Kocur was the most feared fighter we ever had. He would try to line someone up for a big punch and if he did it could be lights out. Fotiu comes after. Nick liked to box--he didn't want to grab hold or wrestle. Domi for a small guy packed a lot of punch. McPhee was another small guy who embarrassed a lot of bigger guys. Langdon didn't have the punching power of the guys mentioned above but he was very strong and had a tremendous amount of endurance. He didn't KO too many but he cut up more than a few. Vickers was an interesting choice by Chosen. A very infrequent fighter but he knocked a few people out. Good hockey player for several years. If he had been a little bit meaner he'd be comparable to today's Millan Lucic. Ron Harris--another infrequent fighter but a bad one to dance with. Prust was a technician--another guy who could fight above his weight class. Graves--more a guy who fought when someone started messing with his teammates. Barnaby. Orr--lots of power--crappy hockey player. Stock--another little guy. He got in some real donnybrooks. Purinton was just a wild out of control guy. Funny though he coaches a BCHL team these days.
Some of these guys could really play--Kocur, Fotiu, Domi, Vickers, Prust, Graves, Barnaby.
Some not so good--Orr, Purinton, Harris (was a decent bottom pairing d-man who sometime played on the wing), Langdon, Stock.
McPhee never really showed whether he had it or not--as he was always getting injured--a lot of it was his hands.
I agree with you on Kocur who was one of the most feared fighters ever but you left out Orland Kurtenbach who was one of the best fighters in the league during his time here.
I got Kocur number 1 all time as far as Rangers enforcers go. A few good reasons for it too. Kocurs term here was somewhat of along one. He came from Detroit with a huge rep as the best KO fighter in the game. He didn't disappoint. His fight card had basically every top fighter of his are on it. Mosr importantly head the wins over them too. Marty McSorley, Bob Probert, Stu Grimson, Kenny Baumgartner, Rob Ray, Alan May , Berube etc. He caught them all and again win/loss record stand out the most.
Kocur for a heavy handed guy also had three other aspects to go with it. He was technical, knew how to get guys to open up. When they did thy often went down. He also had stamina. He didnt gas easy. When you add to that, the fact that he had a hard time finding dance partners you You have a guy that was truly feared. Plus...Kocur always did his job in an era that had some very tough fighters on each team.
Fotiu is a close second. He changed the complexity of games often. He was also technical and had gas too. One thing about Nick is he also always stood up for his boys. But...Kocur over Nick for two reasons. 1) As good as he was he rarely put anyone away. So it could be said he lacked power. Also in all his years in NY, in the greatest rivalry ever withe the Isles why did he never go with Gillies or Nystrom? Those two would run all over Duguay, Maloney brs etc. Nicky should have stepped up there IMO like Kocur did with Bomber, and Vukota, and Berube, and the Grim Reaper etc.
I got Langdon at 3rd overall. That guy was the most technically sound fighter maybe ever, and the he had the gas to boot.
I agree with you on Kocur who was one of the most feared fighters ever but you left out Orland Kurtenbach who was one of the best fighters in the league during his time here.
I didn't mention Kurtenbach because I started following the Rangers in 71-72 and Orland had moved on to the Canucks at that point and I don't want to talk about someone I've only seen in a very few film clips.
I got Kocur number 1 all time as far as Rangers enforcers go. A few good reasons for it too. Kocurs term here was somewhat of along one. He came from Detroit with a huge rep as the best KO fighter in the game. He didn't disappoint. His fight card had basically every top fighter of his are on it. Mosr importantly head the wins over them too. Marty McSorley, Bob Probert, Stu Grimson, Kenny Baumgartner, Rob Ray, Alan May , Berube etc. He caught them all and again win/loss record stand out the most.
Kocur for a heavy handed guy also had three other aspects to go with it. He was technical, knew how to get guys to open up. When they did thy often went down. He also had stamina. He didnt gas easy. When you add to that, the fact that he had a hard time finding dance partners you You have a guy that was truly feared. Plus...Kocur always did his job in an era that had some very tough fighters on each team.
Fotiu is a close second. He changed the complexity of games often. He was also technical and had gas too. One thing about Nick is he also always stood up for his boys. But...Kocur over Nick for two reasons. 1) As good as he was he rarely put anyone away. So it could be said he lacked power. Also in all his years in NY, in the greatest rivalry ever withe the Isles why did he never go with Gillies or Nystrom? Those two would run all over Duguay, Maloney brs etc. Nicky should have stepped up there IMO like Kocur did with Bomber, and Vukota, and Berube, and the Grim Reaper etc.
I got Langdon at 3rd overall. That guy was the most technically sound fighter maybe ever, and the he had the gas to boot.
Kocur would take multiple punches just to land one. Sometimes that didn't happen but these weren't really losses as Joey was no worse for wear. He could destroy someone if he landed right. One of the more famous was Brad Dalgarno.
Most entertaining had to be Domi. That guy had a bucket for a head and a **** eating grin. I remember him buckling Beukeboom when Jeff was still on the Oilers. It was a 'holy sh#t' moment. He ratcheted up a feud with the Islanders and then another with Probert. Kicked the crap out of John Kordic and was stomping around in the penalty box using his stick as a crutch after a fight with Nilan. The inference that Nilan was old and washed up.
I always liked Langdon, though he never developed the offensive side like was originally hoped for earlier in his career.
If Langdon had more punching power, he could've been a really feared fighter. Along with Baumgartner, he was probably one of the best technically sound fighters of his generation.
A cross between he and Orr/Kocur would've been scary.
Kocur was arguably the most feared, but he was already on the decline with us and most of the league's top fighters knew that if you contained the right you could handle him. It's one reason he was never quite as effective as he was in his first years with the wings.
Those Roger Nielson teams were pretty tough. You have to remember that Kocur, Domi, Graves, King, Beukeboom were all on some of the same teams.
Kocur would take multiple punches just to land one. Sometimes that didn't happen but these weren't really losses as Joey was no worse for wear. He could destroy someone if he landed right. One of the more famous was Brad Dalgarno.
Most entertaining had to be Domi. That guy had a bucket for a head and a **** eating grin. I remember him buckling Beukeboom when Jeff was still on the Oilers. It was a 'holy sh#t' moment. He ratcheted up a feud with the Islanders and then another with Probert. Kicked the crap out of John Kordic and was stomping around in the penalty box using his stick as a crutch after a fight with Nilan. The inference that Nilan was old and washed up.
Domi also dropped Gino Odjick In Vancouver. They traded and I think Domi switched hands and caught him right on the been with one. A few seasons later Landgon had an almost identical fight with Odjick and dropped him with an uppercut.
Nobody got the Garden going like Domi did. I was at the Domi/Probert rematch. Place was about as load as I ever heard it.
Orr was probably the best puncher we've had in recent years. He hits as hard as anyone in the league. He always struggled against guys who were stronger than him (like Brashear) because they could just pull him in tight and negate his punching power. Orr was terrible in close, he needed room to work.
McCarthy was pretty good too, for a while.
Purinton was a terrible player, a slightly above average fighter, but a scary dude. He was a little unhinged. You definitely didn't want to be an opposing player taking any sort of liberty with Dale's teammate. He didn't follow any code, he went at players to hurt them. Sucker punches, eye gouges, whatever he could get away with. Plus every team he played for, his teammates always loved him.
More than most effective fighters would be a list of least effective fighters. Like the aforementioned Voros, or Steve McKenna.
Kocur was the most feared fighter we ever had. He would try to line someone up for a big punch and if he did it could be lights out. Fotiu comes after. Nick liked to box--he didn't want to grab hold or wrestle. Domi for a small guy packed a lot of punch. McPhee was another small guy who embarrassed a lot of bigger guys.
Great points. I would, however, line up Nilan with Kocur. Both guys could take a regular shift. Nilan, was the meanest player that I recall the Rangers dressing.
McPhee is forgotten about, but he could pack a wallop. Remember his fight with Tochet in the playoffs?
That said, I will say that Orr's knockout of Fedoruk exercised over 30 years of frustrating when it comes to the Flyers. And was a turning point in the rivalry. No longer are the Rangers intimidated or get pushed around by Philly.
Too bad the one I think they should have signed, they keep letting pass by. Why Asham over Kenopka who is fantastic on the draw, which is something the Rangers need, I don't know.
Fotiu
Langdon
Domi
Kocur
Mcphee in the modern times that i have watched were the modern times that i have watched from the 73 season up were the toughest Rangers.. Fotiu was absolutely feared in places like Philly and the island where they were tough as nails and wanted no part of him..
Domi was exciting and tough but wore out his welcome.
Mcphee see Domi
Kocur was a bad ass but his hands were shot when he was a Ranger..
As I said in another thread, I'm becoming suspicious that Sather just signs one or two meatheads a year to appease the portion of the fanbase that still thinks this is the 70s. I liked the Haley signing, I find the Asham signing to be redundant. I don't think Asham's character matches up with the rest of the team.
Great points. I would, however, line up Nilan with Kocur. Both guys could take a regular shift. Nilan, was the meanest player that I recall the Rangers dressing.
McPhee is forgotten about, but he could pack a wallop. Remember his fight with Tochet in the playoffs?
That said, I will say that Orr's knockout of Fedoruk exercised over 30 years of frustrating when it comes to the Flyers. And was a turning point in the rivalry. No longer are the Rangers intimidated or get pushed around by Philly.
Fotiu' fight with Wilson was legendary in terms of the rivalry too. At the time Wilson was running through the rest of the league and was considered among the best at the trade. They squared off at center ice and Nicky popped him good, almost knocking him on his arse. Rangers instantly got alot of respect in a building where they had Zero respect. At the time that fight was the equivalent of the Orr/Fedoruk scrap.
Kocur brough that back when he came to NY. I will never forget the pregame before a Rangers/Flyers game at MSG. There was a clip of Claude Boivin. JD was talking up how tough Boivin was. In the clip the guy was curling big weight in the locker room. Fast forward to game time. Boivin challenges Kocur off a face off. They shed the mitts. Kocur one punches Boivin to the ice. Priceless!
I really liked Nilan, I actually named one of my dogs after the guy. But...I don't even have him in the top 5. He was pretty good, and technical but he rarely ever put guys away. Most fights were draws when you really look at the footage.
