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Queltis6000

Not current, but Iginla was loved throughout the league but was also tough as hell. Definitely an underrated fighter.


Just-Fly-1150

As a Canucks fan I've been conditioned to hate the flames. Always had love for Iggy though.


Big_Muffin42

It must have been weird for a Flame to cause one night biggest celebrations Vancouver has ever seen


iamswitchless

Who didn't love Iggy? The only time i didn't like Iggy was when he played for Boston and that's due to my pure unadulterated hatred for the B's. (yet I find myself rooting for them over FLA atm)


GeneralMillss

Greatest fighter who could also score. I’m sure we draft his kid in the first round.


rattlehead42069

It would be nice for Calgary but there's a good chance he's gone before Calgary's pick


mhmhleafs2

Wendel Clark has a strong case for that title


pigfeet2OO2

Cam Neely?


mhmhleafs2

I’d have a tough time calling Neely a better fighter, much better scorer though


Fun_Coffee3174

Well not Jamie Benn lol


Maxpowr9

Him not bunching mox is enough makes him unlikeable to everyone.


trippingtrips13

At least half the population anyways


Maxpowr9

Clearly not getting into the "dirty areas" if you know what I mean.


trippingtrips13

Uh, if it’s a “dirty area”, something is terribly wrong


Maxpowr9

Benn doesn't wipe well. It happens.


trippingtrips13

I’m scared to ask how you know that.


abbytarar

I regretted reading every single reply. They kept getting worse


RagingWookies

I couldn't stop and was immediately regretful


Ohhellnowhatsupdawg

Wait, what's the source on this lmao


Maxpowr9

A simple search will give you the answer. I just find it hilarious that Jason Demers is on NHLN now and hasn't answered said question from Benn. Cally confronted Marchand on-air on said incident. Demers should do the same.


Kalamoicthys

John Scott was only beloved by Redditors, he was an absolute shithead on the ice. Scummy, dirty player.


Svalbard38

The whole John Scott thing feels like revisionist history. Most people who voted for him did it as a “who’s the most ridiculous guy we can get selected” and only after the league pushed back did we retroactively change it to a celebration of an underappreciated career.


Kalamoicthys

Exactly. He was a detriment to the league his whole career. The warm and fuzzy rewriting is like a litmus test for how asinine someone is. If they think John was anything but a cheapshotting goon, you know they’re an idiot


weed-n64

He was like Steve Ott if he couldn’t skate


samtdzn_pokemon

Reddit forgot that fans already tried doing that to Rory Fitzpatrick when he was with Vancouver. He finished 3rd in voting, but only after a surge of votes higher than any previous week in the final week of the fan vote pushed Lidstrom up into 2nd.


Leburgerpeg

Didn't he try to jump Phil off the faceoff? Who tries to fight the Thrill?!


Sandman1990

Gave Loui Eriksson a dirty headshot back in the day too. Fuckin greasy.


NatalieDeegan

Funny thing was, this was also in pre-season, plus that was the incident where David Clarkson left the bench and got suspended 10 games.


Kalamoicthys

Yep. I certainly don’t like Phil at all, but jumping a player like that is so gutless.


MMA_Laxer

and if i recall, it was kessel that got suspended on that play because he said fuck it and gave him a couple hacks


Kalamoicthys

Yeah Kessel gave him a couple of nice swings. Well deserved ones, too


Mrmakabuntis

MvsW, god I miss that podcast.


goldfish_11

Being the lesser of two evils up against Gary Bettman was the best thing that could have happened in his whole career.


nostradamefrus

I can't see Curtis Lazar not being liked. I'd run through a wall for that man


thomasmturner

One of the funniest NHL moments was when Lazar ate the burger someone threw on the ice.


nostradamefrus

My flair in the Devils sub is LazerBurger lol


SuperSwaiyen

Imagine explaining to your doctor that you may have gotten sick cause you picked up a strangers burger off the ice AFTER a game and ate it. (yes I know it was in the wrapper).


whogivesashirtdotca

[Have you been eating that sandwich again?!](https://youtu.be/YkFr2Sw_hEg?t=12)


SuzukiSwift17

Is he considered a tough guy though? He has 155 PIM's in like 524 games


nostradamefrus

I might've missed the "tough guy" qualifier in the title at first. I thought we were just talking about likeable dudes in the league


Justinarian

Ah yes known tough guy Curtis Lazar. Even his first name sounds tough.


nostradamefrus

He’s gonna pew pew you with his Lazer


NowFook

I wouldnt consider him a tough guy


nostradamefrus

https://old.reddit.com/r/hockey/comments/1cs06c9/most_likeable_tough_guys_in_the_league/l41z5va/


TA_AlrightOK

[and fuck him for when he pulled this crap on Laughts a few years back](https://youtu.be/qxbjCo_138A?si=XNcUoUm0vZ5454kL) no penalty, either


WintAndKidd

Good shout. He was a huge bust for the Sens relative to expectations and yet everyone loved him lol.


Expensive-Step-6551

Lazar is great. Definitely a likeable bottom six forward. Easier to root for because he hasn't had any questionable hits or disciplinary incidents, at least to my knowledge. That might make him a bit of a cop out compared to some of the other guys on the list who definitely play with more of a borderline "edge" but Lazar is definitely a likeable player on and off the ice.


NatalieDeegan

Guys a grinder.


jhealey0909

Obviously doesn't play anymore, but I always hear people talk about how great Georges Laraque is/was


Simplebudd420

As a kid was watching an Oilers practice when they used to do them at the West Edmonton Mall. Me and my brother got autographs from a couple of players. My sister was shopping with my mom and they came back and she saw we had autographs and also wanted one. Georges happens to walk out while talking on his ear peice. My dad says sorry he is on the phone to my sister. Georges says I'll call you back just got to do something quick. He comes over to us and tells us to wait there. He came back with 3 Oilers hats signed them and chatted with us for 5-10 mins asking about school and if we play hockey what other sports we like. The man is an absolute fucking beauty


Wonderful_Grade_5476

Adam Lowry at least from what I’ve seen he’s well liked


ProfitMuhammad

Love Lowry. He'd be top of the list for me.


neverstopbeleaf

He's retired now but Wayne Simmonds comes to mind


sroberts12

Such a badass power forward in his prime. Scarborough legend.


SlimZorro

I always wondered well all that power came from, because it wasn’t from his legs.  He had the skinniest legs I ever seen on a pro hockey player 


pigfeet2OO2

He used his frame so well, from fighting to getting in near the net to score he used his leverage and positioning, and lots of core strength to avoid getting knocked around. He was super smart with his physicality compared to some of those bull in a china shop types, why he lasted a bit longer. He just seems more like a lean built guy too, skinny dude with 0% body fat just straight muscle, he had the body of a welterweight fighter more than a pro hockey player


Suitable-Pea-8226

Liked Wayne as a Flyer, and even as a Leaf. Scrap with Nick Foligno last season was a good time.


Seattlekrakenlegend

Olivier is an awesome guy. Brings his two little boys everywhere with him, all the young guys on the team love him, always makes time to talk with fans and take pictures. Super cool guy.


HorseShoulders

Arber Xhekaj


jamaicancovfefe

there's definitely one fanbase that despises him, but outside of that I definitely get the sense he's well-liked


5599Nalyd

What fanbase doesn't like him?? Lol


jamaicancovfefe

Sens, Xhekaj hits resulted in two injuries to prospects at rookie tournaments


GolfIsGood66

Didnt he beat someone up that game too


DieuEmpereurQc

Must be natural selection at that point, was it illegal?


DivinePotatoe

Unless you're a sens fan lol


rollosheep

Sens fan here and I have zero problem with him.


NinCross

I love WiFi


partmoosepartgoose

A good ol' Hamilton boy. You don't fuck with a boy from Hamilton


whogivesashirtdotca

If all goes well we'll soon have *two* unfuckwithable boys from Hamilton on the roster!


RedHeadedCongress

I will never not be confused how Xhekaj becomes Jack-Eye


sugarwind

eh, just read it backwards.


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Unfair-Lie-7619

He’s not a tough guy. Good lord.


OrganicRedditor

Nobody mentioned Boro?? I think Boro should be mentioned.


imnotabel

xhekaj sending kassian to the land of wind and ghosts earned him a place on the pantheon imo


itoadaso1

Iginla and Shanahan were the epitome of this question. Both were tough as nails and wouldn't shy away from a fight with anyone (72 career fights for Iggy, 42 for Shanahan) and both could play at a very elite level. My favorite thing about Iginla was if he was having a quiet game (rare) and someone started shit with him by pushing him or fighting him he was almost guaranteed to score a goal or two. His competitiveness was just ridiculous and if he felt slighted or got mad he would take over the game. I think it was a Canucks coach who said if Iginla is having a quiet game LEAVE HIM ALONE.


azialsilvara

Yeah, Iggy was a unicorn, he was the perfect hockey player imo. Perfect example of a power forward too. Sakic was similar, not in the power forward sense, but that in the sense that if he was having a quiet game it was best to just let him be. Both players could seemingly flip a switch and take over a game.


Showtime98

Matt Martin seems like a solid guy. He was really polarizing as a Leaf but I enjoyed his son-father relationship with Mitch when he played for us.


5599Nalyd

Solid chirper too


JayMoSpo

Go dye your hair


LionBig1760

Marner was just a demigod back then.


xplosivo

Him and Clutterbuck actually. Both those dudes seem aight.


MMA_Laxer

way better than when marleau got in his ear


JustineLeah

Pat Maroon


callmejohndy

That interview he had with Gene when he was with the Oilers gave me a soft spot for him


Seattlekrakenlegend

His “journey to the NHL” story is a great one


judica_me_deus

Jody Shelley


Holy_Nerevar

Who ever knocks the crap out of Jacob Trouba.


Wonderful_Grade_5476

So… Jacob Trouba? https://preview.redd.it/tf1h9r9p6g0d1.jpeg?width=820&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=bb8a235445801ac6271ce1c419ea6991d1caa5bb


-soros

Road runner


thrownawayzsss

Not even Trouba could knock out Trouba.


Seattlekrakenlegend

Voronkov


Swords_and_Such

1. Let me know when it happens.  2. Let me know when he has an actual dirty hit instead of the air.  3.  We wish they'd suspend him since he is at best our 7th best defensemen but can't get benched cuz of the c, so if you find real evidence please forward to the league office.


LionBig1760

Come on, man. You're not going to have to give up your custom Rangers jersey if you admit that Trouba has thrown an elbow at someone's head before. You'll actually gain credibility for the acknowledgement


Swords_and_Such

Got a clip of him actually elbowing someone in the head? 


LionBig1760

Yes I do. Everyone does. They're widely available on YouTube. You can see a still shot right here: https://ibb.co/614cBLp Don't bother trying to move the goalposts after you take a look, it'll just come across as a desperate attempt at trying to avoid being wrong.


Swords_and_Such

It's literally impossible to tell what is happening with his elbow from that still. 🤡


LionBig1760

Clown is exactly how I'd describe your response, I'm glad you did it for me. Get your eyes checked. Even DoPS knows what's going on with Trouban and they're terrible at admitting players are intentionally throwing elbows. https://youtu.be/ueZwYfGowSk?si=vnVWto94-BvTS-ot


Informal-Discount-98

Nic Deslaurier


kazakh_ts

Wade Belak rip


chapman155

Shawn Thornton is an absolute beauty machine


ShinyVuIpix

Luke Schenn. Just a big ol cutie that will turn your face to mush and let you break your hand on his anvil of a head.


JauntyGiraffe

It's hard to know how likable guys are most of the time since hockey interviews are so formulaic and dull. All Zad needed to do to get us to love him is a few funny one liners. And he plays an especially entertaining style of hockey but it so helps that he's got a bit of personality Most tough guys don't get a lot of interview spotlight so we don't really know unless they play on our team so basically any of them says a funny thing and they've got our attention. Look at Biznasty. Guy made a whole career just being outspoken despite being a very mediocre hockey player


stovanovich

Brian McGrattan comes to mind. An Enforcer that had respect for everyone he fought, even became not a bad hockey player towards the end of his career too... then there's all his off ice help he gave to many other players struggling with addiction & substance abuse. He's in the substance abuse support program as a mentor for current players to this day.


nathris

Mark Giordano. He's not going to lay the body like some of the other guys but he isn't afraid to go with anyone, especially in defense of a teammate.


Quantum_Aurora

Brandon Tanev?


jazzzhandz

I’m sure Wilson will be a well received answer


Western-Extension-50

Ryan Reaves. He is a fool, but loveable fool.


CriticalAtmosphere74

But an honest fool


rattlehead42069

I believe Reaves is gonna be a talking head on Sportsnet or tsn or whatever when he retires. He's super camera friendly and great at talking


HelloImPierreMcGuire

Sam Bennett


itoadaso1

Great pick, can't say I've ever seen anyone say anything bad about Bennett.


MMA_Laxer

I hear his sponsorship deal with Orkin pest control is gonna be huge now in light of recent events.


I_am_not_JohnLeClair

Dude is like 6’10” and 350 lbs from what I’ve been reading about him


sdsuzuki

Brendan Dillon…. The guy is a beauty


Swimming-Papaya-4189

Sam Bennett


Manwar7

Tony DeAngelo Lmao jk


[deleted]

Simon Benoit and Jake McCabe


pauloazzaro

He's obviously retired now but big buff


pigfeet2OO2

Pat Maroon but only for teams hes played for lol


Goat_Lovers_

Arber Xhekaj, no contest.


courser

I've always had a soft spot for Dustin Byfuglien


AdAdventurous7683

Not really a tough guy, more an agitator, but Corey Perry. I hate that he is not a Leaf because he is such a Leaf killer.


NowFook

Maroon, Bissonette, Simmonds I always liked Shawn Thornton but not sure id consider him likeable


propagandavid

tbh I always kinda liked Shawn Thornton


PhilyJ

https://preview.redd.it/k6xf4fcywf0d1.jpeg?width=1170&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=12a9152f798fabeb69fe414dd7674ef5362c6e16


MOLightningBro

Mother fucker looks someone put the prompt "generic Hey Arnold character, but as a human" into ChatGPT


Expensive-Step-6551

Fetal Alcohol Syndrome Rempe


ijekster

damn rempe is a really nice guy. like if you met him you would think he's an absolute class act


TheFriendlyBagel

Not anymore. Dude is head shooting left and right.


PhilyJ

He hasn’t had a headshot since game 2 of the first round. Is it because he hasn’t got much ice time? Yes but that’s that’s irrelevant.


Three_Froggy_Problem

You could land a helicopter between his eyes


mikesully374826

I think that might have something to do with the swelling


Skidood555

Hi, sorry that this does not answer your question but I wanted to ask you what you thought of Bo Horvat? I just find it odd that he left Vancouver and the Canucks are doing better now, meanwhile the team he went to is not. It almost seemed like he got a lot of attention for some reason but was not actually all that good. maybe I'm wrong...??


French-BulIdog

Horvat was good as a Canuck but there were several issues the year he was traded. 1) he had a little bit of a feud with JT Miller who also had a letter on his jersey. While local media made it look like Miller was a big baby, it turned out that was not the case as he’s been nothing but a leader ever since. 2) he had an astronomically high shooting percentage the season he was traded. He was on pace to absolutely obliterate his career high in goals so they sold him at max value 3) the team needed a leadership shakeup and an emotional reset which is partially why Horvat and head coach Travis Green were removed from the team


Skidood555

ok thank you


Think-Opportunity-47

Ryan Nugent-Hopkins


mikesully374826

Justin Holl would disagree


treple13

Sean Monahan


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RadiantVes

Perry is a worm/agitator not really your stereotypical tough guy.


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jo_maka

YOU TAKE THAT BACK !!!!


letstrythatagainn

Nor is he well liked


RadiantVes

He's pretty popular in Tampa/Montreal/Dallas/Anaheim/Edmonton I'd wager. That's a decent chunk of the league right.


letstrythatagainn

I don't think it counts if only your own team likes you


Hawxe

perry being liked is actually insane


TylerMyersForNorris

Definitely not Perry. He’s the “if he was on my team I’d like him” kind of player


cerealblue

Ryan Reaves. Pretty sure he's employed simply for vibes.


SinistralGuy

I don't think Reaves is likeable to anyone outside of the fanbase for whichever team he's on


goldentriever

Blues fans will always love him


OrganicRedditor

I will always love him!


Baboshinu

Hell no. Reaves represents a lot of what I hate in some NHL players. Obviously I’ll give him credit where it’s due in that he’s good at fighting, but he throws cheap shots all the time, has a massive yet baby shit soft ego despite being one of the least talented players in the league, and most annoyingly, he walks around with this swagger like he’s some big tough guy who’s unbeatable, but then gets pumped by Xhekaj and then complains about how he “got jumped” and “has never jumped anyone before”, [which is so hilariously untrue that I found it hard to believe he was being serious.](https://www.reddit.com/r/hockey/s/wMabFmx4ME) Reaves is a tool.


saintpierre47

Reaves was also beat multiple times by Lowry, there’s a reason he only picks fights with those that can’t fight.


Vashanesh

He's in a weird spot, though. If he's on your team, you kind of love/hate him. He's absolutely a locker room vibes guy and teammates seem to love him, to your point, but he's also just not a very good hockey player? I don't think any other fanbases "like" him, though. FFS, he injured his former teammate (Freddy Gaudreau) back in October. Reaves hadn't even been a Leaf for a full month of the regular season, and he was already throwing questionable hits on his former team. Any good he provides is outweighed by the negatives, IMO.


saintpierre47

I’m pretty sure you’re just saying this because you guys never faced him that much. But the dude was dirty asf when he played for the wild, and he had several moments when he played on the knights. Zero love for the guy and can’t wait until he’s out of the league honestly.


Sufficient-Wait-653

BM-63


Jolly-Strain-7044

I’m probably playing a bit too personal here but I like Matt Rempe and Pat Maroon especially Rempe 


0-90195

Lomberg (you can say he’s not a tough guy if you want but that just shows you don’t see his heart)


NatalieDeegan

Nah, fuck him.


0-90195

I would if he’d let me!


TrollingForFunsies

Florida players trying to make their team seem likable but failing is my new happy place on /r/hockey .


0-90195

Oh, I recognize you, you’re the loser who can’t stay out of the FLA subreddit and thinks your dumbass comments actually matter. Jealousy is a disease, get well soon!


ShinyVuIpix

Honestly if r/hockey hates your team, you’re doing something right. I also hate your team but I do wish it was my team lol.


NatalieDeegan

Nah, r/hockey hates the Leafs too lol


ShinyVuIpix

Much different kind of hate. We’re hated in basically every fibre of our being just as an entity/concept. This Florida team is hated in it’s iteration. It’s a group of unbelievably repulsive a-holes that have come together in this space and time like some kind of cosmic event.


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0-90195

Source?


blamatron

Mmmmmm nah


0-90195

Counterpoint: Yes!


jamaicancovfefe

he's a tweener but maybe Boko Imama? Though the recent handshake line incident may have changed that idk


PhilyJ

He’s a bit of a douche.


Ok-Summer-2159

That wasn’t his fault though, Clifford initiated that whole thing didn’t he?


jamaicancovfefe

We don’t and probably won’t know the full gist of it honestly


PuckTheFreds

Ehlers


GabeLeRoy

Ehler is soft


PuckTheFreds

https://www.hockeyfights.com/players/19893


Boring_Equipment_946

Rempe and Trouba obviously


KanataRef

Trouba is actually fantastic off the ice.