Sorry to bring the room down, but one of the NHL's all-time most-feared fighters died very suddenly today. Bob Probert, who somehow endeared himself to both Blackhawks and Red Wings fans, was standing in his boat this morning when he suddenly fell over and died. He was 45.
This is kinda shocking to me because I still remember Probert playing. Former players pass all the time, but this guy was less than 20 years older than I am. Oh, he definitely had some problems during his playing days, and he made some poor choices that no doubt contributed to some longer-term health issues, but this is still a pretty big surprise.
The best quote of the night came from Tie Domi, who fought Probert thirteen times in his career. When asked if he thought he'd fought Probert more than any other player had, Domi responded that "Nobody would be stupid enough to go for a fourteenth." Don't remember where I read that. Somebody tweeted it earlier.
Puck Daddy's story features three videos of Probert highlights from hockeyfights.com. Almost 21 minutes of watching the NHL's top fighter do what he did best. (Including clocking former Wichita Thunder forward Craig Coxe back when he played for Vancouver. Crazy. Small world)
Personally, I prefer Adrian Dater's post over at denverpost.com. It features more about Probert's successes off the ice and has some good quotes from former tough-guy (and current lawyer, and one of the most outspoken Christian players of the 1990s) Stu Grimson.
Stick tap.
