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

[Polaris922]

@J0e Th0rnton

Nah I'd feel no different about Howe. Lol he was a Flyers after all!

I truly understand why people hate Ulf. I just loved him as a Penguin. He was the protection Mario needed. He was the threat. Not punches and brawls with tough guys.

[J0e Th0rnton]

But he wasn't protection for Mario. He went after other teams superstars, not the guys who cross checked Mario.

[peter puck]

He was protection as in if you take out my superstar I'm going to take out yours. Polaris only likes him because he didn't take out Mario.If he had the story would surely be different.

[jammer2]

@peter puck I swear, if Ulf was a Flyer, I would have hated him just as much. The stuff he pulled, was not ethically or morally right. Nobody has the right to take away another mans livelyhood with a cheap shot, and when you aim for the knees like Ulf did, it was premeditated....and very cowardly. The fact he did not have the jam to even fight afterwards made it all the worse. That's why Domi did what he did, cause he would not answer the bell like a man.

[ruxpin]

@JR Ewing Kenny was the first time I ever saw a Flyer draft pick play for an OHL (well, then the OHA) team. His speed stood out immediately. He struck me as a fierce competitor, a non stop buzz saw. Near the end of the 3rd period, when the game was out of reach, he delived a cheap shot elbow, mayhem ensued, he ended up grabbing a Spitfire players hair after his helmet was knocked off, he was showered with everything from popcorn boxes to programs, whatever could be thrown was. Read the summary the next day, he got away with it all, the elbow, hair pulling all went unpunished, he ended up with a 2 min minor for roughing, which is why he got escorted out, less than 2 to play. I remember thinking "wow, that was odd"....little did I know, it was the norm. I even had a Linsemen jersey back in the day, still have it, so small it makes me laugh. Loved the Rat Patrol in their hey day...great line.

I've said this before but I don't mind saying again: I absolutely hated him. He may actually be my least favorite Flyer of all time.

[ruxpin]

@peter puck I swear, if Ulf was a Flyer, I would have hated him just as much. The stuff he pulled, was not ethically or morally right. Nobody has the right to take away another mans livelyhood with a cheap shot, and when you aim for the knees like Ulf did, it was premeditated....and very cowardly. The fact he did not have the jam to even fight afterwards made it all the worse. That's why Domi did what he did, cause he would not answer the bell like a man.

I actually really liked Ulf. In the same way I liked Daoe Hunter. Hated to pkay against them but really appreciated them as players. I *really* liked Ulfie when he plqyed for the Flyers, although.he was pretty much done by then.

[jammer2]

@ruxpin I had somehow blocked those 49 games as a Flyer out of my memory banks. I do recall fellow Flyer fans being stunned that we stooped so low as to sign the career killer. What a black mark on the franchise to have employed such a dirtball. The only worse signing I can think of is the rapist guy, forget his name at the moment.

[JR Ewing]

@jammer2

Billy Tibbetts

JR

[jammer2]

@JR Ewing Yeah, good ol' Billy, what a low moment that was in Flyer history.

[peter puck]

@JR Ewing Is that Josh Gibson in your avatar?

[JR Ewing]

@JR Ewing Is that Josh Gibson in your avatar?

Sure is.

JR

[JR Ewing]

---> Special entry from a non-player <--

This is Alan Eagleson. He was hockey's first player agent, formed the NHLPA, brought NHL players to international competition, and generally made hockey players wealthy, famous, and enjoy a better work environment. He was enshrined in the Hockey Hall of Fame and awarded the Order of Canada, the country's highest honour... That's what he'd let you know if you gave him a minute of your time, anyway. The truth is that Alan Eagleson is, along with some NHL owners, the dirtiest man in the history of hockey.

Anything I list here is a mere drop in the bucket. To get the real and complete story, I suggest two outstanding books:

Net Worth - David Cruis & Alison Griffith

Game Misconduct - Russ Conway

In point form:

• Used money from the players' pension fund to arranged mortgages and loan money to friends and business associates, all without NHLPA approval.
  
• Simultaneously represented NHL players and management, created a clear conflict of interest.
  
• Had connections with the underwriters of NHL insurance policies, personally benefiting from any payouts that were not paid to his player clients. He would inform that their claims were denied without letting them know he profited from it. Eagleson would also charge his clients fees for "fighting the insurnance companies" for the players benefits when, in fact, the companies had alreay agreed to pay the players.
  
• Using these ties to the insurance companies, Eagleson convinced players to take part in tournaments like the '72 Series and the Canada Cup without real insurance protection, all with the possibility of making money.
  
• Contocted a scam where he pocketed money from board advertising during international competitions.
  
• Secretly lent money from the pension fund to the NHL so the league could prop up struggling franchises.
  
• Had a deal setup with NHL owners, whereby funds from international tournaments were directed to the pension plan, all so the team owners wouldn't have to contribute.
  
• Eagleson had, shall we say, interesting methods when it came to CBA discussions. First, he would spread rumours that the NHL wanted to hire him to be NHL President. Then, minutes before CBA negotiations, he would go to where the players were gathered and tell them "My contract is up. Until I get a new one, I won't represent you. I want you to take a few minutes to look at my list of demands, and you decide if they're ok with you."
  
• During CBA negotiations, Eagleson simply accepted every assertion made by the NHL regarding how poor the franchises were, stating that he did it all to keep the players' union costs lower. This resulted in CBA discussions which were little more than friendly sit-downs and were clear wins for ownership. When asked about the CBA of 1975, Harold Ballard said "Sure, it's great contract. For us. The players got screwed."
  
• Eagleson was a fan of doing his duties as NHLPA Director yet charging clients money for that duty as their agent: if a player wanted to grieve an issue he had with his team, Eagleson would file it but still charge him a fee as the player's agent.
  
• After the 1976 season, Eagleson told Bobby Orr that the Bruins viewed him as damaged goods, but he didn't tell Orr the offer the Bruins had made: one of the most lucrative contracts in sports history plus 18.5% ownership in the hockey club. Instead, Orr went to the Blackhawks for far less money, all part of a scheme between Bill Wirtz, John Ziegler and Eagleson, in which they colluded to keep salaries down across the league. Within two years, Orr was out of hockey and found he was destitute.
  

There is much more... So much more, but these are some the bigger points.

Eagleson was charged with 34 counts of racketeering, obstruction of justice, fraud and embezzlement in the US, and 8 counts of fraud and theft in Canada. In the end, Eagleson pled guilty to 3 counts of mail fraud in the US, and was fined $700,000. In Canada, Eageson served 6 months of an 18 month sentence after guilty pleas for fraud and embezzlement. He was disbarred from the law profession and stripped of his Order of Canada status.

JR

[jammer2]

Eagleson was quite the polarizing figure during his NHL tenure. I hated how he played both sides of the fence. What a weasel this guy was/is.

"After the 1976 season, Eagleson told Bobby Orr that the Bruins viewed him as damaged goods, but he didn't tell Orr the offer the Bruins had made: one of the most lucrative contracts in sports history plus 18.5% ownership in the hockey club. Instead, Orr went to the Blackhawks for far less money, all part of a scheme between Bill Wirtz, John Ziegler and Eagleson, in which they colluded to keep salaries down across the league. Within two years, Orr was out of hockey and found he was destitute."

That is flat out disgusting!!

[blocker]

There is much more... So much more, but these are some the bigger points.

Good one.

Isn't it odd that some of the biggest rats seek the spotlight while engaged in such awful things?

My memory's gone south, but didn't Bobby Clarke stick up for him?

Edited August 13, 2013 by blocker

[blocker]

A dishonorable mention should go to Whitey Bulger. His connection is that his girl friend is Chris Nilan's mother-in-law.

Some people might not like Whitey because of a few murders, shakedowns, torture sessions and his ratting.

Well, nobody's perfect.

And, he values his Stanley Cup ring.

[JR Ewing]

Eagleson was quite the polarizing figure during his NHL tenure. I hated how he played both sides of the fence. What a weasel this guy was/is.

"After the 1976 season, Eagleson told Bobby Orr that the Bruins viewed him as damaged goods, but he didn't tell Orr the offer the Bruins had made: one of the most lucrative contracts in sports history plus 18.5% ownership in the hockey club. Instead, Orr went to the Blackhawks for far less money, all part of a scheme between Bill Wirtz, John Ziegler and Eagleson, in which they colluded to keep salaries down across the league. Within two years, Orr was out of hockey and found he was destitute."

That is flat out disgusting!!

Yeah, Eagleson is just lousy of a guy. I imagine he's a pretty smart guy, but a terrible human being.

JR

[JR Ewing]

Good one.

Isn't it odd that some of the biggest rats seek the spotlight while engaged in such awful things?

My memory's gone south, but didn't Bobby Clarke stick up for him?

Yeah, Clarke did. Bob Gainey and Marcel Dionne as well.

JR

[JR Ewing]

A dishonorable mention should go to Whitey Bulger. His connection is that his girl friend is Chris Nilan's mother-in-law.

Some people might not like Whitey because of a few murders, shakedowns, torture sessions and his ratting.

Well, nobody's perfect.

And, he values his Stanley Cup ring.

Good mentions, and they make me think of two things related (in a way)...

Chris Nilan: was longtime friends with Monsignor Frederick J. Ryan; close enough to perform Nilan’s wedding ceremony as well. In 2002, Ryan told him that he molested three boys during the 1970s and 80s. Nilan did the right thing and testified in legal proceedings against his old friend.

Bulger always reminds me of: Tony Demers, who played parts of 5 season with the Habs during the 1940s. Scumbag. After bouncing around in the minors, including being the MVP of the Quebec Senior League, Demers ran into big legal trouble: was convicted of beating his girlfriend to death in 1949, and served 8 years of a 15-year prison term.

JR

[blocker]

Very interesting stuff.

Love the lore.

[peter puck]

Graham James get my vote as one of the top scum bags of hockey. What the hell is wrong with Canadian justice system granting this monster a pardon?

[JR Ewing]

Graham James get my vote as one of the top scum bags of hockey. What the hell is wrong with Canadian justice system granting this monster a pardon?

Yes, guys like James go to the lowest depths that the worst people are able to go. I just don't see how his crimes are pardonable.

JR

[flyercanuck]

Graham James get my vote as one of the top scum bags of hockey. What the hell is wrong with Canadian justice system granting this monster a pardon?

I don't know, but it was a joke. They've since revamped the law so pedophiles are no longer eligible for pardons.

It's not like the US system is any better...ask OJs victims families among many others.

[peter puck]

@flyercanuck I totally agree about the US system being no better. OJ was found not guilty,not guilty and then later pardoned.Not guilty doesn't mean you are innocent it means not proven beyond a reasonable doubt. OJ was guilty but the prosecution and police bungled the case.

[flyercanuck]

@peter puck

Sure.

How many innocent people have been given the death penalty in the US then? I don't want to get into this kind of crap on a hockey board...just saying neither system is perfect.

[jammer2]

@flyercanuck I don't want to get into a great debate either, but I do think that people that kill cops while committing a crime should face the death penalty. There needs to be more deterrents to insure police officers get to go home every night to their families. If it's totally clear cut and on tape, if irrefutable evidence, they should die. Just my 2 cents. For instance, in my Canada, a disgusting crime like Paul Bernado and Karla Homolka committed would be a death sentence. They got caught on tape, so it's irrefutable, tax payers should not be footing the bill for them. Now we find out Homolka got a sweetheart deal and Paul is applying to a minimum security prison, where they have actual condos for prisoners....DISGUSTING!!!