The dirtiest player in the history of NHL

[Rugbyplayer*]

I was just wondering who, according to you, was/is the dirtiest player in the history of NHL?

 

[Alexander the Gr8]

Todd Bertuzzi. HM to Matt Cooke.

 

[strictlyrandy]

Depends. Do you consider what was once considered clean but obviously cheap/dirty as dirty now?

I think a lot of Cooke is going to pop up in this thread. I think Scott Stevens might be up there too.

For me, I'm going to say Cooke, because I haven't seen every NHL game and have only been following a relatively short amount of time considering the age of the league.

 

[Lehnsanity]

Matt Cooke

HM: Chris Simon

 

[Ezekial]

Matt Cooke.

Shout out to Raffi

Depends. Do you consider what was once considered clean but obviously cheap/dirty as dirty now?

I think a lot of Cooke is going to pop up in this thread. I think Scott Stevens might be up there too.

For me, I'm going to say Cooke, because I haven't seen every NHL game and have only been following a relatively short amount of time considering the age of the league.

I think it should be dirty in terms of their era.

Scott Stevens decimated people, but a lot of his hits were great.

 

[Artaud]

Brent Burns

 

[GJB]

Bryan Marchment. His knee-on-knee plays destroyed many.

He was suspended by the league 13 times: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bryan_Marchment

 

[Habs76]

Depends. Do you consider what was once considered clean but obviously cheap/dirty as dirty now?

I think a lot of Cooke is going to pop up in this thread. I think Scott Stevens might be upt there too.

Generally Stevens' hits were shoulder/chest and then up to the head.

 

[Taak19]

Cooke.

But actually it's Landeskog.

 

[OshawaBruin]

Ulf Samuelsson

 

[Mathew Barzal]

Probably someone I wasn't even alive to watch play.

 

[Leafidelity]

Ken Linseman or Eddie Shore.


Modern NHLers are kittens compared to old NHLers. Hell, Gordie Howe is probably dirtier than most listed in here.

 

[SmoggyTwinkles]

Bryan Marchment. His knee-on-knee plays destroyed many.

He was suspended by the league 13 times: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bryan_Marchment

Probably this guy.

 

[CrashBartley]

Ted Lindsay of the '50 Red Wings. He wasn't called Terrible Ted for nothing.

 

[AINEC*]

Darnell Nurse

 

[Bounces R Way]

Marchment or Dale Hunter. Pretty easily Cooke since 2000, Torres being a distant 2nd.

 

[Measles]

Chris Simon maybe never did as MANY dirty plays as some others, but man when he went off he was a straight up savage, just straight felony assault.

 

[David Bruce Banner]

There were some true psychopaths on the ice during the early days of the game.

Someone like Sprague Cleghorn or Billy Coutu would probably be the dirtiest ever.

In terms of people I've seen play... Ed Van Impe would be right up there. Ken Linseman too. Modern era? Pronger.

 

[Limekiller]

No one mentioning McSorley and his lumberjack swing in here? He was known as a dirty player before that, too.

 

[BLNY]

Ken Linseman or Eddie Shore.


Modern NHLers are kittens compared to old NHLers. Hell, Gordie Howe is probably dirtier than most listed in here.

Was waiting for someone born before 1990 to chime in. Linseman was the most hated man in the league his whole career. His stick work was brutal.

Clarke - and not just for viciously breaking Kharlamov's ankle in 1972.

 

[JackalsKnuckles]

Ulf Samuelsson is up there.

Cheap shots all day and hid behind his huge visor.

 

[Cogburn]

Coutu is probably up there, for one night of assaulting two refs.

Dirty is relative, if he did something to your guy, it's a thousand times worse then if it's to someone else. I will give full acknowledgement to players like Bertuzzi and Cooke, although I always thought May and Ruutu were dirtier, they just didn't go out with intent to injure every time (Cooke) or have a massive, massive dirty play (Bertuzzi).

I've heard Aaron Rome's name come up in conversation for what he did to Horton. In the same way, based on that and Bertuzzi, I consider Keith a dirty player for his elbow to Daniel. I consider Ohlund a righteously dirty player for breaking Koivu's leg with a slash for having the same situation as Keith alleged (constant borderline elbows in scrums).

McSorely and Simon there too, remember the 90's/early 2000's?

Going back further is more then I can do,but Coutu was banned for life, and Simon was effectively labelled too high a risk to play after his last two suspensions, so as far as metrics go, I'd say either way.

I totally forgot some of these too:

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/sports/hockey/the-longest-suspensions-in-nhl-history/article4101583/

 

[double5son10]

2nd all-time in RS penalty minutes and record holder for PIMs in the playoffs. And he didn't rack those numbers up from his pugilistic skills either. Very good player but man what a dirtbag.







Sadly can't find any video of the elbow on Gord Murphy but Cherry called it "the mother of all elbows." While Don is renowned for his hyperbole that might actually be an understatement. Hunter also started the Good Friday Brawl by trying to push Guy Carbonneau's head into the ice.

 

[tjcurrie]

Todd Bertuzzi. HM to Matt Cooke.

There's no way in heck Todd Bertuzzi is the dirtiest player to play the game. One incident that went sideways.

Few guys off the top of my head I saw play

Dale Hunter
Claude Lemieux
Mark Messier
Dave Semenko
Bryan Marchment
Chris Pronger
Chris Chelios

Guys I know of but can't claim to have watched

Eddie Shore
Gordie Howe
Bobby Clarke

In no order

HMs to a couple of my all-time faves, Dino Ciccarelli and Derian Hatcher

 

[cupcrazyman]

Dale Hunter