Bob Probert’s Stats & Bio

Born: June 5, 1965 (1965-06-05) Windsor, ON, CAN
Height: 6 ft 3 in
Weight: 225 lb
Position: Right Wing
Shoots: Left
Pro clubs: AHL, Adirondack Red Wings
NHL: Detroit Red Wings & Chicago Blackhawks
NHL Draft: 46th overall, 1983 Detroit Red Wings
Playing career: 1985 – 2002

Bob Probert is best known for his activities as a fighter and enforcer.  Probert is also known for being one half of the "Bruise Brothers" with then-Red Wing teammate Joe "Joey" Kocur, during the late 80s and early 90s.

Prior to playing with the Detroit Red Wings, Probert was with the Brantford Alexanders of the Ontario Hockey League. After being drafted, he spent one more season with the Alexanders before spending his 1984–85 season with both the Hamilton Steelhawks and the Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds of the OHL.

Bob Probert was drafted as the 4th pick in the third round (46th overall) in the 1983 NHL Entry Draft, in which the Red Wings also selected Kocur and Steve Yzerman.

During the 1985–86 and 1986–87 seasons, Bob Probert spent the majority of his time with the Red Wings while occasionally playing for their minor league affiliate at the time, the Adirondack Red Wings of the American Hockey League. In the 1985–86 season, he finished third on the team in penalty minutes. In the 1986–87 season, Probert accumulated 24 points, and amassed 221 penalty minutes.

The 1987–88 season saw Bob Probert develop his fighting abilities and reputation as a tough guy with 398 penalty minutes. Probert saw it as his job to protect his teammates, especially Detroit captain Steve Yzerman. He tied for third on the team in points with 62. That season, Probert played in his first NHL All-Star Game, and he contributed the most points during the Red Wings' playoff run.

Bob Probert's first season with the Blackhawks he accumulated over 40 points. Probert remained a physical force on the ice and continued many long-term rivalries with other enforcers. One of the more noteworthy occurrences of his career with Chicago is that he scored the final NHL goal at the historic Maple Leaf Gardens on February 13, 1999.

Fight Highlights of Bob Probert's career include:

* Two long fights with Craig Coxe of the Vancouver Canucks in the mid-1980s.

* A career-spanning series of battles with Tie Domi of the New York Rangers, Winnipeg Jets, and Toronto Maple Leafs. One of Probert's memorable confrontations was also the genesis of Tie Domi's now-infamous belt gesture, where he guestured to the crowd as if he had a heavyweight title belt around his waist. Fights afterwards between Domi and Probert were seen in the eyes of many as Probert "getting his title back" from Domi.

* A career-spanning series of fights with longtime enforcer Stu Grimson, including a fight in December 1993 when the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim made their first visit ever to Detroit.

* A memorable fight on December 17, 1993 with former teammate Joey Kocur of the Rangers, during a brawl involving several players from both teams. Probert and Kocur had grabbed the nearest opposing player without realizing who it was, and continued trading punches even after they identified each other. Later on in Probert's career, he would face Kocur a couple more times when he was with the Chicago Blackhawks.

* A fight on February 4, 1994, against Marty McSorley, then of the Pittsburgh Penguins, lasting nearly 100 seconds.

Order Your Copy of the Bruise Brothers – Hockey’s Heavyweight Champions!
Autographed by Joe Kocur & Bob Probert

Two of the most prominent heavyweights in the NHL history, Kocur led the NHL with a Detroit club record 377 penalty minutes as a rookie in 1985-86, becoming the first Detroit rookie to ever lead the league in this department. Two years later, Probert earned 398 minutes of penalty minutes, leading the NHL. During the 1987-88 season, Probert scored 29 goals and was selected to play in the NHL All-Star Game. During his career he was a two-time 20 goal scorer. Kocur left the Red Wings in 1991, won a Stanley Cup with the New York Rangers in 1993-4, then returned to Detroit for the 1996-7 season, helping to win a pair of Stanley Cups for Detroit.