NHL Top 10 Enforcers Post-Cap Era: Halloween Edition
By Ryan Ritchie
Oct 20, 2015; Columbus, OH, USA; Columbus Blue Jackets left wing Scott Hartnell (43) and New York Islanders defenseman Johnny Boychuk (55) fight during the first period at Nationwide Arena. Mandatory Credit: Russell LaBounty-USA TODAY Sports
NHL top 10 enforcers lists usually consist of the same boring topic, “who is the top heavyweight fighter?”, but as we know the enforcer role has virtually disappeared. You can be an enforcer in today’s game, but you need to be able to skate fairly well and have something to offer offensively.
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In today’s Halloween Edition, the focus is NHL top 10 enforcers or tough guys in general, specifically post-cap era players and stats. We’re proposing the question, “If you had to cast an NHL player to star as a horror character in a film, who would be the top 10 most terrifying players to fill the role?”
It’s not so much about which player is the biggest heavyweight, or who’s dropped the gloves the most. Horror characters are terrifyingly, scary individuals who strike fear into their victims, so the idea is to find players who are feared competitors on the ice, past or present.
Obviously an enforcer who likes to drop the gloves will dominate our list, but we’re also looking for guys who like to throw the body. Basically, the most intimidating physical specimen in the NHL.
The list is specifically pertaining to post-cap era (2005-present). Some of the players in the honorable mentions would have likely made our NHL top 10 enforcers list if it were all-time, but as the post-cap era evolved, the enforcers disappeared. Instead, players prone to dropping the gloves have had to find other ways to be effective physically, which could potentially be a contributing factor with the increase in hits.
Released a couple of days ago was our first Halloween countdown featuring the top 10 NHL mascot costumes, which you can find here.
Be sure to check out the top players under 25 years old, consisting of three countdowns featuring the top 50 forwards, top 25 defenseman, and top 10 goalies.
*Any fighting statistics were obtained from hockeyfights.com
*Any other general statistics were obtained from NHL.com/stats or hockeydb.com
Next: Honorable Mentions