Best hockey fighters of all time...Gordie Howe is #1

http://www.torontosun.com/Sports/Hockey/2007/01/07/3215696-sun.html

After he almost sent Lou Fontinanto to the hospital, not many challenged Mr. Hockey.

Tie Dummy is gonna be so pissed the Sun put him at the bottom of the "honourable mentions"

 

A few old Indianapolis Racers fans in my family love to tell about Howe playing for the Whalers in the late 70s (when he was pushing 50).

Every game, they'd always see some rookie or young kid try to take a run at the old geezer on right wing, figuring that he was an easy target.

Howe wouldn't retaliate right then, but usually sometime during the middle of the next period, you'd see the young kid who took a run at Howe doubled over in the corner, having been quietly dealt with behind the play.

 

also not a big hockey maven. but two memories:

1 -- the aforementioned clark gillies moments.

2 -- steve vickers, ranger in the early '70s, his rookie year. fairly big guy who scored goals from cleaning up garbage in front. his rookie year, late in the season, he finally fought someone after taaking a typical cross-check in front of the net. as he and his opponent squared of, color commentator bill chadwick yelled, "look at vickers! he's got a smile on his face."

then we found out why -- vicker decked the guy with one punch to the jaw. i don't think anyone ever messed with vickers again.

like with gillies, i believe the best fighters rarely fight, no?

 

The really good ones, the ones with a bit of skill--like Georges Laraque--don't have to fight; players know enough not to come near them.

 

Bob Probert was unbeatable in NHL '94.

 

"If ya smell what Laraque is cooking."

One of my favorite NHL2Nite nicknames.

 

Wow, was surprised to see Bobby Orr on the "others" list. Also surprised there weren't more WHA guys, but I guess it's because this guy just ranked players he had actually seen. After all, the guy who inspired "Ogie" Ogelthorpe played in the WHA.

 

Howe best hockey PLAYER of all time, too . . . in large part because Gretz never could fight his own
battles . . .

 

No love for Kordic?

 

You could put guys like Brendan Shanahan and Larry Robinson in this group. I thought Wendel Clark deserved an honourable mention.

I remember watching an interview once with Howe where he said Orland Kurtenbach was the one guy he was always wary of because of his experience as a boxer.