He also could speak French and English, which made him one of the most versatile smack talkers ever. Here, in no particular order, are the 15 most hated players in the NHL. NHL Player Poll Reveals The Most Loved, Hated, And Feared Players In The Game And Who Has The Best Hair. That guys got a history. The Athletics annual player poll results are out. "I have 3,000 penalty minutes. A lot of refs, such as Rody, run power-skating camps over the summer. "I don't need them to be at 8 percent [body fat . Adam Gretz, CBSsports.com, Teams: Montreal Canadiens (2010-16), Nashville Predators (2016-19), New Jersey Devils (2019-22). For more player comments on the officials and the rest of the 2020 NHL Player Poll, head on over to The Athletic. We also conducted a survey of 441 NHL fans about their perceptions of the most vulgar fan bases. Kory Nagy, 28, is the youngest of all the officials. It's freaking Philly, period. One of those scraps featured Winnipeg's Tie Domi facing off against Vancouver's Tim Hunter. And let's not forget that this happened in a preseason game of all places. For years, this gap-toothed Canucklehead was the most distorted and loathed face in the sport. Off of it, he frittered away $15 million in career earnings, had two lousy marriages and reneged on six figures worth of child support. The left-shot center led all NHL rookies with 57 points (24 goals, 33 assists) and . He reached the 20-goal mark on two occasions and received votes for the Selke Trophy once. Season series: CAR 3-1-0; NYI 1-3-0. Included in the totals listed above: Referee Dan O'Rourke - 120 games as a linesman. This no-talent Hall of Famer (huh?) Over the last 12 months, soccer fans have targeted him with an astonishing 10,141 negative posts, with a large chunk of those (3,000+) coming in August after he controversially gave Chelsea's Reece James a first-half red card against Liverpool - the . Then he turtles. And when the prima donna didnt get his way and the refs allowed him to get away with a lot he resorted to enough elbows, high sticks and foot-stomps to warrant not two, not four, not six but eight suspensions. Then, he took his attitutde to Philadelphia, where the Flyboys head coach and his team peeved off even more people. The only player to reach four figures in points and penalty minutes in league history resorted to cheap tactics that riled opponents and smeared his reputation, sad to say. Not surprisingly, the most hated NHL player according to the study's findings is Tom Wilson of the Washington Capitals. Contrary to popular belief, this robocop defenseman did not end the career of Cam Neely with a reckless low hit. I would say the teams most hated are Pittsburgh because of Crosby and Vegas because of how the league set them up to be good and because of their pregame nonsense. Patrick Kaleta after a healthy scratch in 2013, "(Kaleta) needs to grow up." TheHockeyWriters.com, Teams: Minnesota North Stars (1980-89),Washington Capitals (1989-92), Detroit Red Wings (1992-96), Tampa Bay Lightning (1996-98), Florida Panthers (1998-99). CanucksArmy.com, Teams: Edmonton Oilers (1985-93), New York Rangers (1993-94, 1999), St. Louis Blues (1994-96), Washington Capitals (1997-98). Officials used to come to training camp to get in shape. Islanderman19 2 yr. ago. Players surveyed by The Athletic named Wes McCauley as the leagues best referee, with #4 garnishing a whopping 71% of the vote. . More than anything else, there's a need to keep up with the best. In todays video we'll be talking about The Worst Referee in NHL History-Copyright DisclaimerUnder Section 107 of the Copyright Act 1976, allowance is made for Fair Use for purposes such as criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching, scholarship, and more. (Though O'Rourke was invited to Edmonton Oilers training camp in 1993, he finished playing in Louisiana in the East Coast League in 1997-98; his first son was born that summer and he wanted stability for his family). Ulf Samuelsson, Teams: Montreal Canadiens (1983-90), New Jersey Devils (1990-95, 1999-2000), Colorado Avalanche (1995-09), Phoenix Coyotes (2003. In the 2012 playoffs, he infamously jacked the jaw of Chicago Blackhawks forward Marian Hossa to draw a 21-game suspension. Teams: Boston Bruins (2006-09), Toronto Maple Leafs (2009-15), Pittsburgh Penguins (2015-19), Arizona Coyotes (2019-22), Vegas Golden Knights (2022-present), Career statistics: 1,232 games played/404 goals/563 assists/382 penalty minutes. "This is the most hated part for some guys," Smith says. The judge ruled the 18 stitches were unintentional and acquitted him. 3. Slimey. All he did was skate in circles and pick fights, even one with pansy Phil Kessel of all people. When it doesn't, it's an odd-man rush the other way." More often, a stigma haunts refs; they've been conditioned by abuse and scapegoating since juniors. "It was weird at first," says Kory Nagy, left, who played 306 games of pro hockey before switching to officiating, about taking the NHL ice with guys he used to play against. 1. I refereed him and I know him personally and I can guarantee he is not trying to intentionally hurt any player." Which is to say, very much so. Before becoming an official, O'Rourke spent time in the ECHL, suiting up for the Erie Panthers and Louisiana IceGators, where he picked up penalties instead of calling them. He rarely makes his teammates better, flops like a stoned seal and leaves his feet to deliver illegal hits. Referee Brandon Schrader - 10 games as a linesman. We're making $300,000 a year. He's since gained a reputation as a careless player . Some hits are borderline. He also tore a pectoral muscle while breaking up a fight. But its the little shoulders to the chin, elbows to the chin, small things, slash the goalie in the back of the knees. Yeah, thats about as close as the coward will ever come to a hat trick. He also riles opponents by running his mouth, delivering late and low hits, and has a flair for selling penalties like no other." 2. 3." He simply has nothing to contribute and knows that he no longer has a place in the league." As we cant help but notice, Ovi scores a lot of goals except that he acts like a kid who got lucky on prom night after every one of them. Mexican authorities have arrested the head of migration for the state of Chihuahua in connection with a fire which killed 40 people at a government-run detention . Hed carve you up as soon as he looked at you.. I cant believe I shook this guy's freakin hand after the game, Red Wings Dino Ciccarelli said famously. Not even his teammates knew what the hell came out of his potty mouth. But also, in the dark, late at night, the mind wonders: maybe the woman on the bus has just seen some key part of me that non-mad people are too polite to . Sneaky. So while some puckheads may not particularly care for Sidney Crosby, Gordie Howe, Mark Messier, Bob Probert, Maurice Richard and Scott Stevens, to name a few prominent lightning rods, we contend that there arent enough valid reasons for inclusion here. Yet we blame the enablers as much as Whip for his criminal behavior. If this spit disturber had stuck more to hockey all those years, he might have been a borderline Hall of Fame candidate. Smith is a former trainer for the New York Rangers and Florida Panthers who joined the league in the 1990s to work with officials. Referee Beau Halkidis - 10 games as a linesman. Pierre Racicot (linesman) and Dallas Stars - 18 times. O'Rourke also endured three shoulder surgeries during his playing days, and his officiating injuries include "a handful of knee stuff," including MCL sprains, meniscus issues and a bone taken out of his knee. Note: All stats are through Dec. 8, 2022. This public nuisance had few fans around the league for starters, but when he called out the entire gay and lesbian community, his name had a permanent spot on this list. On-ice drills include getting out of the way after a puck is dropped for faceoff. This kid was an animal, I tell ya, said hockey personality Don Cherry, his roommate for two seasons in the minors. The big lug repeatedly crossed the line yet acted like some kind of moral authority. For him to be the league chief police is like Jack The Ripper as a Supreme Court Justice. They word dirtiest interestingly as 'least enjoy playing against, but would . Frederick Breedon Tim Peel is widely known as one of the worst referees in the NHL, right up there with Chris Lee in his complete inconsistency and extremely controversial blown calls. One and the same dirtbag, basically. These are the professional hockey players you love to hate for all the right reasons. On-ice officials are present on the ice during the game, and traditionally wear a shirt with black and white vertical stripes. NHL, and lastly, MMA. After burning 1,000 calories in a regulation game, how else is he supposed to replenish without a protein shake? "In this business, we're not making millions of dollars like these players are. Referee Mitch Dunning - 5 games as a linesman. 3. TheHockeyWriters.com. We're pretty sure that qualifies as hate. He is reminded that, at this very arena five years ago, he suffered his goriest injury. The Hammer was the baddest of the Broad Street Bullies, the criminals who single-fistedly set back the sport and the league years, if not decades. He developed a program that involved testing (see sidebar below). TheHockeyWriters.com. The guy never played another game. 2023 NHL Draft top prospect Zach Benson may be small, but he can do it all. "My workout is the hardest part of my day," O'Rourke says. When it works, it's brilliant. For every work trip, his suitcase weighs exactly 52 pounds. Claude The Fraud was ankle-deep in so much excrement, it took the gloss off his reputation as a clutch player. A referee could view up to a hunder games during a season. "It's the hardest 30 seconds you're ever going to go through. This Hall of Famer was a four-time Stanley Cup and one-time Vezina Trophy winner, but his most historic achievement was a dubious one he was the first goaltender to use the hockey stick as a lethal weapon on a permanent basis. When Walkom officiated in the 1980s, workouts weren't so vigorous. Thats nearly seven hours worth for you scoring at home. There are two things refs want the average fan to know. He did a pretty fair job of it, too all 5-foot-9, 175 pounds of him. Rob Ray to reporters asking him about a fight, Teams: Atlanta Thrashers (2009-11), Winnipeg Jets (2011-15), Buffalo Sabres (2015-18), San Jose Sharks (2018-21), Edmonton Oilers (2021-present). For Washington Capitals fans - and those who like the rough, edgy style of hockey - Wilson is a hero. I know I didnt feel good about it when I looked at it once again. What made Knuckles even more despised was that he played with the Canadiens, allegedly the standard for righteous play. He seems to get away with that type of thing, and that seems to be what gets him going., "When I want to win a hockey game or walk down a dark alley, I know where Smitty will be. I dont want to be a dirty player." "But I love what I do now." I'm interested in scoring points pinning and winning." Hes the only person on Earth who has a bad word to say about Hall of Fame coach Badger Bob Johnson, which is all you need to know about him. It's basically you against your weight." You're just a mad person on a bus!". Something good did come out of this, though. Worse yet, the one-time league leader in penalty minutes was the rare brawler who had more than an ounce of puck smarts. Ex-NHL referee Tim Peel, Teams: Dallas Stars (2002-12), Buffalo Sabres (2012-14), St. Louis Blues (2014-16), Detroit Red Wings (2016-17), Montreal Canadiens (2016-17). "(Lapierre) probably shouldnt even be in the league and is taking out one of the best players in the world. "Almost everybody had a tall story about hockey's famous defenseman and unpredictable owner-manager, Eddie Shore. The big shooters and their fans grew to despise him, most notably normally mild-mannered Chicago Blackhawks star Bobby Hull, who tangled with him on more than one occasion. The first ended with The Rock in a jail cell after he assaulted a referee in the stands, while the second was a gruesome stick duel that left them bruised and bloodied. The 2021-22 NHL Player Poll is out where 500 NHLPA members voted (anonymously) on everything from the best player to best shot to dirtiest player to best hair. Gov. Another player however hesitated to pick the aforementioned St. Pierre. He sobbed his way out of Edmonton after one successful season, wimped out on the Florida Panthers in the playoffs and mocked the media more than once. This McMeathead is known for two things: 1) an unconscionable two-handed stick swing that darn near killed Vancouver Canucks enforcer Donald Brashear late in a 2000 game and 2) an illegal stick penalty in the 1993 Stanley Cup Final that might have cost the Kings their first-ever league championship. The National Hockey League today announced the dates, starting times and national television coverage for the 2023 Stanley Cup Playoffs First Round, which begins Monday, April 17. 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