Who, in your opinion is the greatest on ice villain? Who wore the black hat best, who did you love to hate or played for your team and you loved because everyone else loved him?
My all time least favorite player hands down bar none is Claude Freakin Lemieux. I have a hard time even writing his name.
Others include Chris Pronger who used to take abusive liberties with Stevie Y and the Wings, but God I wish he had played for us, Scott Stevens, Niedermayer, Patrick Roy, Marc Crawford, Bertuzzi. Sean Avery. Pick your own.
So who is your favorite/least favorite all time on ice villain?
Least favorite: Chris Nilan. Which obviously means that he was good at his job and actually became a more than respectable 20 goal man. But, arghhhhhhh.
Most Favorite: Jay Miller. He looked fierce. He was fierce. But he was mostly clean.
I never saw him play... few people still alive have either, but all the reports on Sprague Cleghorn seem to indicate that he was a fully fledged psychopath. Billy Coutu (a teammate of Cleghorn's at one point!) was cut from the same cloth.
As far as the guys I saw play...
Bobby Clarke
Ed Van Impe
Bryan Marchment
Mark Messier
Claude Lemieux
Gary Suter
Ken Linseman
Dale Hunter
Ulf Samuelsson
Wayne Cashman
I never saw him play... few people still alive have either, but all the reports on Sprague Cleghorn seem to indicate that he was a fully fledged psychopath. Billy Coutu (a teammate of Cleghorn's at one point!) was cut from the same cloth.
As far as the guys I saw play...
Bobby Clarke
Ed Van Impe
Bryan Marchment
Mark Messier
Claude Lemieux
Gary Suter
Ken Linseman
Dale Hunter
Ulf Samuelsson
Wayne Cashman
And one more I didn't see play...
Ted Lindsay
Great list, cant help noticing you left out Bill Goldthorpe....
I never saw him play... few people still alive have either, but all the reports on Sprague Cleghorn seem to indicate that he was a fully fledged psychopath. Billy Coutu (a teammate of Cleghorn's at one point!) was cut from the same cloth.
As far as the guys I saw play...
Bobby Clarke
Ed Van Impe
Bryan Marchment
Mark Messier
Claude Lemieux
Gary Suter
Ken Linseman
Dale Hunter
Ulf Samuelsson
Wayne Cashman
Opposing players used to lose their s--- when those guys where on the ice.
Three others I have been surprised haven't merited mention are Tie Domi, Dave Schultz and Tiger Williams. I know they go back a long way, but all three were among the most feared in the game, for different reasons....
Least favorite: Chris Nilan. Which obviously means that he was good at his job and actually became a more than respectable 20 goal man. But, arghhhhhhh.
Most Favorite: Jay Miller. He looked fierce. He was fierce. But he was mostly clean.
That is funny. Mine are this reversed. Loved Nilan..hated Miller.
You must be a Bruin fan? If so, did you like Nilan when he played for Boston? Just curious.
What did you expect from a guy who came to TO as a hired gun in the first place?
He left weak teams. Toronto was very much a contender when he bailed on them, the strongest they'd been in a decade. To say he was leaving for a shot at the cup was an insult.
That guy from Youngblood. Knocked off Patrick's helmet and then tripped him all while doing it blind sided, that hit on the ice still freaks me out, I cringe when I see that.
That is funny. Mine are this reversed. Loved Nilan..hated Miller.
You must be a Bruin fan? If so, did you like Nilan when he played for Boston? Just curious.
I think that Nilan always received grudging respect from most Bruins fans until October 1985 when he butt ended Rick Middleton in the mouth.
Harry Sinden said at that time that he'd never again compare Nilan to John Ferguson, but that didn't stop him from acquiring him in 1990.
In a practical sense, it was wise to acquire Nilan because Miller was long gone to LA by then and Lyndon Byers was always injured, but man, after that much history it was hard to see Nilan in a Bruins uniform.
He left weak teams. Toronto was very much a contender when he bailed on them, the strongest they'd been in a decade. To say he was leaving for a shot at the cup was an insult.
The Oilers were mediocre, but the Blues were coming off the 3rd best record in 95.
Not saying you guys should like him, but the guy was a hired gun his entire career. He never left a team on good terms.
That guy from Youngblood. Knocked off Patrick's helmet and then tripped him all while doing it blind sided, that hit on the ice still freaks me out, I cringe when I see that.
Love Carl Racki.
He (George Finn) racked up some decent PIM numbers in the OHL with Windsor and Belleville and almost a point a game for 2 years as well.
