Who are some of the dirtiest players you can think of?

[JR Ewing]

@JR Ewing The opening post and this Cleghorn post are stellar. I love learning stuff I had no previous knowledge of, I knew about the Spanish Flu and the cancellation of the finals in 1919, but have never heard of Joe Hall.....so thanks for that!!

Thanks for reading. The game has a history which is simply amazing, and is really ignored compared a sport like baseball. Think of it. Almost nobody, even people who love hockey and hockey history, know who Sprague Cleghorn and Bad Joe Hall were. Yet, right at the same time, 18-year old Babe Ruth won his first World Series over in Boston, and sports fan know plenty about that era of baseball.

JR

[JR Ewing]

Holy crap! Ill admit, I know little of Hockey beyond the 70's forward. This guy sounds like a maniac

Cleghorn really could become unhitched out there. He was the personification of mayhem. In 1923, he had to be sneaked into the Aberdeen Pavillion in Ottawa because the fans wanted to tear him apar physically. What did he do? Got into the building, skated out to centre, and thumbed his nose at the crowd. lol

What's easy to lose sight of was that he was a truly great player, aside from all of the violence (remembering that it was also an extremely violent era of hockey; worse than anything ANY of us have seen). He had Norris quality seasons in 1913, 1915, 1917, 1920 and 1925. He was the bridge to Eddie Shore, the other classic combination of brilliance and brutality on defense.

Even wrapped up his career on the same team, if you can imagine them on the same blueline.

JR

[JR Ewing]

This incident alone should get Wayne Maki a mention here....brutal, brutal stick swinging incident against Green of the Bruins.

Yup, the famous Green/Maki stick swinging duel. Green was probably the most hated player in the NHL at the time.

JR

[J0e Th0rnton]

Cleghorn really could become unhitched out there. He was the personification of mayhem. In 1923, he had to be sneaked into the Aberdeen Pavillion in Ottawa because the fans wanted to tear him apar physically. What did he do? Got into the building, skated out to centre, and thumbed his nose at the crowd. lol

What's easy to lose sight of was that he was a truly great player, aside from all of the violence (remembering that it was also an extremely violent era of hockey; worse than anything ANY of us have seen). He had Norris quality seasons in 1913, 1915, 1917, 1920 and 1925. He was the bridge to Eddie Shore, the other classic combination of brilliance and brutality on defense.

Even wrapped up his career on the same team, if you can imagine them on the same blueline.

JR

heh. yeah I know a good deal about Shore since he was a Bruin

[JR Ewing]

heh. yeah I know a good deal about Shore since he was a Bruin

Great player and, quite frankly, belongs on this list, too.

JR

[jammer2]

@JR Ewing I've had a few debates on just how violent the original six was. It's unrivaled for it's violence. A time when men were men and you had to seriously fight for every square inch of the ice. Hockey was much more violent back in the original six than today's game...at least that's the way I see it.

[JR Ewing]

@JR Ewing I've had a few debates on just how violent the original six was. It's unrivaled for it's violence. A time when men were men and you had to seriously fight for every square inch of the ice. Hockey was much more violent back in the original six than today's game...at least that's the way I see it.

Yeah, it was more violent than now, but less violent than hockey in the 1910s...

And 20s... Hell, the 30s, too. lol

To us, the Maki/Green incident is shocking. It used to be fairly commonplace at one time, unbelievable enough. It's part of the reason that I'm always a little amused when folks talk about how players don't have the respect for each other that they used to. When was this magical time when hockey players didn't do unspeakable things to each other.

One thing, though: the violence of the collisions in body checks today is almost catastrophic. They are skating so fast and are so big, and are absolutely creaming each other now.

JR

[J0e Th0rnton]

Speaking of Dirty, this is for you

RIP Floormaster. But it was a fun time!

[JR Ewing]

@J0e Th0rnton

Haha...

Yeah, I've seen that one, and it still makes me laugh. Is that the same guy who sprayed pictures of women on the wall and then backstabbed opposing players who stopped to check them out?

JR

[blocker]

Green was probably the most hated player in the NHL at the time

I always disliked Teddy Green, until just after a fight he had with John Ferguson. Not sure, but I think it was in a playoff game.

Anyway, Ferguson got hold of Green's jersey, pulled it over his head and punched the crap out of him. They interviewed Green afterward. All he said was that next time he'd have his jersey pinned to his pants. No excuses, alibis or evasions. You gotta like that in a man.

One night, after a game, we were entertaining the Canadien Old-timers at the local Elks club. My trouble-making brother-in-law remarked to Ferguson that I not only looked like Eddie Shack, but I also liked to fight. (not true, BTW). We had a few more pops, and I notice Ferguson staring at me from across the table. He says to the guy next to him, loud enough for me to hear, "that fu**er looks like Eddie Shack.".

Edited July 21, 2013 by blocker

[jammer2]

@blocker What a great story!! Not enough people today realize just how tough John Ferguson was. Maybe the toughest SOB to ever lace up skates! That guy was feared by the entire NHL.....legendary mean streak and knock out power in both hands.

[jammer2]

@JR Ewing "One thing, though: the violence of the collisions in body checks today is almost catastrophic. They are skating so fast and are so big, and are absolutely creaming each other now."

Agreed. Players are just so much bigger and faster these days....but at least they have helmets!

[JR Ewing]

I always disliked Teddy Green, until just after a fight he had with John Ferguson. Not sure, but I think it was in a playoff game.

Anyway, Ferguson got hold of Green's jersey, pulled it over his head and punched the crap out of him. They interviewed Green afterward. All he said was that next time he'd have his jersey pinned to his pants. No excuses, alibis or evasions. You gotta like that in a man.

One night, after a game, we were entertaining the Canadien Old-timers at the local Elks club. My trouble-making brother-in-law remarked to Ferguson that I not only looked like Eddie Shack, but I also liked to fight. (not true, BTW). We had a few more pops, and I notice Ferguson staring at me from across the table. He says to the guy next to him, loud enough for me to hear, "that fu**er looks like Eddie Shack.".

Knees were knocking under the table, I bet. lol

Green knows what it's like to get your head knocked in by Ferguson, that's for sure. Awesome that he didn't offer excuses. A guy could ask Eric Nesterenko what it was like, too; took a terrible drubbing from Ferguson back in the day.

JR

[yave1964]

Thanks for reading. The game has a history which is simply amazing, and is really ignored compared a sport like baseball. Think of it. Almost nobody, even people who love hockey and hockey history, know who Sprague Cleghorn and Bad Joe Hall were. Yet, right at the same time, 18-year old Babe Ruth won his first World Series over in Boston, and sports fan know plenty about that era of baseball.

JR

I consider myself to be quite a historian on the game we love, specializing on defunct franchises ad the old World Hockey Association. I have a Hockey card of every player whose name is on the Stanley Cup going back to 1944 who had one printed (About a dozen players on the cup never had a card printed, have been talking to someone who prints homemade cards and will soon have my own made) and love the game. Looking forward to debating and chatting with you

[blocker]

Lots of real tough guys.

Although he wasn't very big, Orest Kindrachuk was a beaut.

[Polaris922]

I know this will draw some ire.. but I always thought Hextall was one of the most overrated douchebags to ever play the game... and that's saying something from a guy who LIKED Ulfie and Kasparaitis. LOL

McSorley anyone?

[blocker]

I had no problem with Kasparitis. He traveled a hard road to the NHL. Took a ton of abuse.

Ulfie is a different thing.

I watched the preseason when Samuelson was traded to the Rangers. Shane Willis was a rookie. Ulfie was assured a position, while Willis was trying to get a job.

In a scrimmage, Willis turned into the boards to get a puck. Samuelson ran him from behind, throwing his shoulder and weight into the back of Willis's head. He crushed Willis's face into the glass. Willis was taken from the rink to the hospital. His chance at the NHL gone.

There was no rational explanation for such an act, other than Samuelson ached to hurt someone.

I think the bastard should have gone to jail.

[JR Ewing]

I consider myself to be quite a historian on the game we love, specializing on defunct franchises ad the old World Hockey Association. I have a Hockey card of every player whose name is on the Stanley Cup going back to 1944 who had one printed (About a dozen players on the cup never had a card printed, have been talking to someone who prints homemade cards and will soon have my own made) and love the game. Looking forward to debating and chatting with you

Sounds like a blast.

JR

[JR Ewing]

This is Dave "Tiger" Williams, jackass. He comes from Weyburn, Saskatchewan, the same home town as my wife. You know how, even in the tiniest towns in Canada, there's a sign saying "Home of" if an NHL player comes from there? Not Weyburn. My father-in-law told me that obody could stand him when he lived there and they were just all glad that he left.

Williams once beat up teammate Pat Bouttete, smashing his face against the glass, and then attacked Lanny McDonald when he attempted to break up the “fight”. In 1976, Williams bit Dave Schultz during a fight, hit Dennis Owchar over the head with his stick, causing a gash that required almost 50 stitches to close. Williams attempted to strangle Billy Smith after hitting the goaltender in the throat with a shot, and one time physically threw a reporter out of the Canucks dressing room after the writer had less than grand things to say about him in an article. Williams was a regular guest on Off the Record, and even continues his old ways by intimidating other guests into sharing his opinion.

Williams is the all-time leader in penalty minutes (3966) , and there isn't an active player with a hope of catching up.

JR

[jammer2]

@JR Ewing Yeah, Tiger was a "special" one all right. I hated that guy, used to almost get sick when he rode that stick, usually for the Leafs.

Question, (and I don't know the answer...lol). Which team did Tiger first ride the stick for?

Once they outlawed the bench clearing brawls (man, I miss those!!) the younger players had no real hope to catch Tiger. He used to rack up close to a hundred in some games.

[yave1964]

This is Dave "Tiger" Williams, jackass. He comes from Weyburn, Saskatchewan, the same home town as my wife. You know how, even in the tiniest towns in Canada, there's a sign saying "Home of" if an NHL player comes from there? Not Weyburn. My father-in-law told me that obody could stand him when he lived there and they were just all glad that he left.

Williams once beat up teammate Pat Bouttete, smashing his face against the glass, and then attacked Lanny McDonald when he attempted to break up the “fight”. In 1976, Williams bit Dave Schultz during a fight, hit Dennis Owchar over the head with his stick, causing a gash that required almost 50 stitches to close. Williams attempted to strangle Billy Smith after hitting the goaltender in the throat with a shot, and one time physically threw a reporter out of the Canucks dressing room after the writer had less than grand things to say about him in an article. Williams was a regular guest on Off the Record, and even continues his old ways by intimidating other guests into sharing his opinion.

Williams is the all-time leader in penalty minutes (3966) , and there isn't an active player with a hope of catching up.

JR

The worst part of Tiger, the spiritual father of Sean Avery is that the sucker really could play. He peaked at 35 goals with the Canucks after the Leafs tired of his crap. Altogether he played in just short of 1000 career games with 241 goals and 513 total points.

His schtick, galloping around on his stick or riding it like it was a broom after scoring a goal, showing up the other team's goaltender got real old real quick, at first he came across as fresh and loving the game by the time he retired (Or more accurately released by both the Kings and Whalers in the same season and couldn't beg anyone else to give him a chance) everyone was pretty sick of him except Brian McFarland. Glad he is gone and forgotten.

[J0e Th0rnton]

Nice one JR.

@Polaris922@JR Ewing

McSorely knew Brashear's unique fighting style would keep him from really landing bombs on him

Brashear's fighting style, while difficult to explain, is fortunately, easy to illustrate

[JR Ewing]

The worst part of Tiger, the spiritual father of Sean Avery is that the sucker really could play. He peaked at 35 goals with the Canucks after the Leafs tired of his crap. Altogether he played in just short of 1000 career games with 241 goals and 513 total points.

His schtick, galloping around on his stick or riding it like it was a broom after scoring a goal, showing up the other team's goaltender got real old real quick, at first he came across as fresh and loving the game by the time he retired (Or more accurately released by both the Kings and Whalers in the same season and couldn't beg anyone else to give him a chance) everyone was pretty sick of him except Brian McFarland. Glad he is gone and forgotten.

It's pretty bad when even your hometown would like to forget you're from there.

JR

[jammer2]

@yave1964 "everyone was pretty sick of him except Brian McFarland. Glad he is gone and forgotten."

Being from the States and all, how in the holy hell do you know who Brian McFarland is? Did we talk about this before, feels like de'ja vu.

[yave1964]

@yave1964 "everyone was pretty sick of him except Brian McFarland. Glad he is gone and forgotten."

Being from the States and all, how in the holy hell do you know who Brian McFarland is? Did we talk about this before, feels like de'ja vu.

Whataya mean how in the Hell do I know who Brian McFarland was?? I was wondering how many other people on here had heard of him, lol.

Hockey night in Canada icon, I actually seen him and got his autograph at a roast in Windsor years ago, funny, funny man. Loved to rip our pal hal.

I actually have four of his books, and have two DVDs of his Histories of the Leafs and Blackhawks, two funny yet poignant reads. If you don't love McFarland you don't love hockey.