Former Red Wings sniper Brett Hull knows a thing or two about the Hockey Hall of Fame.
Inducted in 2009 after scoring 741 goals, fifth most in the history of the NHL, Hull said there should be a separate category in the hall for enforcers and that former Red Wing Bob Probert should be the first enforcer inducted.
Probert, who died of a heart attack at age 45 on July 5, 2010, and Joey Kocur formed “The Bruise Brothers” in Detroit during the late 1980s and early 1990s.
Not only did Probert and Kocur protect captain Steve Yzerman, but Probert scored 163 career goals, including 29 goals in his All-Star season in 1987-88 when he broke Gordie Howe’s franchise record for most points in the playoffs (21 points in 16 games).
“I’ve said it for years now that Bob Probert should be the first guy in the Hall of Fame in that niche category, the enforcer-type, Ice Guardian guy,” Hull said on “Ice Guardians,” a podcast he hosts along with former St. Louis Blues teammate Kelly Chase.
“There was (ex-Montreal Canadien) John Ferguson back in the day and his many Cup wins (five Cups in eight years), but I think Probie would be your inaugural guy.”
Probert, a third-round draft pick by the Red Wings in 1983, recorded 3,300 penalty minutes during his 16-year NHL career, which ranks fifth all-time.
The 6-foot-3, 225-pound winger had 246 career fighting majors, including 14 fights with Stu “The Grim Reaper” Grimson of Chicago, Hartford, Calgary, Nashville, Anaheim and Kings.
“We talked to Joey Kocur the other day, and we brought up Bobby Probert, and we started talking about the Hall of Fame,” Hull said. “It was always, 500 goals, 1,000 points, five Stanley Cups, whatever their criteria kind of was, and then it started to morph a little bit.
“Then all of a sudden, Guy Carbonneau got in, and it’s like, OK, he was obviously a really great player, but if you were gonna define Carbonneau, it would be as a defensive player. So now we’re going to acknowledge these guys that maybe didn’t get 500 goals.”
Grimson, now an NHL analyst with the NHL Network, was also on Hull’s podcast and agreed that Probert should be in the Hall of Fame in the enforcer’s category.
“He (Probert) was a guy who scored 29 goals and was in the All-Star game,” Grimson said. “I don’t think we’ve ever seen a package as complete as Probie, who could bring that physical element and was just gifted. He was a top-six guy and nobody wanted to fight him.
“Another way of looking at it, too, is the awareness you had to have out there against Probie. He was big and he was trouble. But it was also the space he got, too, right?
“As he was driving to the net, and Steve’s got the puck high in the zone, you had to decide, am I going to cross-check him or not? You kind of got him, but you don’t kind of got him.”
This article originally appeared on The Detroit News: Brett Hull says ex-Wing Bob Probert should be first enforcer in Hall of Fame
Reporting by The Detroit News / The Detroit News
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By The Detroit News | USA TODAY Network
