Top 50 Most Legendary Fighters to Lace Up for the Canucks

[Slegr]

Diduck was a punching bag. Brashear was tough as nails, and perhaps technically the best fighter, but his technique was pretty boring to watch where he'd just pull the guy in super close and punch at the side of his head for the most part. Odjick fought like a loose and unpredictable animal, with little technique but all heart. He scared his opponents because nobody knew exactly what he would do on the ice. For the craziness factor, my vote would be Odjick. 

[komodo0921]

19 hours ago, Kevin Biestra said:

What does "Legendary" mean to you?  You decide!

What does "The" mean to you?  You decide!

What does "Up" mean to you?  Just don't ask the guy that wrote Rise of Skywalker.

What does "Most" mean to you?  Just pick the greatest legends and stop asking me questions.

.

Can't be a ligit list without Rypien.

But Gino's still got to be the king of beasts.

Just ask St. Louis.

[Baratheon]

5 minutes ago, komodo0921 said:

Can't be a ligit list without Rypien.

But Gino's still got to be the king of beasts.

Just ask St. Louis.

Rick Rypien has been left off the list out of respect.  I agree with this move.  No need to get in to debates about whether he was or was not better than whoever.

 

I think everyone agrees that Ripper has a very special place in the hearts of Canuck fans.  You could call Gino Odjick the winner of the Rick Rypien Award

[mikeyman109]

voted Coxe. if you havent seen them watch these two fights. Gino was a fan favorite but id take Coxe and Brashear over him as a pure fighter.

1,Coxe

2, Brashear

3, Gino

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nK3yNgktCLk

 

 

[Squamfan]

best fight in canuck history

 

 

[Dixon Ward]

I most enjoyed watching

 

1. Rypien

2. Bieksa

3. Coxe

4. Brashear

5. Odjick

6. Butcher

 

I am not a fighting expert, but I rank them this way in terms of most entertaining to watch for me.

[Borderline Canuck]

Curt Fraser had more one punch knockouts than any of these guys.

[189lb enforcers?]

1 hour ago, Borderline Canuck said:

Curt Fraser had more one punch knockouts than any of these guys.

I watched one of those on YouTube the other day. His opponent was obviously not a fighter and walked right into a Joey KO Kocur/Fraser copyrighted jackhammer straight to the jaw. Felt bad for the guy. 
 

As a boy, I’d listen in on NL 610 to the game my dad had tuned in. I recall hearing Fraser’s name all the time, beating up someone. 
 

Love a sport where you are in a cage, wearing the equivalent of steel toed boots with knife blades onto your feet, handed a wooden club built with extra laminations for strength and with several sharp edges on it, and shoot sharp-edged rubber bullets at each other and only bare knuckle it out when things get too rough. 
 

What a sport. 
 

[IBatch]

56 minutes ago, Borderline Canuck said:

Curt Fraser had more one punch knockouts than any of these guys

Only other one that I re-call at a start of a fight was Bieksa super man vs Gudas. But a lot of these guys at one point or another got that one punch in to drop their opponent ...Brashear did it to Belak in CAL (also lost when Belak was in NSH), Goodard, Domi,  Neal etc and once to Laraque and Orr late in his career plus..Jovo on Deadmarsh...just watched 30 of Fraser’s fights - only one like Farrish...But good quality of competition that’s for sure - a pretty good scrap with Wilson, and Kocur who’s arguably got the hardest punch in nhl history - either him or Boogard.    Stood up to Probert 3 times - and wasn’t manhandled - but did no serous damage either.  A half dozen or so he did knock someone down with a punch (impressive)...Brashear did the same the year he broke Gino’s record (in around the same number of fights) After that guys weren’t as quick to drop with him.   That said his Farrish fight doesn’t happen very often...the only recent one  I can remember (that was even more brutal) was Asham on Beagle ten or so years ago (KO’s at or near the start of the fight) and two guys I can’t remember (Winchester or something ... played in OTT at one point had his jab slipped and lights out).. 

[Kevin Biestra]

3 hours ago, IBatch said:

Only other one that I re-call at a start of a fight was Bieksa super man vs Gudas. But a lot of these guys at one point or another got that one punch in to drop their opponent...

 

Looks like Bieksa opened the fight by dropping a guy with the Superman punch at least twice.  Someone put together a highlight reel, but seems like he perfected his accuracy in Anaheim.

 

 

 

[JeremyCuddles]

Cooke is on the list but not Rypien? Lol. Yikes.

[apollo]

10 hours ago, N7Nucks said:

Cooke is on the list but not Rypien? Lol. Yikes.

Both guys deserve to be on this list a lot more than most of these guys...

 

Rypien is the easy #1 best pound for pound fighter in the history of hockey... played all his in our franchise... yet he's not on this list lol

 

I got no problems with the Cooker on this list... 19th ALL TIME in Canucks history with 559 games played 625 Pims... he's certainly worthy.

 

Far more worthy than Troy Crowder and his 30 games as a canuck LOL ... sorry but you dont get recognition amogst icons that played for this glorious franchise with 30 games played... 

 

Rypper could whoop anyone's ass on this list. For that reason, I still wont be voting. He's the only one deserving of the #1 spot!

[kchengc]

Rick Ripper Rypien should be up there.  He was the most skilled fighter we ever had.

[alt kilgore]

the most legendary?  Has to go to Gino

Even if the best pure fighter may be Brashear or even Rypien

[RRypien37]

On 5/2/2020 at 4:50 PM, apollo said:

Domi fighting Probert is not the same ... as Vlabik vs Rick... Probert was 6'3

 

Vlabik was 6'7 - 250lbs ... Rick ripped into him like he does best.

Hal Gill 6'7 - 245lbs...

Stortini was 6'4 - 230lbs ... also bigger than probert

Carkner 6'4 - 235lbs...

Chris Durno 6'4 ...

Ben Eager 6'2 235lbs...

 

Over 1/3rd of his fights were against guys with 50+ lbs on him... and far taller.

 

Chris Neil x3 , Prust x 4... Mcleod x 2, Ian Lapierre, Carcillo, Brad May...

 

I'm sorry but there's no chance I'm backing down from my statement. Rick is the best pound for pound fighter in NHL history.

 

Rest in Paradise Rypper <3

 

100%. Facts.

[RRypien37]

On 5/3/2020 at 9:51 AM, Slegr said:

Diduck was a punching bag. Brashear was tough as nails, and perhaps technically the best fighter, but his technique was pretty boring to watch where he'd just pull the guy in super close and punch at the side of his head for the most part. Odjick fought like a loose and unpredictable animal, with little technique but all heart. He scared his opponents because nobody knew exactly what he would do on the ice. For the craziness factor, my vote would be Odjick. 

If you are 6'2 and your opponent is 6'5" + that is part of the technique needed to get a win. Reach means he would get strung out and picked apart. It's just fighting smart with the best chance to win. If you want to stand toe to toe with someone significantly taller than you, this happens:

 

 

 

If you want to minimize reach, this happens:

 

 

Both guys Scott fights here are roughly the same height (6'1 ish). 

 

[IBatch]

1 hour ago, RRypien37 said:

100%. Facts.

Sure is.  Ugh.  I don’t want to do this and maybe shouldn’t - but out of respect for the guys on the list 28 career NHL fights is a drop in the bucket compared to everyone but Cooke (which is of course a joke).  It’s 100% facts for sure - like quality of competition and how things went when it was too high.  Brashear was the best fighter we’ve ever had regardless of weight class.

 

If anyone is willing to go back and look at his fight card and compare it - and re-watch them that is on the fence I look forward to your reply. Watched 30 Fraser fights yesterday after one poster said he had more one punch KO’s then anyone. Well guess what - he had - well one.  Five others resulted in knockdowns and his Probert fights weren’t impressive (more hugging then huggy bear).  Maybe there are others but I couldn’t find them.   Go see what Brashear did to Neal and then re-watch the Neil Rypien fights.   He fought Probert 9 times and handled him.   Boogard, Parker, Sandman, Belak, Domi, Laraque, McSorely, Grimson, Odjick, ...plus everyone else that was tough the 1000 games he played lost to him at one point or another - his winning percentage is unreal even without the quality of competition. 

 

Rypien fought three good enforcers in his career. Carkner, Jansen and Neal - like Bieksa the quality of competition matters and affects the record of which he was 19-7-2.  Brashear fought that many times in one year for us and didn’t lose a bout - was named fighter of the year by THN and Tuff Guys three times in a row for us and fighter of the decade in 2010 by THN - and the quality of competition was never better.   Where is his due?   People forget or just never watched him ... Yes everyone knows Rypiens story- and he was exciting to watch.   But we also have to do justice to the other guys too. Neely had that many fights with us and Kurtenbach was so tough guys left him alone (ranked in the top 9 all-time NYRs players and that’s an original six team).    And Keane was considered a top middleweight of his generation, in the same realm as Clark, Jonathon and Corson.  Domi and Ray we’rent far off in weight class either - and Williams was even lighter. 

[189lb enforcers?]

2 hours ago, RRypien37 said:

If you are 6'2 and your opponent is 6'5" + that is part of the technique needed to get a win. Reach means he would get strung out and picked apart. It's just fighting smart with the best chance to win. If you want to stand toe to toe with someone significantly taller than you, this happens:

 

 

 

If you want to minimize reach, this happens:

 

 

Both guys Scott fights here are roughly the same height (6'1 ish). 

 

Domi didn’t need reach to be successful against taller opponents and apparently neither did Rypien, while going toe-to-toe. 

I am not chiming in to derail or refute, with conviction, anything you’ve said here, but McGratton didn’t huggy bear The Boogieman for the win.
 

Watch Steamer fight, he didn’t rely on getting in close either.

 

Healey should be the best modern example of a shorter enforcer doing his thing without a bunch of technical ‘hiding’ from the long arm of tall fighter, instead more trying to pop the lid, rather than hold on and punch the ear, which I hate watching. 
 

Point here being, it’s not a one size fits all technique thing for shorter fighters, IMO. 
 

And a point in general I’d like to make, and I said as much at the time, Rypien was just one fight way from someone putting a fist the size of his head through his face. He just didn’t go against a quality fighter, often enough, no offence to Gill and even Stortini, etc. I loved watching Rypien fight, 10/10 loved it, but I was worried he’d eventually draw a guy who would connect, like Reeves or something. 
 

 

Edited May 5, 2020 by 189lb enforcers?

[IBatch]

11 minutes ago, 189lb enforcers? said:

Domi didn’t need reach to be successful against taller opponents and apparently neither did Rypien, while going toe-to-toe. 

I am not chiming in to derail or refute, with conviction, anything you’ve said here, but McGratton didn’t huggy bear The Boogieman for the win.
 

Watch Steamer fight, he didn’t rely on getting in close either.

 

Healey should be the best modern example of a shorter enforcer doing his thing without a bunch of technical ‘hiding’ from the long arm of tall fighter, instead more trying to pop the lid, rather than hold on and punch the ear, which I hate watching. 
 

Point here being, it’s not a one size fits all technique thing for shorter fighters, IMO. 
 

And a point in general I’d like to make, and I said as much at the time, Rypien was just one fight way from someone putting a fist the size of his head through his face. He just didn’t go against a quality fighter, often enough, no offence to Gill and even Stortini, etc. I loved watching Rypien fight, 10/10 loved it, but I was worried he’d eventually draw a guy who would connect, like Reeves or something. 
 

 

True stuff.  Rypien got his bell rung five seconds in fighting Carkner - guys that big and that good arm blocks won’t work ... 

 

Crowder didn’t play long for us but is one of the better fighters on this list.  His first fight was against Probert which he won - then came into our barn and creamed Coxe.  Actually went on for a couple months beating everyone until Berube got the better of him.   Probert wrote a bit about Brashear and Laraque in his book about not opening up and believe called his little hooks to the back of the head  “butterfly kisses ” at one point too - proud man,  didn’t like losing to anyone, and swore each year he’d hit the gym hard and get him in the next one.  Had high praise for Crowder and Clark though and even Domi except he didn’t like the belt dig - which he made sure to let him know in their next fight.   Said he reminded him of Stan Jonathon (Domi), get you in tight and throw those haymakers.

 

[smithers joe]

i’ve never seen kurtenbach lose a fight. one tough dude.