Ice Road Mucker

Bob Probert, a fixture from when the NHL was fun, has died of an apparent heart attack at the age of 45. Probert was one of the NHL’s best enforcers and bodyguards for the Detroit Red Wings and Chicago Blackhawks from 1985 to 2002. Forming one half of the Bruise Brothers with Joey Kocur, Probert was best known for his career-long battle with Toronto Maple Leafs, New York Rangers and Winnipeg Jets thug Tie Domi, with Domi adopting his signature move, miming a heavyweight championship belt around his waist, after a 1992 encounter with Probert. Though best known for his donnybrooks, Probert could play a little, scoring 60 goals in his first junior season and earning an all-star spot in 1987-88 by scoring 29 goals then leading the team in the playoffs with 8 more. Of note to the trivially minded, he scored the last goal at Toronto’s Maple Leaf Gardens in 1999 with the Blackhawks.