Probert Lived Hard On And Off the Ice

By Adrian Dater
July 5, 2010

It hit every hockey fan like a roundhouse right to the jaw: Bob Probert died today, at the way-too-young age of 45.

Reports are that Probert collapsed on a boat in Ontario and could not be revived. Life always gets in the last punch.

Probert lived the hard life, on and off the ice. His drug and alcohol problems were well documented. But he admirably worked to kick the habits, and warned others of their dangers.He did a lot of charitable work with kids.

Probert was definitely the best fighter I ever saw. It was really, truly frightening sometimes when he dropped the gloves. You really did fear that a guy might get killed with one of his punches.

"He was the scariest player I ever played against, for sure," Philadelphia Flyers fighter Ian Laperriere said. "I never fought him, but he chased me around a lot."

Another legendary fighter, Stu Grimson, was at a loss for words when reached at his Tennessee home. After saying he needed a couple hours to collect his thoughts when informed of Probert's death, Grimson told The Denver Post and Versus.com: "Bob was a friend and a foe. Above all, he was a very nice man."

Grimson was drafted the same year as Probert, 1983, by the Detroit Red Wings. Grimson remembers meeting team officials from the Wings as he, Probert and another '83 pick - Joey Kocur - all gathered together.

"I think some of them thought we were with the Detroit Lions instead," said Grimson, who re-entered the draft two years later and signed with Calgary.

Grimson said he got to know Probert better when their careers were both over. Together, they were part of a contingent of ex-players who went to Afghanistan to visit with Canadian troops several years ago.

"We got to sit down and talk more and it was good. We played a lot of ball hockey with the troops and had a good time," Grimson said. "I locked horns with Bob probably more than anybody else in my career. We always had a kind of unspoken connection, that most fighters do."

Grimson, who today is an attorney with the Nashville firm of Kay, Griffin, Enkema and Brothers, was known for his generous hand to players off the ice - when he wasn't using them to rough them up on it. He knew of Probert's ongoing drug and alcohol problems, but never probed too deeply with him on them.

"He dealt with things in his life, as we all do, and I know he loved his family. That's the sad part," Grimson said.

Probert will, of course, be remembered most for his fighting skills, but he was not just a pure "goon." He could play too. He scored 19 or more goals three times in his career, including 29 in 1987-88 with Detroit. He also racked up 398 penalty minutes that season. If you really think about that, it's incredible; He spent nearly seven full games in the penalty box, but still managed to get 29 goals. 

As players do after a good fight, let's do the same: let's tap our sticks one last time to a real legend of the sport, Bob Probert.