Robert Probert (born June 5,
1965 in Windsor
, Ontario
) is a
retired Canadian
professional
ice hockey forward. Probert played for the
National Hockey League's
Detroit Red Wings and
Chicago Blackhawks. While a successful
player by some measures, including being voted to the 87–88
Campbell Conference all-star team, Probert is best known for his
activities as a fighter and
enforcer. Probert was also known for his
off-ice antics and legal problems, as well as being one half of the
"Bruise Brothers" with then-Red Wing teammate
Joe Kocur, during the late 80s and early
90s.
Playing career
Prior to playing with the Detroit Red Wings, Probert was with the
Brantford Alexanders of the
Ontario Hockey League. After
being drafted, he spent one more season with the Alexanders before
spending his 1984–85 season with both the
Hamilton Steelhawks and the
Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds of the
OHL
Detroit Red Wings (1985 — 1994)
Probert was drafted as the 4th pick in the third round (46th
overall) in the
1983 NHL Entry
Draft, in which the Red Wings also selected Kocur and
Steve Yzerman.
During the 1985–86 and 1986–87 seasons, Probert spent the majority
of his time with the Red Wings while occasionally playing for their
minor league affiliate at the time, the
Adirondack Red Wings of the
American Hockey League. While he
wasn't the most prolific pointmaker in the 1985–86 season, he
finished third on the team in penalty minutes behind Kocur and
Randy Ladouceur, both of whom played
more regular season games than Probert. In the 1986–87 season,
Probert accumulated only 24 points, but amassed 221 penalty
minutes.
The 1987–88 season saw Probert develop his fighting abilities and
reputation as a tough guy with 398 penalty minutes. He also tied
for third on the team in points with 62 (
Petr
Klima also had 62 points). That season, Probert played in his
first (and only)
NHL All-Star
Game, and he contributed the most points during the Red Wings'
playoff run, in which Yzerman missed all but the final three games
with a knee injury.
Probert's
career hit a snag in 1989 when he was arrested for cocaine possession while crossing the
Detroit-Windsor
border. He served three months in a federal prison in
Minnesota
, three more months in a halfway house, and was
indefinitely suspended from the NHL. The NHL lifted the
suspension at the conclusion of his prison term.
When Probert returned to the Red Wings, he was temporarily one of
the alternate Captains of the team along with
Gerard Gallant. While his penalty minutes
remained high, he also averaged 40 points a season. During his last
season with the Red Wings, he accumulated 17 points for the
team.
At this time, Probert once again got into trouble with the law.
On July
15, 1994, he suffered minor injuries when he crashed his motorcycle
into a car in West Bloomfield Township,
Michigan
. Police determined
that his
blood alcohol
level was approximately triple the legal limit, and that there were
also trace amounts of cocaine in his system. At the time of the
accident, Probert had been ruled an unrestricted
free agent. On
July 19,
the Red Wings announced that they would not offer him a contract.
"This is the end," said senior vice-president
Jim Devellano. "[In] my 12 years with the
organization ... we've never spent more time on one player and his
problems than we have on Probert."
Chicago Blackhawks (1994 – 2002)
Probert's first season with the Blackhawks was the last in which he
accumulated over 40 points in a season. From then on, his points
and penalty minutes gradually decreased. While he never returned to
the levels of point production he achieved with the Red Wings, he
remained a physical force on the ice and continued many long-term
rivalries with other enforcers.
Probert also sustained various injuries during his time with the
Blackhawks, most notably a torn
rotator
cuff injury which caused him to miss most of the
1997–98 season.
One of the more
noteworthy occurrences of his career with Chicago is that he scored
the final NHL goal at the historic Maple Leaf Gardens
on February 13, 1999.
Fighting
In 16 NHL seasons, Probert engaged in 285 NHL fights with a record
of 176-50-59, and all coaches and enforcers considered him the
toughest fighter in the NHL. He saw it as his job to protect his
teammates, especially Detroit captain Steve Yzerman. In a recent
news story, he recalled a time that he sucker-punched enforcer
Kevin Maguire of the
Buffalo Sabres after Maguire
pummelled Yzerman.
Some significant tilts in Probert's career include:
- Two long fights with Craig Coxe of
the Vancouver Canucks in the
mid-1980s.
- A career-spanning series of battles with Tie Domi of the New
York Rangers, Winnipeg Jets, and
Toronto Maple Leafs. One of
Probert's memorable confrontations was also the genesis of Tie
Domi's now-infamous belt gesture, where he guestured to the crowd
as if he had a heavyweight title belt around his waist. Fights
afterwards between Domi and Probert were seen in the eyes of many
as Probert "getting his title back" from Domi. Also Probert had a
series of about 13 fights with enforcer Stu
Grimson.
- A memorable fight on December 17, 1993 with former teammate
Joe Kocur of the Rangers, during a brawl
involving several players from both teams. Probert and Kocur had
grabbed the nearest opposing player without realizing who it was,
and continued trading punches even after they identified each
other. Later on in Probert's Career, he would face Kocur a couple
more times when he was with the Chicago Blackhawks.
- A fight on February 4, 1994, against Marty McSorley, then of the Pittsburgh Penguins, lasting nearly 100
seconds.
- A fight on December 11, 1993 in the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim's
first ever game at the Joe Louis Arena against the Wings, Probert
and Stu Grimson fought 6 seconds into the game. This is notable as
many children were in attendance due to the popularity of the
Mighty Ducks franchise thanks to the Mighty Ducks movie
series.
Retirement
After the
2001–02 season,
Probert was placed on waivers by the Blackhawks. Because he was not
picked up by another team, he was advised that his role with the
Blackhawks would be limited, or even relegated to playing in the
minor leagues again. On November 16, 2002, Probert opted to
"unofficially" retire so that he could join the Blackhawk's radio
broadcasting team. He had finished fourth on the NHL's all-time
list with 3,300 penalty minutes.
His stint with the Blackhawks radio team did not last long. In
February 2003, it was reported that Probert went back to
rehab. During the 2002–03 offseason,
Probert formally announced his retirement.
Post-retirement
Hockey-related appearances
Probert regularly appears in charity games, speaks at conventions,
and conducts youth clinics. His activities as a Red Wings alumnus
are somewhat limited by the fact that, due to his criminal
background, he requires an immigration waiver each time he wants to
cross the border.
On January
2, 2007, Probert appeared along with many other former Red Wings
teammates to honor the retiring of Steve Yzerman's number 19 at
Joe Louis
Arena
. He wore his number 24 Red Wings sweater,
and helped former teammate
Vladimir Konstantinov onto the ice for
the ceremony. The Detroit crowd gave him a very warm welcome, which
he later said he appreciated. He stayed on to watch the game with
Joe Kocur behind the penalty box.
This was noted as a possible reconciliation with the Red Wings
Organization. Apparently it worked, as Probert became a late
addition to a January 27, 2007 Red Wings Alumni game against the
Boston Bruins Alumni at Joe Louis Arena. He scored a goal and two
assists, though the Red Wings alumni lost the game 8-6.
Probert recently worked on the
Mike
Myers film
The Love Guru,
making a cameo as a hockey player. He has commented on the irony of
being given jersey number 28 to wear in the film — the same number
worn by longtime rival Tie Domi.
Legal problems
In 2004, Probert was arrested for allegedly parking his
BMW sport utility
vehicle on the wrong side of the street and entering into an
altercation over drugs with bystanders. Several police officers
intervened and had to subdue Probert with
taser and stun guns. He was later acquitted on all
charges related to this incident.
On July 1, 2005, Probert was arrested at his Windsor-area home for
breach of peace,
resisting arrest,
and assaulting a police officer. Probert's attorney, Patrick
Ducharme, advised the media, "I anticipate he will be pleading not
guilty and going to trial." Probert was arrested again on August
23, 2005, at a bar in
Tecumseh,
Ontario for violating two conditions of his probation that he
not consume alcohol or be in an establishment that serves liquor.
He was released after paying a $200
CAD fine. All charges stemming from the
arrest on July 1 were eventually dropped.
Career statistics
Records
- Detroit Red Wings franchise record for career penalty minutes
(2,090)
- Detroit Red Wings franchise record for penalty minutes in a
season (398 in 1987–88)
References
Other references
- - Source for player statistics
Bob Probert / In Play! magazine
Inaugural issue
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