Posts Tagged ‘Left Wing’

I should be writing a graduate paper right now, but sometimes bad news takes precedent. Former NHL tough guy Bob Probert passed away today from a heart attack at the age of 45. Anyone who is a hockey fan knows who Probert is and what he brought to his two teams, the Red Wings and Blackhawks; he will be sorely missed.

I had planned on writing a Probert and Domi entry next week documenting their rivalry, but that will take a back seat as Probert will get the lion share of my attention.

Probert is one of the all-time great tough guys. In fact, he would be on my Mount Rushmore of enforcers. He represented the glory days of the fighting in the 80s and was a true warrior. He cracked 300+ PIM three times and 200+ PIM six times. He is fifth all-time in PIMs with 3,300. But he was a little more than a fighter. He netted 20+ goals twice 10+ goals four times, so obviously he had some offensive talent. He retired after 16 seasons which is a good long career for an enforcer.

Let me go on a slight tangent for a second. When will the Hall of Fame start recognizing the tough guy? I know the NHL tries to turn a blind eye to fighting, but they know it is a reason fans like the sport. If the NHL was truly against fighting, they’d just ban it from the sport, but why take away fans? So, it’s about time they honour some of the toughest guys on the ice. These guys serve a role; to protect star players, add a spark, and to entertain fans. Why are they any less deserving than non-enforcers? Some of these guys are talented beyond fisticuffs. Guys like O’Reilly, Probert, Domi, Neil, Bridgman, et al could actually play…and play well. Sure, the Jody Shelleys, Derek Boogaards, and Colton Orrs of the league are mainly guys who fight, but they still add something to the team. Usually, they are the captains of the locker room. And off ice, they are among the most friendly and approachable athletes in all of sports. So it’s about time the NHL and the HOF wise up and start getting these guys in. And when they finally open their doors to the enforcer, Probert should be one of the first in.

Back to Probert. It’s always sad when a player dies, but when he dies young, it’s extra tough. Probert had his share of off-ice issues, but I think he had cleaned up his act for the most part in recent years.

Here are two clips of Probert fights. This first one is his first bout with Tie Domi, who was then a rookie. Outmatched, Domi gets the better of Probert and even cuts him fairly badly. Immediately after the fight, Domi makes a gesture around his waist, signaling that he is the new heavyweight champ.

It would be a year before Probert would get his revenge. This was one of the most hyped hockey fights of all time (there was a countdown and everything) and it finally came to fruition in Decemeber when Probert reclaimed his “belt”.

Lastly, here are my two best Probert cards, a rookie and an autographed one.

1988-89 O-Pee-Chee #181 Bob Probert

2006-07 Parkhurst #101 Bob Probert

We’ll miss ya, Probie!

Oh man, these past couple days have been bananas in the hockey world. The 2010 Hall of Fame class was announced, some BIG trades were made, a retirement, and some awards were dished out. So let’s review the week that was and is and see who/what failed and who/what won…

2010 Hall of Fame Class Announced, Part 1

For the first time, some ladies were inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame. I won’t pretend to know anything about women’s hockey. Personally, I find it boring and ridiculous; when you take a sport that is like 80% physical and remove it from the game, I can’t take it seriously. Same goes for women’s lacrosse. Whatever. I know who Cammi Granato is and she appeared in more than one issue of Sports Illustrated for Kids when I was younger, so she must be important. Angela James? Never heard of her. I’ll take your word that she is Canada’s greatest female hockey player. So,while I am unsure how I feel about this personally, I think overall it’s good for hockey and the HOF. (Sort of) Gender equality gets a…

2010 Hall of Fame Class Announced, Part 2

On the dude side, two builders and one player got it. Jimmy Devellano or Doc Seaman go in as builders. I guess I’m okay with these two, but if Doc was so important, why not induct him while he was alive? Looks like more of a sentimental pick than anything. But whatever, they must have been the best available to pick from, right? More on that in a moment.

My man Dino Ciccarelli got in but the more I think about it, the more I don’t like it. Yes, he scored 600 goals and that is certainly impressive. But no Cups, no awards, no All-NHL team selections. Was he the best at his position? Nah, not even for any one specific season. He may not have even been the best player on his team for any season. Add some on and off ice issues to the mix and it becomes a tough pick to justify for some. BUT, there are worse players in, so I don’t HATE this selection. I just hope that there were not better players overlooked, which I’ll get to next. For these three, I give this class a…

2010 Hall of Fame Class Announced, Part 3

So, the HOF is telling me that Dino is better than these guys?

And that these two guys shouldn’t be in the Builders section?

And when will they finally recognize the tough guy?

Hockey Hall of Fame, you get a big ol’…

So Long, Farewell, Auf Wiedersehen, Good Night

Couple of big retirements on the blue line.

Future Hall of Fame defenseman Scott Niedermayer got a lot of ink for hanging up the skates, but fellow future HOFer Rob Blake called it a career as well. Some Cups and Norris Trophies between these warriors; they could play for my team any day.

A big…

for their careers, but for the NHL losing couple of stand-up, hard-nosed players, a…

Bruins Trade For Nathan Horton

The Bruins sent embattled d-man Dennis Wideman and the 15th pick in this years draft to Florida for Nathan Horton and Gregory Campbell.  I liked Wideman but man, he played like a drunk toddler this season; it was like he forgot how to skate. The 15th pick hurts, but I LOVE LOVE LOVE Horton. Finally, a goal scorer who I predict will net 37 goals this year. Campbell is whatever. Could be nice having the son of the league’s disciplinarian on the team.

Bruins Agressively Shopping Savard

Nooooooooooooooo! Horton needs Savard like whoa! Yes, Savard takes dumb penalties. And yes, Savard is a bit injury prone but the ENTIRE offense runs through him. Trade Thomas, trade Wheeler, but the B’s gotta keep Savy.

I hate this rumor.

2010-11 Schedule Released

Bruins open the season with a “home/away” series versus the Coyotes IN PRAGUE?! Ugh! I hate hate HATE this. First off, the effin’ Coyotes? I understand the NHL wants some of that sweet Gretzky action abroad, but c’mon? These teams aren’t rivals. Why not throw, oh I don’t know, the STANLEY CUP winning Blackhawks versus the Coyotes? And I have wait TWO MONTHS for a B’s vs. Flyers rematch?! Scheduling gods, you get a…

Blackhawks Win Cup, Mess With Success

Chicago, you will rue the day you dealt Byfuglien. RUE!

Hey Atlanta, take Wheeler and Thomas for Byfuglien?

NHL Dishes Out Some Hardware

Most of the winners weren’t too shocking. Miller taking the Vezina was a no-brainer. I’m more than fine with Myers winning the Calder, but wouldn’t have been surprised if Howard had taken it. I was hoping Doughty was going to get the Norris, but he may be a year away. Rest assured that once he wins it the first time, it won’t be his last time.

I guess the biggest surprise was Ovechkin winning the newly named Lindsay Award but Sedin winning the Hart. Sedin is a good player and finally put it all together to have a great season, but I don’t think he is Hart worthy, not when there are two 50 goal/1oo point scorers on winning teams in the mix. All three of the finalists were on teams that had disappointing playoff runs, so we can’t take that into consideration. I can’t bring myself to care enough to make a huge stink about it.

Also, in more boring news, Datsyuk won the Selke, St. Louis won the Lady Byng, Theodore won the Masterson, and Tippet won the Adams.

New Cards Added To Collection

And to wrap it up, I grabbed a couple of on-card autographs of HOFers.

2008-09 ITG Bleu Blanc et Rouge #A-JL1 Jacques Laperriere Bleu Version (/40)

Laperriere is sort of a tough signature, so this was a nice one to get especially for the price I paid.

1997-98 UD SP Authentic #m4 Bryan Trottier /560

I thought finding a Trottier auto would be easy, but there were never any on eBay. Saw this and immediately had to have it. Great signature and I dig the hand numbering on the back.