As it’s currently “Lore Week” across the FanSided community, Mile High Sticking is going to look back at a topic most people enjoy about hockey- the “tough guy.” As that term is very broad, each person defines the phrase differently.
MHS will look at this phrase in a variety of ways, including through statistical basis like most penalty minutes or most fights and through subjective methods like “most feared tough guy,” and others.
However the reader terms the role – enforcer, agitator, grinder, pest, rat, etc. – one thing is for sure. Fans have respect for the job and the players who fill those roles. They seem to be fan favorites across the league.
Several players who’ve donned the sweater have resumes worthy of inclusion, as the Quebec Nordiques – the precursor to the Colorado Avalanche – also qualify for this list, but only a select few made the cut.
Colorado Avalanche all-time list of tough cuys
Honorable mentions
First off, the players who made the honorable mention of top tough guys.
The honorable mention of tough guys starts with Chris Simon. Feared league wide, Simon was a player who spent a fleeting amount of time wearing both the blue and red as well as burgundy and blue. He went on to bigger things elsewhere in the league, bouncing around, spending 15 years in the league playing for six different teams.
Simon was a quality player who spent his first four seasons with the franchise, with his best season coming in 1995-96 when Simon scored 16 goals, added 18 assists, and totaled 250 penalty minutes.
Steven Finn also makes the honorable mention list. The 6’0”, 191-pound Defenseman spent his first ten seasons with the Nordiques, playing 605 games for the franchise.
Finn is second all-time in penalty minutes for the organization, with 1514 PIMs. Finn was always a willing pugilist, registering 13 bouts in 1991. Finn had ten or more fights three times over his Nordiques career.
Dale Hunter
The most penalty minutes in franchise history belongs to the player who also holds the NHL’s all-time penalty minutes record - Dale Hunter. Hated league-wide for his agitating, downright dirty playing style, Hunter spent eight seasons with Quebec at the beginning of his career.
His reputation as a rat supercedes his hockey ability. Hunter scored 464 points in 535 games as a Nordique. The 5’10”, 198 pounder provided quality depth for the Nordiques and never shied away from a scrum, totaling double digits in fights five different times as a member of the team. Perhaps most famous for an act he committed in the ’93 playoffs while wearing a Capitals sweater, Hunter logged 1562 penalty minutes for Quebec.
Cody McLeod
According to internet sites that track fighting, Cody McLeod has the most fights in Avalanche history with 129. The Manitoba native played ten seasons in burgundy and blue, engaging in over ten fights in nine of those seasons. Cody was a hard-working fan favorite player that would do whatever it took for the team to succeed.
The only season he had less than ten fights was 2012-13 when he only played 48 games. McLeod would chip in the occasional offense, scoring five or more goals nine times as a member of the team.
McLeod knew his main job was to ensure his teammates were taken care of. He earned over 100 penalty minutes nine times while wearing the Avalanche sweater and was respected by teammates.
Scott Parker
Being in fear of someone or something is a subjective element. What one person fears another may not. As far as members of Avalanche nation are concerned, everyone feared Scott “The Sheriff” Parker.
The 6’5” 240-pound behemoth was an enforcer for the team for parts of six seasons, racking up 538 penalty minutes in just 237 games. Parker did not provide much for the team besides keeping the other team within the rules, but that’s all the Avalanche needed from him. He earned his nickname by policing the players on the ice.
The hulking Parker sported sleeve tattoos, a large goatee, and was very comfortable with his role on the team. Parker had over 15 fights twice for the Avalanche. When Parker was suited up that night, the other team knew their ability to take liberties with the Avalanche players was no more.
Jeff Odgers
Jeff Odgers was another player other teams feared; not because of his size and look, but because of his temperament on the ice. The scrappy 200 pounder played just three seasons for the Avalanche but is second on their all-time fights list with 72. He has more than 25 fights twice, with 16 his final season as an Av.
Odgers played with no fear and fought a who’s who of NHL enforcers like Tie Domi, Donald Brashear and Jim Cummins.
Had Odgers had a bit more time as an Av, he would have the record for the most fights in team history. He’ll now have to settle for being the most unpredictable Avalanche tough guy of all time.
Final Thoughts
The role of the enforcer isn’t an easy one. Being an agitator is a thankless job as well. The players who step into these roles should be commended for their makeup and usually obtain adoration from the fans of whatever team they play for.
For fans of old-time hockey, they’d love to see the role of the enforcer return. Unfortunately, in this new age NHL, players must be able to provide more than just pugilistic prowess to maintain their positions on the rosters, and it’s unlikely the role returns anytime soon.