Chicago Blackhawks: 8 Dirtiest Players in Franchise History

The Chicago Blackhawks have had loads of talented players over the years.  They have also had players that have stretched, broken or gone way beyond the rules.

So, how does one get the designation of being a dirty player?  Sometimes it is warranted and other times misplaced.  A lot of tough guys in the NHL get labeled as such when all they do is fight.  Fighting is perfectly within the rules of the NHL.  For this reason, you will not see the likes of all-time Blackhawks penalty minute leader Keith Magnuson.  Nor will you see players such as Mike Peluso, Al Secord or Reid Simpson.

The gentlemen on this list are those players that have gone outside the bounds of the game, have served suspensions for their offenses, have done harm to other players or have affected their own club by their conduct.  Great players are not exempt from this group and, in many cases, playing the way they did is what made them legendary.   

Without further ado, here is the list of the top eight with some fun clips to go along.

Bob Probert

His resume with the Blackhawks has a lot of fights but not that many cheap shots.  Still, it is hard to put this list together without recognizing this man. 

Maybe the toughest player to ever put on a hockey jersey, Bob Probert signed with the Blackhawks in the summer of 1994.  In Chicago, Probie was not considered a “dirty player” but rather one with a dirty reputation with local law enforcement.

Shortly after signing with the Hawks, Probert crashed his motorcycle in downtown Chicago while under the influence.  Commissioner Gary Bettman suspended him for the ’95 season due to his continued pattern of reckless behavior.

As a Blackhawk, Probert played for seven seasons from 1995-96 through 2001-2002 and collected 1,210 penalty minutes.

Before retiring, Probert engineered 3,300 penalty minutes, which places him atop the all-time list.  That measures out to be 55 complete hockey games spent in the sin bin.  Wow! 

Sadly, we lost Bob Probert in the summer of 2010 at the age of 45.  His legacy cemented, Bob Probert will go down as one of the toughest payers in the history of the game.  

Reggie Fleming

Reggie Fleming was a charismatic agitator for the Hawks during the early to mid 1960’s.  If Gordie Howe thought he was dirty (which he did), then he sure must have been. 

In his rookie year with the Hawks, 1960-61, Fleming would score a key goal in the deciding game of the Stanley Cup Finals in Detroit.  Not as impressive was the record he set for penalty minutes in a game (37) that same season.

Also in his first season with the Hawks, Fleming set a single-season record with 145 penalty minutes,  which seems like peanuts now, but was a big deal during the Original Six era.

Fleming would play a total of five seasons with the Hawks and will forever be remembered by Chicago fans for his unconventional and erratic playing style.  In 749 career games with the Blackhawks, Boston Bruins, New York Rangers, Philadelphia Flyers, Montreal Canadiens and St. Louis Blues, Fleming would register 1,468 penalty minutes.  

Stu Grimson

People will forever talk about where they were when Patrick Kane scored his overtime winning goal in the Stanley Cup Finals in 2010.  If you were a Hawks fan in the early 1990’s you will talk about where you were the night Stu Grimson lost his mind at the Chicago Stadium. 

On January 16, 1992, the Hawks were hosting the Toronto Maple Leafs.  Late in the game with the Hawks in control and on their way to a 4-0 win, things got out of hand.

The Leafs’ Wendell Clark collided with Blackhawks defenseman Brian Marchment.  Clark then gave Marchment an extra whack and a melee ensued.

While players tussled, referee Dan Marouelli had a hold of Grimson until the “Grim Reaper” broke free. Coach Mike Keenan then grabbed Grimson but when Stu broke free again, he went crazy.  He skated all over the ice trying to get his hands on any player wearing a blue jersey. 

Grimson’s circus act earned him a 10-game suspension and a highlight reel for the ages.  In a solid career as a pugilist, Grimson was as good a fighter as any but someone who would sit games due to foul play.

When Grimson's name comes up in a local pub, this incident will be on the tip of everyone’s tongue.

Dave Manson

In the 1988-89 season, Dave Manson was an All-Star with the Blackhawks.  That same season, he had a career-high 352 minutes in penalties.

While a member of the Blackhawks, he was a solid defenseman, but seemed to always find a way to take bad penalties (usually involving his stick).

In October of the 1989-90 season, Manson was suspended for three games for shoving an official during a scrum.  That same season, in a fight with then-Capital Scott Stevens, Manson threw his helmet at Stevens as the fight was concluding.

The Manson/Stevens saga did not end there.  In a chaotic game on March 17, 1991, Stevens, now with the St. Louis Blues, and Manson met together at center ice.  In an epic scrap, Manson and his mullet bloodied Stevens and the roar at the Stadium was superb.

Manson went on to play in in 16 NHL seasons and recorded 2,792 minutes in penalties.  

Tom Lysiak

A great two-way forward, Tom Lysiak was a very talented player and achieved 82 points with the Blackhawks during the 1982-83 season.

He could be dirty though.  He once came off the bench to fight Rick LaPointe in a game against the St. Louis Blues, but what Lysiak found the most difficult was working with officials. 

Lysiak never had patience with the men in stripes and that was when he could get ugly.  In a separate game against the Blues in the early 80’s, he was tossed from the game for making an obscene gesture to a linesman with his stick.

His worst decision in the fall of 1983 would garner him a 20-game suspension. 

During a 6-1 win against the Hartford Whalers at the Stadium, Lysiak was upset with referee Ron Foyt. After a faceoff, Lysiak decided to trip the official with his stick and was immediately ejected.

Lysiak and Blackhawks management were burning with the length of the suspension, but it was upheld and served.

Nobody is really sure why Lysiak had such distaste for men in zebra stripes.  Many fans that followed the Hawks in the 80’s blame the Lysiak incident for every bad call the Hawks would receive after the 1983-84 season.

Gary Suter

This summer, Gary Suter was inducted into the U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame.  Suter was an offensive defenseman with a cannon of a shot and was tremendous at moving the puck up ice.

Suter also liked to use his stick and would often be accused of dirty play.  

In the Canada Cup in 1987, Suter slashed Andrei Lomakin in the face and in that tournament in 1991, he accosted the Great One.  It is well known throughout hockey circles that Wayne Gretzky’s back problems began after getting hit from behind by Suter during that summer tournament.

In February of 1998, Suter crosschecked Paul Kariya in the head, which marked the beginning of Kariya’s issues with head injuries.  Suter got a four-game suspension.  The play was dirty, unprovoked and may have had started a chain of injuries that led to Kariya’s early retirement. 

Behn Wilson

Behn Wilson was an oddball.  It was rumored he did not get along with teammates.  He had skill, but made poor decisions and above all else was a downright mean player.

Acquired from the Philadelphia Flyers in June of 1983, Wilson wasted little time getting his name in Chicago papers.  He was suspended for four games for a high stick on then-rookie Steve Yzerman in November of 1983.

In the winter of 1985, he started a brawl with 22 seconds left in a 5-2 win against the Flyers when he cross-checked Rich Sutter in the back. 

Never afraid to drop the gloves, Wilson averaged over a penalty a game, registering 1,480 penalty minutes in 601 games. 

Wilson’s short career ended after the 1987-88 season due to back problems.  

Chris Chelios

When interviewed for a highlight video in 1996 Chris Chelios said, "I would much rather cut someone in half than score a goal any day."

One of, if not the best, defenseman in Blackhawks history, Chelios had a serious mean streak.  Chelios finished his illustrious career with 2,891 penalty minutes in 1,651 games played.  That places him 12th on the all-time list for time in the box.

Chelios originally made negative headlines with the Montreal Canadiens when he hammered Brian Propp into the glass in the 1989 Wales Conference finals.

In Chicago, Chelios set a record for penalty minutes in a game with 51 against the Whalers in 1993-94.  That same game, he also tied a club record with eight penalties. 

For those that watched Chelios, you may call him a “hack” as he was lethal with his stick in front of the net.  Like a lot of quality defenseman, Cheli was nasty to deal with and a pain to play against. 

A sure bet for the Hall of Fame, Chris Chelios was a player that could do it all.  That includes getting a little chippy.