Step onto the ice and explore the legacies of the 10 best hockey fighters ever, celebrating the enforcers who left an indelible mark on the sport through their fearless commitment and unwavering dedication.
His greatest season was with the Red Wings in 1987-1988 where he went on an absolute rampage, collecting 24 fights AND 62 points in just 74 games, ultimately earning himself a spot in the 1988 NHL All-Star Game.
He also lead the NHL in penalty minutes that year with ~400 minutes.
If that wasn’t crazy enough, in that same postseason (88′), he recorded 2 fights, 51 penalty minutes, and scored 21 points in 16 games!
Unfortunately, the Red Wings weren’t able to win the cup that year, but Bob Probert’s 87′-88′ all-star season still stands as one of the most impressive hockey seasons ever.
2. Joey Kocur 🇨🇦
Height: 6’0″ Weight: 220 lbs Fights: 205 Fights Per Game: 0.25 From: Kelvington, Saskatchewan Nemesis: Brian Curran
Right behind Bob Probert, we have his teammate – yes his freakin’ teammate – Joey Kocur.
Joey Kocur played the majority of his career with the Detroit Red Wings, playing alongside Bob Probert in the late 80s and early 90s. However, he also spent 6 seasons playing for the New York Rangers.
In his 821-game career, he put up a staggering 205 fights and 2519 penalty minutes, averaging 1 fight every 4 games.
In his 85′-86′ season, he averaged 6:24 penalty minutes per game. That’s a fighting major, and then some.
Kocur’s greatest accomplishment is likely winning 3 Stanley Cups, once with New York and twice with Detroit. He played alongside greats such as Brendan Shanahan, Steve Yzerman, and Mark Messier.
There are many people who consider Joey Kocur to be a better fighter than Bob Probert, but it is largely a toss-up.
The two likely didn’t argue about such things as they were known to be good friends off the ice.
3. Tie Domi 🇨🇦
Height: 5’10” Weight: 207 lbs Fights: 270 🥇 Fights Per Game: 0.26 From: Windsor, Ontario Nemesis: Rob Ray
Really, any of the top 3 fighters in this article can be considered “number 1”. Because, in the 3rd position, we have the infamous, legendary, Tie Domi.
At 5’10 and 270 career fights, Domi was the embodiment of the quote, “It’s not the size of the dog in the fight, but the size of the fight in the dog.”
Chris (“Knuckles”) Nilan is widely regarded as the best American fighter ever to play in the NHL. His best years were spent with the Montreal Canadiens in the 1980s.
In one, three-season stretch (83’~86′), he amassed an unthinkable 85 fights, 56 goals, and a Stanley Cup, which may be one of the most impressive 3 season stretches in NHL history.
He maintained a 0.33 fights per game average throughout his lengthy 15-season career.
In other words, he averaged 1 fight every 3 games, for 15 years.
In his Stanley Cup playoff run (1986), Nilan put up 6 fights and 141 penalty minutes in just 18 games, besting Wayne Gretzky and the Edmonton Oilers to win the Stanley Cup.
With 222 career fights and 3000+ penalty minutes, Nilan will likely forever-remain the greatest American fighter of all time.
Dave Schultz was the kingpin of the scariest team in NHL history.
He was the top fighter on the notorious 1970s Philidelphia Flyers – AKA the Broad Street Bullies.
In his 535-game career, Schultz collected 130 fights and 2294 penalty minutes.
He won two Stanley Cups in his career, both with the Broad Street Bullies, in 74′ and 75′.
In his first Stanley Cup Season, Schultz set the NHL record for most penalty minutes in a season (1974). A record that will likely never be broken.
He racked up 472 penalty minutes in just 76 games, including 26 fights. That’s 6:12 penalty minutes per game, across an entire season.
And in that 74′ postseason, he averaged 1 fight every other game on the way to win the Stanley Cup.
He was the toughest of the toughest, a true force to be reckoned with.
6. Tiger Williams 🇨🇦
Height: 5’11” Weight: 190 lbs Fights: 229 Fights Per Game: 0.24 From: Weyburn, Saskatchewan Nemesis: Terry O’Reilly
David Willaims was nicknamed “Tiger” as a 5-year-old by his minor hockey coach in Weyburn, Saskatchewan, and the name stuck.
From then on, he was forever known as “Tiger Williams.”
He is the all-time leader for penalty minutes in the NHL.
He put up an insane ~4,000 penalty minutes in his career spanning 14 seasons. That translates to over 66 hours of his life spent in an NHL penalty box – impressive.
In terms of fighting, he ranks 6th all-time for total fights in the NHL, with 229 fights, which is virtually unheard of for a player from the 1970s.
What’s even crazier is that Williams wasn’t just a fighter. He was also an NHL all-star.
In 80′-81′, Williams put up 35 genos and 17 fights in 77 games.
When he wasn’t spending time in the penalty box, he was out destroying teams on the scoreboard.
7. Stu Grimson 🇨🇦
Height: 6’5″ Weight: 230 lbs Fights: 211 Fights Per Game: 0.29 From: Vancouver, British Columbia Nemesis: Bob Probert
Up next we have the man who was nicknamed the “Grim Reaper”, which should tell you all you need to know.
At 6’5 and 230 lbs Stu Grimson was one of biggest and baddest fighters of the 1990s.
He had five, 20+ fight seasons and collected over 2,000 penalty minutes in his 14-season career.
One of his most impressive stats may be this:
He fought the #1 guy on this list – one of the most feared fighters ever – Bob Probert, 12 times. That’s more than anyone, ever.
The Grim Reaper wasn’t afraid of anyone.
Stu Grimson ranks 10th in all-time NHL fights, with 211 fights.
8. Donald Brashear 🇺🇸🇨🇦
Height: 6’3″ Weight: 237 lbs Fights: 212 Fights Per Game: 0.21 From: Bedford, Indiana Nemesis: Bob Probert
Donald Brashear was born in Bedford, Indiana but moved to Quebec, Canada at the age of 8.
At 6’3, 230lbs, he was a big guy, which was very apparent in his fights, where he would often manhandle his opponents.
He was a technical fighter with high fighting IQ, strategically dismantling his opponents in fights.
With 212 career fights, Brashear ranks 8th in all-time NHL fights which is astonishing considering that he played the majority of his career in the 2000s.
As a 21-year-old, in his NHL rookie season (1993), he decided to square up against the most feared enforcer in the entire league: a prime Bob Probert – that takes cojones.
Brashear was a proud enforcer, maintaining order on the ice while protecting his teammates such as Markus Naslund and a young Alex Ovechkin.
9. Marty McSorley 🇨🇦
Height: 6’1″ Weight: 190 lbs Fights: 212 Fights Per Game: 0.22 From: Hamilton, Ontario Nemesis: Tim Hunter
Marty McSorley was a controversial player during his time, being suspended 7 times, including a final criminal conviction in 2000 following the “Donald Brashear Marty McSorley incident.”
The aim here is not to assess McSorley’s character or his past actions but to assess McSorley’s presence as a fighter in NHL history.
The man nicknamed “Wayne Gretzky’s bodyguard” was one the best fighters to ever play in the NHL.
Some of McSorley’s notable records include:
Two-time Stanley Cup champion
Best plus/minus in the NHL (90′-91′)
Fourth in all-time penalty minutes (3381 minutes)
Individually speaking, his greatest season was 1990-91′, where he put up 9 fights, 221 penalty minutes, and 39 points in 61 games – as a defenseman.
He spent an average of ~3.5 minutes in the box each game, and was still somehow able to maintain a points per game average (PPG) of 0.65.
10. Rob Ray 🇨🇦
Height: 6’0″ Weight: 203 lbs Fights: 237 Fights Per Game: 0.26 From: Stirling, Ontario Nemesis: Tie Domi
Rob Ray holds the record for most fights for a single team in the NHL, with 235 fights for the Buffalo Sabres (if you’re a Sabres fan, that should make you tear up).
He was tough as nails in the NHL, and also a certified good guy off the ice, winning the King Clancy Memorial Trophy in 1998.
Ray is one of only 9 players ever to break 3,000 penalty minutes. He ranks 4th in all-time NHL fights, as well as 8th in all-time penalty minutes.
Best Hockey Fighters Ever – 10 Honorable Mentions:
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