The Best Fighter of His Era? Don Cherry Thinks So.

In the rough-and-tumble world of 1970s hockey, there was one man you didn’t to face when the gloves dropped. He had the best nickname in the league and a reputation that made even the game’s wildest enforcers think twice.

By the time he finally cracked the NHL as a 27-year-old rookie, he was already a legend in the minors — he was the one player Don Cherry absolutely insisted on having when he built his first roster from scratch.

In this episode, we first dive into the career of this Pittsburgh Penguins legend, who proved he could play as well as punish. We’ll also see why he once called his teammates a bunch of chickens. And we’ll see how he refused to allow his coaches to turn him into a goon.

We also discuss two more enforcers of that era and my personal stories of a man who once punched out his coach and another who almost got punched out by an opposing coach.

You're watching the pro Hockey Alumni channel where we take a close look at the legends of hockey’s golden area of the 1960s, 70, 80s and 90s.

Anchors aweigh!

This episode includes discussions about: : Bob "Battleship" Kelly, Gordie "Machine Gun" Gallant, Steve Durbano and Hilliard Graves among others.

Your host: Mark Willand



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