I've covered a lot of players from the 80s and 90s and even a line brawl from a few years ago. Today I wanna highlight a player from today's age who is likely the most similar to that of a player in the 80s and 90s.

Funny enough I'm here writing the 7th edition of Working the Red Line and it will be the 2nd time writing about a guy from the Kelvington, Porcupine Plain area in eastern Saskatchewan.

he core of what an enforcer was meant for, came down to protecting the big stars. As the 80s entered an era of high skill and high scoring, we were introduced to players like Mike Bossy, Ray Bourque, Mario Lemieux, and Dale Hawerchuck, but no greater than Wayne Gretzky.

The best part of line brawls is that they don't happen unexpectedly. There is pretty much always some sort of build up from games prior between the teams. Even pregame in warmups there is generally a little buzz from players working the red line. 

Probert, just as Domi was born and raised in Windsor Ontario. A much bigger man standing at 6’3 and 225 pounds, Probert was intimidating by just seeing him on the ice. Probert was a strong player in minor hockey. In his 18u season he collected 100 points in 55 games including 60 goals and shockingly only 40 PIMs

When NHL enforcers are brought up and the list of players begins, you don’t have to go very far before Tie Domi is brought up. It helps that he played over 1000 games and finds himself 3rd in all time penalty minutes, but it's more about the person and persona that Domi had allowing him to be one of the best heavyweights the NHL had ever seen. 

Hockey was at its peak in the 90s, that's why I wanted to start with Joey Kocur and his illustrious tough guy career. Now while hockey was at its best in the 90s, to really understand where the tough guy role was created I think it's best to shoot back a few decades and into the 70s.

Sports can be a direct reflection of life. They offer a clear example of how things grow and change over time. Often, we find ourselves watching the games we love evolve with the times, sometimes losing the very things that once made us want to staple ourselves to the couch for hours on end. The game itself will always change.

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