Bob Probert facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Bob Probert |
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Bob Probert (left) in a fight with Darren Langdon.
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| Born | June 5, 1965 Windsor, Ontario, Canada |
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| Died | July 5, 2010 (aged 45) Windsor, Ontario, Canada |
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| Height | 6 ft 3 in (191 cm) | ||
| Weight | 230 lb (104 kg; 16 st 6 lb) | ||
| Position | Left Wing | ||
| Shot | Left | ||
| Played for | Detroit Red Wings Chicago Blackhawks |
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| NHL Draft | 46th overall, 1983 Detroit Red Wings |
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| Playing career | 1985–2002 | ||
Robert Alan Probert (born June 5, 1965 – died July 5, 2010) was a Canadian professional ice hockey player. He was a forward for the National Hockey League's Detroit Red Wings and Chicago Blackhawks. Bob Probert was known as a tough player, often called an "enforcer." An enforcer's job is to protect their teammates and make sure the game stays fair, even if it means getting into scuffles. He was also part of the famous "Bruise Brothers" duo with his teammate Joey Kocur in the late 1980s and early 1990s.
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Bob Probert's Hockey Journey
Before joining the Detroit Red Wings, Bob Probert played for junior hockey teams like the Brantford Alexanders, Hamilton Steelhawks, and Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds in the OHL.
Playing for the Detroit Red Wings (1985–1994)
The Detroit Red Wings picked Bob Probert in the 1983 NHL Entry Draft. He was the 46th player chosen overall. In that same draft, the Red Wings also picked Joey Kocur and Steve Yzerman, who would become his famous teammates.
In his first few seasons (1985-1987), Probert played mostly for the Red Wings, but also spent some time with their minor league team, the Adirondack Red Wings. He quickly became known for his many "penalty minutes," which means he spent a lot of time in the penalty box for things like fighting or rough play.
The 1987–1988 season was Bob Probert's best. He led the league with 398 penalty minutes, which is one of the highest totals ever in NHL history. He also scored a lot of points that season, with 62 points (goals plus assists), and was chosen to play in his only NHL All-Star Game. He was a key player in the Red Wings' playoff run that year.
Bob faced some challenges off the ice that led to a temporary suspension from the NHL in 1989. He returned to the Red Wings after his suspension was lifted. Eventually, these issues were sorted out, and he could travel with his team again. When he came back, he was even an alternate captain for a while. He continued to get many penalty minutes but also scored around 40 points each season.
In 1994, the Red Wings decided not to offer him a new contract.
Joining the Chicago Blackhawks (1995–2002)
Bob Probert signed with the Chicago Blackhawks in 1994. However, he had to take some time off before playing for them. He missed the 1994–95 season due to a league decision.
His first season with the Blackhawks was the last time he scored over 40 points. After that, his points and penalty minutes slowly went down. Even though he didn't score as much as he did with the Red Wings, he was still a strong physical player on the ice. He kept up his long-standing rivalries with other tough players.
Probert also had some injuries while playing for the Blackhawks, like a shoulder injury that made him miss most of the 1997–98 season. A cool moment in his career with Chicago was scoring the very last NHL goal at the famous Maple Leaf Gardens arena in 1999.
Bob Probert's Role as a Fighter
Bob Probert often saw it as his main job to protect his teammates, especially the Detroit Red Wings captain Steve Yzerman. He once shared a story about how he stood up for Yzerman after another player attacked him.
He had many memorable fights during his career:
- He had a long rivalry with Wendel Clark of the Toronto Maple Leafs.
- He had tough battles with Craig Coxe of the Vancouver Canucks in the 1980s.
- He often fought Tie Domi, who played for the New York Rangers, Winnipeg Jets, and Toronto Maple Leafs. One famous moment was when Domi made a "championship belt" gesture after a fight with Probert, showing how much he respected Probert's reputation as a top enforcer.
- He had many fights with another tough player, Stu Grimson.
- A memorable fight happened in 1993 against his former teammate Joey Kocur, who was then with the Rangers. They accidentally grabbed each other during a big brawl and kept fighting even after they realized who it was!
- He had a very long fight (nearly 100 seconds!) against Marty McSorley of the Pittsburgh Penguins in 1994.
- He also had several fights with Donald Brashear, an enforcer for Montreal and Vancouver.
- In 1999, a younger player named Scott Parker challenged Probert to a fight. Even though Parker was bigger and younger, Probert quickly landed several punches, and the fight ended in just 11 seconds.
- In 2002, he fought Jody Shelley three times in one game against the Columbus Blue Jackets. This was a rare event, and it wouldn't happen again with the same two players for another 14 years!
Helping the Community
Bob Probert cared about young hockey players. He often bought tickets for kids who couldn't afford to go to Red Wings games. He also encouraged a young fan in 1989 to stay away from bad habits and even challenged him to a contest to see who could stay sober longer. That fan remained sober for 23 years!
Retirement from Hockey
After the 2001–2002 season, the Blackhawks decided they might not need Probert as much, or that he might have to play in the minor leagues again. So, in November 2002, he decided to "unofficially" retire and joined the Blackhawks radio team as a broadcaster.
He officially announced his retirement in 2003. Bob Probert finished his career with 3,300 penalty minutes, which places him fifth on the NHL's all-time list.
Life After Hockey
Books About Bob Probert
Bob Probert is featured in a book called Bruise Brothers with his former teammate Joe Kocur.
Before he passed away, Probert was also working on his own life story with a writer named Kirstie McLellan Day. His wife, Dani, made sure the book was finished after his death. It's called "Tough Guy: My Life on the Edge" and was published in 2010.
Hockey Appearances and TV Shows
Bob Probert often took part in charity hockey games, spoke at events, and helped with youth hockey clinics. He loved being involved with the Red Wings alumni (former players).
In 2007, he joined many other former Red Wings players to celebrate Steve Yzerman's jersey retirement. He wore his number 24 Red Wings jersey and helped his former teammate Vladimir Konstantinov onto the ice. The crowd gave him a very warm welcome. He later played in a Red Wings alumni game, scoring a goal and two assists.
Probert even appeared in the 2008 movie The Love Guru with Mike Myers, playing a hockey player. He found it funny that he was given jersey number 28 in the movie, which was the same number worn by his old rival, Tie Domi.
In 2009, Probert was on a Canadian figure skating reality television show called Battle of the Blades. On the show, male hockey players team up with female figure skaters to compete. Bob was partnered with Kristina Lenko.
Bob Probert's Passing
Bob Probert passed away from a heart attack on July 5, 2010. He was boating on Lake St. Clair with his family when he felt chest pain and collapsed. His father-in-law tried to help him, and he was rushed to the hospital, but doctors could not save him.
His funeral was held in Windsor, Ontario, and many former teammates and opponents came to pay their respects, including Dino Ciccarelli, Tie Domi, Doug Gilmour, Joey Kocur, Darren McCarty, and Steve Yzerman. Yzerman gave a speech at the funeral. Because Probert loved motorcycles, his funeral procession was led by 54 motorcyclists, and his casket was carried on a special motorcycle sidecar. He is survived by his wife, Dani, and their four children.
After his death, Probert's family decided to donate his brain to the Sports Legacy Institute. This was to help scientists study how concussions and head injuries affect athletes' brains. In 2011, researchers found evidence of chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) in his brain, which is a brain condition often linked to repeated head trauma.
On April 9, 2017, Probert's family spread his ashes in the Red Wings penalty box at Joe Louis Arena during the arena's very last game.
Family Life
Bob Probert married Danielle Wood in 1993, and they had four children together. He also had an older brother named Norm, who played hockey but not in the NHL.
Career Statistics
Bold indicates led league
| Regular season | Playoffs | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | League | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | ||
| 1981–82 | Windsor Club 240 | OMHA | 55 | 60 | 40 | 100 | 40 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1982–83 | Brantford Alexanders | OHL | 51 | 12 | 16 | 28 | 133 | 8 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 23 | ||
| 1983–84 | Brantford Alexanders | OHL | 65 | 35 | 38 | 73 | 189 | 6 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 16 | ||
| 1984–85 | Hamilton Steelhawks | OHL | 4 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 21 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1984–85 | Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds | OHL | 44 | 20 | 52 | 72 | 172 | 15 | 6 | 11 | 17 | 60 | ||
| 1984–85 | Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds | MC | — | — | — | — | — | 4 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 34 | ||
| 1985–86 | Adirondack Red Wings | AHL | 32 | 12 | 15 | 27 | 152 | 10 | 2 | 3 | 5 | 68 | ||
| 1985–86 | Detroit Red Wings | NHL | 44 | 8 | 13 | 21 | 186 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1986–87 | Adirondack Red Wings | AHL | 7 | 1 | 4 | 5 | 15 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1986–87 | Detroit Red Wings | NHL | 63 | 13 | 11 | 24 | 221 | 16 | 3 | 4 | 7 | 63 | ||
| 1987–88 | Detroit Red Wings | NHL | 74 | 29 | 33 | 62 | 398 | 16 | 8 | 13 | 21 | 51 | ||
| 1988–89 | Detroit Red Wings | NHL | 25 | 4 | 2 | 6 | 106 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1989–90 | Detroit Red Wings | NHL | 4 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 29 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1990–91 | Detroit Red Wings | NHL | 55 | 16 | 23 | 39 | 315 | 6 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 50 | ||
| 1991–92 | Detroit Red Wings | NHL | 63 | 20 | 24 | 44 | 276 | 11 | 1 | 6 | 7 | 28 | ||
| 1992–93 | Detroit Red Wings | NHL | 80 | 14 | 29 | 43 | 292 | 7 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 10 | ||
| 1993–94 | Detroit Red Wings | NHL | 66 | 7 | 10 | 17 | 275 | 7 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 8 | ||
| 1995–96 | Chicago Blackhawks | NHL | 78 | 19 | 21 | 40 | 237 | 10 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 23 | ||
| 1996–97 | Chicago Blackhawks | NHL | 82 | 9 | 14 | 23 | 326 | 6 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 41 | ||
| 1997–98 | Chicago Blackhawks | NHL | 14 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 48 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1998–99 | Chicago Blackhawks | NHL | 78 | 7 | 14 | 21 | 206 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1999–2000 | Chicago Blackhawks | NHL | 68 | 4 | 11 | 15 | 114 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2000–01 | Chicago Blackhawks | NHL | 79 | 7 | 12 | 19 | 103 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2001–02 | Chicago Blackhawks | NHL | 61 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 176 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| NHL totals | 935 | 163 | 221 | 384 | 3,300 | 81 | 16 | 32 | 48 | 274 | ||||
Hockey Records
- He holds the Detroit Red Wings team record for most career penalty minutes (2,090).
- He also holds the Red Wings record for most penalty minutes in a single season (398 in 1987–88).
- He is 5th all-time in the NHL for career penalty minutes (3,300).
See also
- List of NHL players with 2000 career penalty minutes
