From Odjick to Brashear to Rypien, the Canucks have had plenty of scrappers over the years

When you talk about tough guys in more than 50 years of Vancouver Canucks history, one name stands above all others. And it's literally one name. Gino. Oh sure, Gino had a last name, too -- Odjick. But Canucks fans simply came to know their favourite fighter by just his first name. And they chanted that name loudly starting with his National Hockey League debut when he squared off with Dave Manson and Stu Grimson in the same game. It was on that night, the legend of Gino was born. But Odjick isn't the only notable tough guy to wear Canuck colours over the years. Here are the top five fighters in Canucks history.

1) Gino Odjick

Known as the Algonquin Assassin and the Manawaki Mauler, Gino Odjick literally fought his way to the NHL. The longest of long shots from Kitigan Zibi Anishinabeg First Nation reserve near Maniwaki, Quebec, Odjick overcame the odds to log 605 games in the big leagues from 1990 through 2002. In his time with the Canucks, Odjick dropped the gloves 127 times and in three of his seasons in Vancouver recorded more than 348 penalty minutes. In addition to the impact he made without his gloves on, Odjick once scored 16 goals for the Canucks. He also appeared in 10 playoff games in the Canucks run to the 1994 Stanley Cup Final. Sadly, Odjick who had battled a heart condition since 2014 passed away as the result of a heart attack in January 2023. He was 52-years-old.

2) Donald Brashear

There weren't many tougher customers in the NHL during the height of Donald Brashear's career. From 1996 to 2002, the man known as 'Brash' fought 83 times for the Vancouver Canucks. In 1997-98, the Bedford, Indiana native led the NHL with 372 penalty minutes. Remarkably, Brashear logged 1025 NHL games during his playing days with the Canucks, Montreal, Philadelphia, Washington and the New York Rangers. He may be best remembered for the 'wack heard around the hockey world' when Boston's Marty McSorley smacked Brashear across the side of the head with his stick late in a game between the Bruins and Canucks at General Motors Place on February 21, 2000.

3) Rick Rypien

Without question, pound for pound, Rick Rypien is one of the toughest players to ever wear a Vancouver Canucks uniform. Listed at 5' 11" and 194 pounds, the fearless winger won more than his share of the 38 fights he logged for the Canucks during his 119 games between 2005 and 2011 -- many of his scraps against much larger opponents. Rypien packed plenty of power in his piston-like fists and often seemed to catch opponents off guard with the speed of his punches. While not an enforcer in the traditional sense, Rypien more than held his own in a sizeable class of middleweights during his career. Sadly, Rypien passed away in 2011 at the age of 27. His death was ruled a suicide and it was later revealed he had been diagnosed with depression. As part of his legacy, the Canucks have been at the forefront of league-wide mental health initiatives.

4) Garth Butcher

With one of the great nicknames in hockey, Garth 'The Strangler' Butcher dropped the gloves 94 times during his parts of 10 seasons in Vancouver. The franchise's second all-time penalty minute leader (behind only Gino Odjick) played the game hard and did not shy away from the rough stuff. Butcher patrolled the blue line during a dark period for the Canucks franchise from 1983 through 1991 and routinely made a habit of sticking up for teammates. Over a three season span (1985-88), Butcher was in 48 fights. There may have been bigger and stronger players in the league at the time, but there weren't many that were more willing to scrap than Butcher.

5) Tom Sestito

Tom Sestito's time in Vancouver was relatively short, but it's notable because he was the last of the team's true heavyweights. Listed at 6'5" and 230 pounds, the Rome, New York native played 103 games for the Canucks between 2012 and 2015. He understood his role and fought 25 times in that span. He may be best remembered as one of the featured combatants in the infamous opening face-off brawl between the Canucks and Calgary Flames on January 18, 2014 -- the night Canucks coach John Tortorella tried to storm the Flames locker room after the first period. Sestito squared off with Calgary's Brian McGrattan as all of the other skaters on the ice picked partners. Earlier in the week, Sestito had one of the all-time individual stat lines for an NHL game: he logged 27 minutes in penalties in one second of ice time in a game in Los Angeles.

Honourable mention: Craig Coxe, Tiger Williams, Ron Delorme, Jack McIlhargey, Glen Cochrane