Edmonton – Home of the Hockey Heavyweights

Another round in the Battle of Alberta. Edmonton's Matt Greene vs. Calgary's Eric Godard. Courtesy of Resolute - Wikipedia Commons

Recent ineptitude aside, for most hockey fans, mention of the Edmonton Oilers conjures up images of one of the most storied teams in hockey history. Led by the legendary Wayne Gretzky and Mark Messier and replete with a roster of Hall of Famers, the Oil were a franchise most closely identified with speed, skill & Stanley Cups.

An often overlooked element of the franchise however is the team’s tough guys. From Dave Semenko to Georges Laraque and now with Steve MacIntyre, the Edmonton lineup has consistently featured one of the premier enforcers in the game. From protecting the ‘Great One’ to waging war in the Battle of Alberta, these are the fighters who have worn the heavyweight belt for the Oilers and, more often than not, for the entire NHL.

DAVE SEMENKO
An Oiler from 1978 to 1986
6’3 218 lbs
40 wins 8 losses 19 draws*

Notorious as the bodyguard for ‘The Great One,’ Dave Semenko is widely acknowledged as one of the most effective enforcers in NHL history. A critical component of the Oilers` dynasty, the burly left winger ensured the Oilers` speedsters had open ice to maneuver, often taking a regular shift alongside the timid tandem of Wayne Gretzky and Jari Kurri. One of the biggest men in the league during his reign of terror, Semenko used his size to his advantage, favoring a grappling style that smothered his opponents while carving them up at close range. Mean, nasty & downright dirty, Semenko bludgeoned opponents with every weapon in his arsenal from fists and elbows to head-butts and knees. The results were brutal and bloody and quite often thoroughly demoralizing for the other team.

On a championship squad stocked with tough guys capable of dropping the gloves (Marty McSorley, Kevin MacLelland, Don Jackson, Mark Messier), Dave Semenko ruled the roost and remains one of the most popular Edmonton Oilers in franchise history. His legend was cemented in 1983 when he fought Muhammad Ali in an exhibition match, acquiting himself as well in the ring as he had on the ice.

Dave Semenko vs. Tim Hunter

Hockey’s equivalent of Ali vs. Frazier, Dave Semenko vs. Tim Hunter was the title bout in the Battle of the Alberta. This clip features Semenko at his nastiest with his late punch to Hunter’s prominent proboscis prompting Jim Peplinski to wade in as the third man. Semenko’s response? A kick to the cup. THIS was playoff hockey in Alberta circa the late eighties.

MARTY McSORLEY
An Oiler from 1985 to 1988
6’1 225 lbs
112 wins 44 losses 63 draws

It is a testament to the toughness and underrated defensive prowess of Marty McSorley that Wayne Gretzky personally requested his inclusion in the trade that sent ‘The Great One’ to LA. A shorter heavyweight, more comparable in height to a Zack Stortini or Louie DeBrusk, McSorley made up for his lack of stature with sheer strength and an indefatigable will. A versatile player capable of playing the wing or defense, McSorley arrived on the scene from Pittsburgh as heir apparent to the aging warrior Semenko. His rep already established following his titanic tussle with Bob Probert, McSorley assumed the challenge as Gretzky’s bodyguard, earning 3 Stanley Cup rings paid for with blood and sweat.

Marty McSorley vs. Bob Probert

Gretzky vs. Yzerman took deserved top billing when the Oilers faced off against the Red Wings in the late eighties, but the fight fans in the crowd came to see McSorley vs. Probert. Probert usually won the decision, but McSorley always stood his ground, with the bout here showcasing Marty’s trademark stamina and strength.

DAVE BROWN
An Oiler from 1989 to 1991
6’5 215lbs
106 wins 16 losses 36 draws

Legend has it that there was only one fighter in the NHL that Dave Semenko feared – the Flyer’s Super Heavyweight Dave Brown. Semenko’s reticence came with good reason. One of the biggest, baddest, Broad Street Bullies of all time, Dave Brown was the true heavyweight champion of the NHL at a time when tough guys abounded from Detroit’s Bob Probert to Calgary’s Stu ‘The Grim Reaper’ Grimson. Following Dave Semenko’s trade to the Hartford Whalers, and with Marty McSorely assuming ever more importance as an Oiler rearguard, Edmonton GM and Head Coach Glen Sather surprised no one in the winter of 89 when he traded Keith Acton and a 6^th round pick to acquire Brown as premier protection for his roster of all star snipers.

Proving once again that size DOES matter, Brown dismantled those foolish enough to drop the glove against him with pugnacious pugilism that was equal parts sweet science and sour disposition. A textbook boxer with a vicious left hook and a knockout right hand, Brown put out the lights for many of the league’s supposed bad boys, firmly establishing his reputation as one of the NHL’s greatest fighters of all time. During his time as an Oiler, Brown won the undying allegiance of the Oiler faithful and his name etched on the Stanley Cup following the Oilers’ title run in 1990.

Dave Brown vs. Stu Grimson

One of the most hyped donnybrooks in the history of the Battle of Alberta was the showdown between Dave Brown and emerging upstart Stu Grimson. The ‘Grim Reaper’ called out Brown in the press before their first bout, a heated draw on Edmonton ice. The rematch in Calgary was a no contest however with Brown starting the lawnmower on Grimson’s face, breaking the Reaper’s cheekbone and orbital bone in three places! Credit to Grimson for coming back after this hellacious beating from ‘The Destroyer’ Dave Brown.

GEORGES LARAQUE
An Oiler from 1997 to 2006
6’3 243lbs
117 wins 21 losses 51 draws

One of the most feared weapons in the NHL is “The Rock,” the indestructible left hand of Georges Laraque. The NHL’s current heavyweight champion (witness his tactical supremacy against the top contender: the Minnesota Wild’s massive Derek Boogard), Georges was never better than during his 10 year reign with the Edmonton Oilers. Wearing ‘Number 27’ in acknowledgement of the Oilers’ revered Semenko, Laraque proved himself to be an NHL gladiator for the ages, quickly establishing himself as one of the most popular Oilers of all time.

With a style as simple as it is effective, Laraque horse collars his victims with an iron grip whilst pummeling them mercilessly with lethal left jabs and hooks. After a decade of destruction, the Oilers lost Laraque to the Phoenix Coyotes in July of 2006 when the team refused to grant Big Georges’ request for a no trade clause in his contract. It remains one of the organization’s most puzzling personnel decisions in recent history.

Georges Laraque vs. The World

Still making his home in Edmonton in the offseason, Georges recently trained Oiler enforcer Zack Stortini in the finer points of fistic warfare. As evidenced by many of the classic bouts in this compilation from Laraque’s glory days with the Oilers, Stortini could have no finer teacher.

STEVE MACINTYRE
An Oiler from 2009 to present day
6’6 265lbs
51 wins 6 losses 26 draws

Current Oiler fans disenchanted with the team`s lack of grit and size long to see the hulking Steve MacIntyre in the lineup on a more regular basis. A career minor leaguer plucked off waivers from the Florida Panthers in the fall of 2009, the 6`6, 265 pound Steve MacIntyre quickly proved himself a willing and winning combatant at the NHL level. In spirited scraps against the likes of Vancouver’s Rob Davison, Philadephia’s Riley Cote and Tampa Bay’s David Koci, MacIntyre impressed the Oiler faithful with his tenacious attack and ability to throw bombs with either hand. Unfortunately, due to his poor skating skills, MacIntyre is still struggling to find his way into the Oiler lineup on a nightly basis. Given the Oilers’ recent losing streak, largely attributable to the team’s acknowledged lack of size and toughness around the net, it is not inconceivable to imagine MacIntyre in the lineup more often in days to come.

Steve MacIntyre vs. Brandon Prust

Though he’s still building his resume at the NHL level, ‘Big Mac’ was a holy terror in both the ECHL and WHL and brings welcome toughness to the Oilers’ lineup when he’s on his game. From glass rattling bodychecks to this methodical murder of a Flame, MacIntyre is a guaranteed fan favorite when he’s in the lineup and a strong contender to continue the illustrious history of hockey heavyweights in Oil Country.

Article Update (11.11.2009) Since publication of this story, the Florida Panthers have reclaimed Steve MacIntyre off waivers from the Edmonton Oilers. Comments from Head Coach Pat Quinn indicate MacIntyre’s inability to make a contribution beyond his fisticuffs were the primary reason for the big winger’s release.

“I’ve always believed in a four-line concept where you involve all your players,” said Quinn. “For some reason, even when we had Steve dressed through circumstances, he didn’t play much … either through a bad penalty, or the first time I put him on the ice he wanted to fight (Brian McGrattan).

“That’s how he made his living, I guess, but I didn’t like the staged ‘OK, let’s go’ thing. Fighting has a place in our game, but in that case he took himself out of the game early on. I wanted him to play and wasn’t sure he could help us on our fourth line as much as I thought he should.”

“In Florida, he’ll get a chance. Maybe they’ll use him to play. Maybe they’ll use him to fight.”

MacIntyre’s departure leaves Oiler winger Zack Stortini (6′3″ 228 lbs) as the club’s primary enforcer. Stortini’s fight record to date is an underwhelming 30 wins, 44 losses & 25 draws.

*Fight card stats courtesy of www.dropyourgloves.com