Enforcers – what the hockey world sorely needs today. Most of these guys are from the pre-Bettman era. Most could play a little hockey too. Judging by the values of some of the rookie cards, these players are still appreciated by collectors.
Will another player crack the top 10? Probably not. In the current NHL where any tap on the head is treated as brain trauma, it’s unlikely that any player will sit out these massive numbers in the box. Of course, just outside the top 10 is none other than Brendan Shanahan, the man who now disciplines this type of player. With that logic, if the NHL cracks down on profanity, it should put Bruce Boudreau in charge!
These 10 players combined sat out 33,244 minutes in penalties and that’s just during the regular season. This equates to just over 554 hours or over 23 full days (over 69 eight hour work days) or three weeks and two days non stop.
Still, they weren’t all bums. Tiger Williams, Bob Probert and Rick Tocchet could all put pucks in the net. Dale Hunter could score, was a team leader and has his number 32 retired by the Washington Capitals. He went on to become one of the most successful coaches in the Ontario Hockey League and is now the coach of the Capitals.
In terms of rookie card value, Williams leads the way at $25 for his 1976-77 O-Pee-Chee rookie card. Dale Hunter and Rick Tocchet come next at $8 each. Probert and McSorley follow at $5. Only Craig Berube and Tim Hunter have rookie cards that are rated by Beckett Hockey as common cards.
What follows is the breakdown of the top ten all-time PIM leaders in the NHL. The number that’s interesting to note is the minutes per game. Dale Hunter is on the list simply through longevity in the league. Chris Nilan is the man in the group that can truly be considered the goon.
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| Player | Year | Brand | Number | Value | PIM | Gms | Pim/Gm |
| Tiger Williams | 76-77 | OPC | 373 | $25.00 | 3966 | 962 | 4.12 |
| Dale Hunter | 81-82 | OPC | 277 | $8.00 | 3565 | 1407 | 2.53 |
| Tie Domi | 90-91 | OPC Pr. | 25 | $2.50 | 3515 | 1020 | 3.45 |
| Marty McSorley | 87-88 | OPC | 205 | $5.00 | 3381 | 961 | 3.52 |
| Bob Probert | 88-89 | OPC | 181 | $5.00 | 3300 | 935 | 3.53 |
| Rob Ray | 90-91 | U.Deck | 516 | $0.50 | 3207 | 900 | 3.56 |
| Craig Berube | 90-91 | U.Deck | 450 | $0.10 | 3149 | 1054 | 2.99 |
| Tim Hunter | 90-91 | OPC | 434 | $0.05 | 3146 | 815 | 3.86 |
| Chris Nilan | 83-84 | OPC | 194 | $1.50 | 3043 | 688 | 4.42 |
| Rick Tocchet | 87-88 | OPC | 2 | $8.00 | 2972 | 1144 | 2.60 |