Bob Probert was a great hockey player first and foremost.
An All-Star NHL player for the Detroit Red Wings for most of his career, he is also widely regarded as the best fighter in NHL history.
Standing 6’3″ and weighing 220 pounds, Probert was big and fast.
In 935 career games Probert amassed 3,300 penalty minutes, the 5th most of all time.
The Red Wings selected Probert 46th overall in the third round of the 1983 NHL entry draft. Detroit’s other draft choices that year included Steve Yzerman and fellow Bruise Brother, Joey Kocur.
He also played for the Chicago Blackhawks.
Off the ice, Probert led a hard life of on-again/off-again drugs and alcohol.
On July 5, 2010, Bob Probert died of a massive heart attack on his boat on Lake St. Clair. Specifically the Belle River in Lakeshore, Ontario, Canada portion of LSC, which is about 20 miles east of Detroit.
Probert’s family announced, on September 25, 2010, that his brain would be donated to the Sports Legacy Institute to assist researchers who are studying the effects of concussions and other sports-related head injuries.
In March 2011, it was reported that researchers at Boston University had found evidence of chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) in Probert’s brain.
We highly recommend watching the 2019 documentary Tough Guy: The Bob Probert Story.
RIP Bob Probert
https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/54526593/bob-probert
