Dave Brown vs. Nick Fotiu vs. Behn Wilson

[DickSmehlik]

I would say these 3 are regarded as the toughest enforcers next to Probert. Although their careers varied, they were all in the league together for a period in the early to mid-eighties.

So rank these 3 tough guys.

Click to read more...

 

[reckoning]

Fotiu
Wilson




Brown

Fotiu was the best fighter in hockey in the era which had the most fighting. After he retired, Dave Schultz admitted that he was afraid to fight Fotiu. I remember Behn Wilson well from his days with the Ottawa 67s. Brian Kilrea said that Wilson was easily the best fighter he'd seen in his 30+ years of coaching.

 

[Hyped]

Fotiu
Wilson




Brown

Fotiu was the best fighter in hockey in the era which had the most fighting. After he retired, Dave Schultz admitted that he was afraid to fight Fotiu. I remember Behn Wilson well from his days with the Ottawa 67s. Brian Kilrea said that Wilson was easily the best fighter he'd seen in his 30+ years of coaching.

Well, Brown is sometimes mentioned as the toughest man in hockey as well so throwing him down that far on the list is a definite slight. He put the fear of God in many players.

Probert is consistently mentioned when it comes to best fighter the NHL has ever seen but has never won a fight against Troy Crowder; Probert has even admitted this (they squared up twice from what I can remember). So shouldn't Crowder be included? Granted, Crowder got beat up a lot more than Probert but if you beat the "champ"...

 

[Sens Rule]

Well, Brown is sometimes mentioned as the toughest man in hockey as well so throwing him down that far on the list is a definite slight. He put the fear of God in many players.

Probert is consistently mentioned when it comes to best fighter the NHL has ever seen but has never won a fight against Troy Crowder; Probert has even admitted this (they squared up twice from what I can remember). So shouldn't Crowder be included? Granted, Crowder got beat up a lot more than Probert but if you beat the "champ"...

Troy Crowder played a whopping 150 games. He was a great fighter but he didn't hang around near long enough to be considered among the very best.

 

[04' hockey]

1. Wilson - tough as they came but no enforcer, fought on his terms
2. Fotiu - tough, good enforcer, couldn't play a lick
3. Brown - tough, for a long time - best enforcer of the three

In fact it's almost unfair to rank these three.....on any given night.....

 

[lancer247]

1. Brown - you may be able to debate the ability of the three being even but brown had the best fight card with wins over top enforcers of his day (grimson, kyte, ray, domi, miller, kordic, nylon, hunter, etc)...not only did he win fights but he did so in devastating fashion as well.

2. Wilson - just as devastating as brown with punching power but not as full of a fight card...i think wilson gets accused of not fighting enough but i think some of that was because guys knew he could break their face on any given night (like brown).

3. Fotiu - Good fighter with obvious boxing background but last of the 3.

 

[skeena1]

1. Brown - you may be able to debate the ability of the three being even but brown had the best fight card with wins over top enforcers of his day (grimson, kyte, ray, domi, miller, kordic, nylon, hunter, etc)...not only did he win fights but he did so in devastating fashion as well.

I don't disagree...but all those punches after the guy was down...and sometimes out.

 

[reckoning]

I don't disagree...but all those punches after the guy was down...and sometimes out.

And add to that the gutless blindside crosscheck to Sandstrom. That's why I don't rank him high. Enforcers usually don't stoop to those levels.

 

[Ogopogo*]

Brown destroyed people; just ask Jim Kyte, Rob Ray and Tie Domi. The other two weren't even close to him.

 

[c-carp]

I would say these 3 are regarded as the toughest enforcers next to Probert. Although their careers varied, they were all in the league together for a period in the early to mid-eighties.

So rank these 3 tough guys.

If I had to rank them it would be like this.

Dave Brown-the toughest Lefty that I have seen and one of the meanest fighters I have seen.

Behn Wilson-Best use of the uppercut that I have seen

Nick Fotiu-Very good Amateur Boxer and one tough SOB on the ice.

You cannot go wrong with any of the three.

 

[SaveHextall]

I'm a Flyers fan, but also a fan of guys who deliver broken orbital bones, so I'll take Big Dave.

 

[BNHL]

Brown destroyed people; just ask Jim Kyte, Rob Ray and Tie Domi. The other two weren't even close to him.

Jim Kyte,Rob Ray,Bob Probert,Jay Miller,Larry Melnyk,Chris Nilan,Stu Grimson,Randy McKay and Brian Curran all at one time or another beat Brown. I remember watching Brown's first ever fight when he jumped an unsuspecting Kluzak. P.O.S. He looked stunned when his first fight with Jay Miller didn't go his way. I'd take Wilson who before Probert may have been the best fighter ever and could play.

 

[redwingz40]

Well, Brown is sometimes mentioned as the toughest man in hockey as well so throwing him down that far on the list is a definite slight. He put the fear of God in many players.

Probert is consistently mentioned when it comes to best fighter the NHL has ever seen but has never won a fight against Troy Crowder; Probert has even admitted this (they squared up twice from what I can remember). So shouldn't Crowder be included? Granted, Crowder got beat up a lot more than Probert but if you beat the "champ"...

Thats why Probert decked him in the Joe in their rematch after Crowder bloodied him in New Jersey. I would have to read that Probert said that, I lived up there at the time and I don't recall that EVER happening. They fought 3 times, 1 in NJ, 2 in the Joe that season, Crowder won the first 1, Probert decked him once and Crowder jumped him in the third and landed some bombs, and Probert staggered him.

 

[Slapshooter]

Well, Brown is sometimes mentioned as the toughest man in hockey as well so throwing him down that far on the list is a definite slight. He put the fear of God in many players.

I completely agree. The only reason Dave Brown sometimes gets dissed in fighter talks are because he was not so popular/liked as the likes of Probert. Dave Brown was also a very poor hockey player, but his job was to intimidate and he did that probably better than anyone else in his time. Brown intimidated not only other fighters, but skill players too, so he was kind of a goon.

 

[John Flyers Fan]

2. Wilson - just as devastating as brown with punching power but not as full of a fight card...i think wilson gets accused of not fighting enough but i think some of that was because guys knew he could break their face on any given night (like brown).

Big Behn was also a very skilled (for that time) defenseman. That's another reason why he didn't fight as much.