'8" and 150 pounds, Kennedy was a tough and physical player. He amassed 988 penalty minutes in his career.

By the end of his career, Kennedy had set records for most penalties in a game with eight, most penalties in a period with six and most penalty minutes in a period with 34.

He also reportedly once punched a referee on his way to the locker room and was suspended three games for it.

46. Tim Hunter

Tim Hunter was a very physical player. He was one of the elite enforcers of the old-school hockey style of play.

He is currently eighth on the list of NHL PIM leaders with 3,142.

He also holds the Calgary Flames' franchise record for most career penalty minutes, most penalty minutes in one season and most penalty minutes in one playoff year.

Additionally, twice he led the league in PIM and once in playoff PIM.

45. Red Horner

Reginald "Red" Horner played his entire NHL career with the Toronto Maple Leafs.

He's remembered for his physical style of play that earned him the lead in NHL penalties for eight of his 12 seasons in the league.

He captained the Leafs for two years before retiring in 1940 and was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1965.

Photo courtesy of: hungryleafsfan.blogspot.com

44. Ron Hextall

It's not often that a goaltender is considered a badass. However, the Philadelphia Flyers are so badass that even their goaltender can be too.

In addition to being a phenomenal goaltender, Ron Hextall was the first goaltender to score a goal in a game and then the first to score in a playoff game.

He was also suspended for six or more games three times in his career and had at least 100 penalty minutes in his first three seasons.

He also surpassed the record for most penalty minutes taken by a goaltender. He has 714 career PIM and 115 career playoff PIM.

43. Gilles Lupien

Gilles Lupien has a devoted fan club in his honor despite the fact that he wasn't a high-producing player in his time.

He was best known for his physical play and size. He's 6'6" and was the tallest player during his time.

In 226 career NHL games, he scored five goals with 30 points and accumulated 416 PIM.

42. Nick Fotiu

Nick Fotiu was known for his impressive boxing skills. Before becoming a professional hockey player, he won a boxing competition and could have gone down a different career path.

He did become a pro hockey player, though, and was feared in fights because of those boxing skills.

In fact, renowned enforcer Dave Schultz once told The Sporting News (h/t NHL Fight Club) after a 1978 game against the New York Rangers, "I'm not going to look for it with Fotiu. He's big. He could hurt me. He's a big boy. He's strong as hell."

Fotiu finished his NHL career with 1,362 PIM.

41. Derek Boogaard

Derek Boogaard was one of the toughest enforcers in recent NHL history. At 6'7" and 265 pounds, the "Boogey Man" was feared across the league.

He died prematurely this past May.

He'll be remembered as a badass though.

40. Bill Flett

Bill Flett was an NHL tough guy and was part of the original Broad Street Bullies, winning one of their championships with them.

He was tough off the ice too. He earned the nickname "Cowboy" because he was a rancher when he wasn't playing hockey.

The fact that he was a cowboy and an NHL enforcer makes him pretty badass.

39. Reggie Fleming

Reginald "Reggie" Fleming was a small player, 5'8" and 170 pounds, but his smaller stature didn't prevent him from becoming a pest to the opposing team.

He was a very physical player and a defensive-minded forward, getting under everyone's skin.

He set the original record for most penalty minutes in a game with 37.

38. Steve Durbano

Steve Durbano had a reputation as a bad boy on and off the ice.

On the ice, he amassed 1,127 PIM in just 220 games. That averages out to 5.1 minutes per game, the highest penalties-per-game average of players with over 1,000 PIM.

Off the ice, Durbano routinely got into fights as well. He also had many run-ins with the law, including charges of drug smuggling and running a prostitution ring.

37. Wendel Clark

Wendel Clark was known for his physical style of play, as well as his propensity to drop the gloves.

He would drop the gloves with anyone, even the toughest enforcers of the day.

Because of his physical style of play, Clark quickly became a fan favorite in Toronto.

36. Wayne Cashman

Wayne Cashman was renowned for his fierce play on the ice during his time with the Boston Bruins. He was feared particularly in the corners, battling for loose pucks.

It was partly due to Cashman's physical play that the Phil Esposito line, of which he was a part, was so successful.

He wasn't a badass just because of his physical play, but also because of the injuries he played through.

Yes, hockey players play through most injuries. However, Cashman took it to the next level, playing almost an entire season with a ruptured disc in his back.

I can't even begin to imagine how painful it must have been to play with that.

35. Donald Brashear

Donald Brashear was another feared enforcer in recent NHL history. As primarily an enforcer on the ice, Brashear led the league in penalty minutes six times in his career.

Furthermore, he holds the Vancouver Canucks' franchise record for most penalty minutes in a single season.

Now that his NHL career has ended, it looks like Brashear is looking into a post-NHL career, perhaps in MMA.

34. Larry Cahan

Larry Cahan was a physically intimidating player on the ice. He was feared for his hits.

It was one of his hits that forever changed the game of hockey. He and his partner, Ron Harris, were fiercely hitting Bill Masterton during a game.

Since they didn't wear helmets, one of the clean hits that sent Masterton to the ice caused him to slam and crack his head.

Masterton died days later.

Photo courtesy of: trueknowledge.com

33. Emile Bouchard

Emile "Butch" Bouchard was a very physical defenseman. While he was a clean hitter, he was a feared body-checker.

He helped invigorate the Montreal Canadiens franchise as a leader and as a player.

He served as captain of the franchise for eight seasons.

32. Shawn Antoski

Shawn Antoski was primarily an enforcer but a fearsome body-checker too.

Fighting is what he'll most be remembered for, especially his penalty box fight in the IHL.

31. Matt Carkner

Matt Carkner is one of the toughest guys still in the league.

Fellow enforcer and new teammate Zenon Kenopka even referred to him as "the toughest guy in the league."

In just 133 NHL games, Carkner already has 328 PIM, and he's sure to add to that by quite a bit before the end of his career.

30. Andy Sutton

Andy Sutton is one of the toughest defensemen in the league, known for his physical play.

At 6'6" and 245 pounds, it would be hard to deliver hits that were anything but crushing.

The tough guy was sent to the Edmonton Oilers this summer in exchange for Kurtis Foster.

29. Vladimir Konstantinov

Vladimir Konstantinov was a defenseman and a member of the Detroit Red Wings' "Russian Five."

He was nicknamed "Vlad the Impaler" and "Vladinator" because of his aggressive play and hits. Konstantinov stood out to Wings scout Neil Smith at the 1987 World Junior Championships because he was "the only one of the Russians who fought back."

Russians, of course, were better known for skating and scoring than aggressive play. Not Konstantinov, though.

Unfortunately, a car crash prematurely ended Konstantinov's career. He pulled through but still suffers from considerable lingering effects.

28. Frank Beaton

Frank Beaton was renowned for his fighting. He was only 5'10" and under 200 pounds, yet his smaller stature didn't impede his ability to lay the beatdown on any opponent.

Is it sheer coincidence that "beat" is in his name?

What he'll be remembered most for, though, did not come during his time in the NHL, but during his time in the Southern Hockey League.

Beaton broke the penalty record in the SHL in just 30 games and spent his time with the Birmingham Bulls striking fear into his opponents. He led his team in a brawl that lasted an hour against the Cincinnati Stingers, and legend has it that he was fighting pretty much everyone on the ice.

It's no surprise his nickname is "Never" Beaton.

27. Georges Laraque

While many of the names on this list were probably around long before many readers were, the name Georges Laraque should resonate with pretty much everyone.

Laraque was known during his time with the Pittsburgh Penguins, Montreal Canadiens, Edmonton Oilers and Phoenix Coyotes as an enforcer.

He was dubbed the "Best Fighter" by The Hockey News in 2003 and the "Best Enforcer" by Sports Illustrated in 2008.

26. George Parros

George Parros is an enforcer currently with the Anaheim Ducks.

One outward representation of his badassness is his mustache. Having a mustache doesn't automatically make one badass, but Parros' does.

It's his trademark, and he even sells a line of "Stache Gear" that benefits the Garth Brooks Teammates for Kids Foundation.

What's more badass than all of that?

25. Eddie Shore

Eddie Shore will go down as one of the greatest defensemen in NHL history, but also one of the biggest badasses to ever play the game.

Shore was a physical defenseman who would drop the gloves with anyone, including his own teammates if necessary.

That's a badass.

24. Orland Kurtenbach

Orland Kurtenbach played for the Vancouver Canucks, Boston Bruins, New York Rangers and Toronto Maple Leafs during his professional career.

He was the Canucks' first captain and renowned throughout his career as being one of the toughest fighters in the game.

23. Rob Ray

Rob Ray was one of the toughest enforcers of his time, playing for the Buffalo Sabres and Ottawa Senators.

He had a unique fighting style. He would remove his helmet, jersey and pads before a fight so that his opponent had nothing to grab onto during the fight.

The NHL eventually disallowed removing anything but the helmet and gloves during a fight, and it is believed that new rule was a direct reflection of Ray's fighting style.

Thus, it has been dubbed the "Rob Ray Rule."

22. John Kordic

John Kordic was an NHL enforcer, playing seven seasons between the Montreal Canadiens, Toronto Maple Leafs, Washington Capitals and Quebec Nordiques. He won the Stanley Cup once with Montreal. 

He had a dark side on and off the ice.

Off the ice, he did drugs, and that's ultimately what prematurely cost him his life at age 27.

21. Tie Domi

Everyone knows Tie Domi as an enforcer, playing for the Toronto Maple Leafs, New York Rangers and Winnipeg Jets.

He'll be remembered for specific incidents too, knocking out Ulf Samuelsson and Scott Niedermayer on two separate occasions, which earned him lengthy suspensions.

Most famously, though, Domi was involved in a fight in the penalty box with a Philadelphia Flyers fan.

20. Scott Stevens

Scott Stevens is one of the greatest defensemen in NHL history and a legend for the New Jersey Devils.

He was renowned for his physical style of play, especially body-checking. He holds the record for most career PIM of someone currently in the Hockey Hall of Fame (2,875).

Despite taking lots of penalties, Stevens never had a negative plus-minus rating in his entire NHL career.

That's a badass.

19. Raitis Ivanans

Raitis Ivanans currently plays for the Calgary Flames; before that he played for the Los Angeles Kings and began his career with the Montreal Canadiens.

Ivanans' reputation as a fighter and enforcer started early, as he got into a fight in his first NHL appearance. Over the course of his first four games in the NHL, Ivanans amassed nine PIM.

He consistently leads his teams in PIM, largely due to his proclivity for fighting.

18. Bobby Clarke

Bobby Clarke epitomizes the Broad Street Bullies, aka the Philadelphia Flyers.

Clarke was renowned for his aggressive physical play, as well as his incredible playmaking abilities. He captained his team to two Stanley Cup championships and led the Canadian team to physical domination of the Soviet Union in international play (a source of controversy).

Clarke led the Bullies to notoriety through defensive-minded play but also had three 100-plus-point seasons.

A true badass.

17. Chris Simon

Chris Simon was a tough guy during his NHL career playing for the Quebec Nordiques, Colorado Avalanche, Washington Capitals, Chicago Blackhawks, New York Rangers, Calgary Flames, New York Islanders and Minnesota Wild.

He is remembered as a nuisance on the ice who made questionable plays, as he was suspended eight times in his NHL career.

Two of those suspensions were over 25 days for incidents that showed intent to injure, involving Ryan Hollweg and Jarkko Ruutu. He was also the recipient of the second-longest suspension ever doled out at 30 games.

The "bad" part of badass really fits Simon.

16. Marty McSorley

Marty McSorley succeeded Dave Semenko on the Edmonton Oilers as "Wayne Gretzky's Bodyguard." The title continued when both played for the Los Angeles Kings.

What McSorley will always be remembered for, though, is his assault charge.

During a February 2000 game, McSorley clubbed Donald Brashear with his stick, causing a Grade 3 concussion. He was originally suspended for the rest of the season.

McSorley was then found guilty of assault with a weapon and sentenced to 18 months' probation. Following the charge, the NHL suspended him for one year, and he never returned to the league.

15. Clarke Gillies

Clarke Gillies first earned his reputation as a tough guy during his time in the Canadian Junior Leagues, when he earned 570 PIM in just 201 games.

Then during his rookie season in the NHL, he fought and beat renowned enforcer Dave "Hammer" Schultz of the Philadelphia Flyers.

He relished his role as an enforcer but was a skilled player too. He won four championships with the New York Islanders and never exceeded 100 PIM in any season during his career.

14. Stan Jonathan

Stan Jonathan played for the Boston Bruins and Pittsburgh Penguins in the late '70s and early '80s.

Despite being only 5'8" and 175 pounds, by no means a heavyweight, Jonathan was known as one of the toughest fighters of his time.

Perhaps he got his warrior tendencies from his heritage, as he is a Tuscarora Indian.

13. Chris Nilan

Chris Nilan played 12 years in the NHL between the Montreal Canadiens, Boston Bruins and New York Rangers.

Nilan was nicknamed "Knuckles" because of his proclivity for fighting.

He is one of only nine other players to amass over 3,000 PIM and holds the NHL record for most penalties in a single game (10 penalties worth 42 minutes), as well as the highest penalty-minute average at 4.42 per game.

12. Terry O'Reilly

Terry O'Reilly spent his NHL career playing for the Boston Bruins. He is remembered as one of the toughest enforcers in NHL history.

He was Ray Bourque's bodyguard in particular, among other players on the team.

O'Reilly will be remembered for an incident at New York's Madison Square Garden as well. A fan stole Stan Jonathan's stick and began hitting O'Reilly with it. O'Reilly went over the glass and into the stands after the fan.

He's a badass.

11. Tony Twist

Tony Twist played for the St. Louis Blues and Quebec Nordiques during his NHL career. During his time with the Blues, Twist's main role was to be Brett Hull's bodyguard.

He was one of the top enforcers of his time, beating most of the day's top enforcers.

10. Dave Brown

Dave Brown played for the Philadelphia Flyers, Edmonton Oilers and San Jose Sharks during his NHL career.

His primary function was that of an enforcer, and at 6'5", it was easy to tell why.

Brown made waves by garnering one of the stiffest suspensions at the time, earning 15 games after cross-checking the Rangers' Tomas Sandstrom and breaking his jaw.

9. John Ferguson

John Ferguson Sr. played for the Montreal Canadiens in the NHL.

He was the team's enforcer and captain Jean Beliveau's bodyguard. His interest in becoming an enforcer originated because, as a child, he watched a star player keep getting pummeled and none of the player's teammates stepping up.

Ferguson actually began his first NHL appearance with a fight—just 12 seconds into that first game. He won the fight, naturally.

8. Dale Hunter

Dale Hunter was a skilled player as well as a physical player. He is the only player to score 1,000-plus points and accumulate 3,000-plus PIM.

Perhaps one of his most memorable moments was when he was suspended 21 games for checking Pierre Turgeon and separating his shoulder.

Hunter took so many penalties in his career—3,565 penalty minutes, to be exact, the second-highest total in NHL history—that when the Washington Capitals' old building, Capital Centre, was demolished, the team gave him the penalty box.

7. Dave Semenko

Dave Semenko is remembered as Wayne Gretzky's original bodyguard during his time with the Edmonton Oilers.

It was partly because of Semenko's protection that Gretzky, Jari Kurri, Mark Messier and Paul Coffey could contribute so much.

The fans know Semenko as "Cementhead."

Semenko was so badass that he once fought famed boxing great Muhammed Ali in an exhibition match.

6. Dave Schultz

Dave "The Hammer" Schultz was one of the best enforcers during his NHL career with the Philadelphia Flyers, Pittsburgh Penguins, Los Angeles Kings and Buffalo Sabres.  

He gained notoriety as a member of the Broad Street Bullies.

He holds the NHL's record for most penalty minutes in a single season with 472.

5. Stu Grimson

Stu Grimson, or "The Grim Reaper," as he was known because of his fighting, played for many different teams during his NHL career.

He was most famous for being one of the league's best enforcers, a position he held well at 6'6" and 240 pounds.

During his time as an enforcer, he built up rivalries with other top enforcers, including Bob Probert, who was probably the greatest fighter of all time.

4. Joe Kocur

Joe Kocur played for the Detroit Red Wings, New York Rangers and Vancouver Canucks during his NHL career.

He gained notoriety on the Wings as half of the "Bruise Brothers," alongside Bob Probert.

Kocur was known for his strong right-handed punches that often injured other players. Donald Brashear even said to sovsport.ru (h/t Alex Ovetjkin) that one of Kocur's punches cracked his helmet.

He is one of the most penalized players in NHL history, racking up 2,519 PIM.

3. Gordie Howe

Gordie Howe was one of the greatest hockey players of all time and one of the greatest fighters too, as recognized by the "Gordie Howe Hat Trick," where a player scores a goal, notches an assist and has a fight in one game.

That's what makes Howe so badass.

Not only was he one of the greatest players of all time and especially at the time, but he was willing to drop the gloves with pretty much anyone.

That's unheard of nowadays.

2. Dave "Tiger" Williams

Dave "Tiger" Williams played for the Toronto Maple Leafs, Vancouver Canucks, Detroit Red Wings, Los Angeles Kings and Hartford Whalers during his NHL career.

He is the NHL's leader in penalty minutes with 3,966.

Williams was known as an enforcer but a skilled player too.

1. Bob Probert

Bob Probert was one of the greatest fighters and enforcers of all time. He was half of the "Bruise Brothers" alongside Joe Kocur during his time with the Detroit Red Wings.

Probert was a top enforcer, especially when it came to protecting Detroit captain Steve Yzerman.

As one of the top enforcers, Probert had rivalries with other top enforcers of the time, including Wendel Clark, Tie Domi and Stu Grimson.

He even fought former teammate Joe Kocur.

Tragically, Probert died prematurely in July 2010.