THN Enforcers Week: Top 5 Maple Leafs Fighters of All-Time
The Toronto Maple Leafs have had a long history of players who have dropped the gloves. Here are some of the best to do it.
Fighting may be on the decline in the game of hockey, but the role of the enforcer is an ongoing process. As Toronto Maple Leafs GM Brad Treliving looks to bring an edge back to his club, here’s a look at some of the best Maple Leafs to drop the gloves on a consistent basis.
1. Tie Domi
777GP 2265 PIMS 195 fights (with the Leafs)
Standing only 5-foot-10, Domi might not have looked like a traditional heavyweight enforcer. But once the gloves were off, few were as fearsome as the man with 3,515 penalty minutes. A lot of those minutes were racked up with the Rangers and Jets, but it was in Toronto where Domi made his biggest impact, fighting nearly 200 times and serving as the bodyguard for Mats Sundin. Heck, he even beat up a Flyers fan who made the unfortunate decision of getting into the penalty box with him! With Domi’s son, Max, now a member of the Maple Leafs, expect his popularity to increase even more.
[embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-a6ej477GxM[/embed]
2. Wendel Clark
608GP 1535 PIMS 108fights (with the Leafs)
Though he wasn’t a Hall of Famer, Clark remains one of the most popular Leafs of all time because of his ability to not only score goals, but also deliver bone-crunching hits and drop the gloves with some of the toughest fighters in the NHL. The former captain, who routinely fought Bob Probert, had a whopping 23 fights as a rookie. He then followed it up with 29 fights in his second year. As his career progressed, injuries limited his playing time. But Clark still finished with 1,690 penalty minutes.
[embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mUVl7qqmaAY[/embed]
3. Tiger Williams
407GP 1670 PIMS 114 fights (with the Leafs)
Tiger Williams only played five seasons in Toronto but still managed to earn the reputation as the toughest player the Leafs have ever known. He had multiple 20-plus fight seasons for the Leafs and in 1977-78 he fought 34 times—almost once every two games he played. Tiger went on to post a few more huge fight seasons after he left Toronto, but he still remains the most intimidating player ever to suit up for the blue and white.
[embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TJT_qbfzwTQ[/embed]
4. Colton Orr
232GP 637 PIMS 56 fights (with the Leafs)
Brought in by former GM Brian Burke as part of the plan for more pugnacity, Orr instantly made Toronto one of the toughest teams in the NHL during the early 2000s. Fighting a league-high 23 times in his first season with the Leafs, Orr’s reputation as a devastating puncher meant that he had fewer and fewer challengers as his career went on. For those who were willing to take the bait, it usually didn’t go well.
[embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2v9cdxN_sX0[/embed]
5. Wade Belak
777GP 2265 PIMS 195 fights (with the Leafs)
Belak, who passed away in 2011, spent seven years in Toronto. And though his death was linked to CTE (his death followed those of Rick Rypien and Derek Boogaard), it’s easy to forget that he was a first-round pick who could play both defence and forward. Of course, his role was as a policeman. And in that role, he was immensely popular and effective, accumulating more than 1,200 penalty minutes of his career.
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