Hockey & sports betting lovers everywhere will tell you how much they love a good fight. In fact, this is one of the best parts of a hockey game, especially if you’re sitting right next to the ice. We’ve put together a list of five of the best NHL fighters of all time. All of these players have been around for quite a while and have rightfully earned a spot on this list.
1. Dave Schultz
Dave Schultz, AKA The Hammer, holds the record for most penalty minutes in a season. He accumulated 472 penalty minutes during the 1974-1975 season while he was on the Philadelphia Flyers team. This is the same season where he won the Stanley Cup. He actually had the most penalty minutes four different times, had seven seasons with 10 fights, and two seasons with 20 fights. There have only been four times where a player has had over 400 penalty minutes in a single season and The Hammer managed to do it twice!
2. Joey Kocur
Next on our list, we have Joey Kocur. During his entire career, he got into 217 different fights. During his rookie year, Kocur accumulated the most penalty minutes in the NHL up until that point. During the 1985-1986 season, he was able to rack up 377 penalty minutes in just 59 games. This is the eight-highest total in the entire NHL, which is a huge accomplishment. He was the 88th overall NHL draft pick for the Detroit Red Wings and went on to play for the New York Rangers and Vancouver Canucks.
3. Tie Domi
If we’re talking about the best NHL fighters, then we can’t forget Tie Domi. He’s played for the Rangers, Winnipeg, and Toronto. He was one of the toughest guys on the ice and retired with the third-most penalty minutes in the entire NHL. He had 274 fights and some of these were with another guy on this list, Bob Probert. He has 3,515 PIMs which is pretty amazing when you consider he’s only 5 feet 10 inches. He’s had some of the best fights in NHL history that will be remembered for years to come.
4. Dave Williams
Dave Williams, AKA Tiger, has the highest penalty minutes in an entire career. He clocks in at 3,971 minutes, which is over 400 more minutes than the next highest minute holder. He has been in a total of 246 fights and was the highest penalty minute holder three different times during his career.
5. Bob Probert
Finally, we have Bob Probert. He accumulated a whopping 3,300 penalty minutes during his NHL career. He did this in 935 games, which seems like a lot but it really isn’t when you consider how many games it took others to get close to that number. Probert fought with some of the best fighters in the NHL and was the center of many of the most epic battles. In addition to all of that, he was also one of the best players and had his best season in 1987-1988. During this season, he had 29 goals, 62 points, a plus-16 rating, and 398 penalty minutes. He also had another 21 points during playoff games.