They don’t make them like Dave “Tiger” Williams anymore. His vicious and extreme playing style made him a huge fan favorite on every team he played for—and he was blessed with the gift of chirping, too. One time, he skated up to a rookie goalie and asked him one of the funniest questions imaginable.
Tiger Williams was truly one of a kind. He holds the record for the most career regular-season penalty minutes and remains the all-time leader even when including playoff minutes. When he retired, he was just 29 penalty minutes shy of reaching 4,000 (!), and he still holds the franchise record for most playoff penalty minutes with both the Toronto Maple Leafs and the Vancouver Canucks.
But Williams was more than just an enforcer—he could play, too. In the 1980-81 season, he scored an impressive 35 goals, earning a spot in the mid-season All-Star Game, where he played on a line with Wayne Gretzky and Mike Bossy. And just like his playing style, his chirping skills were next level.
Tiger Williams perfect words to rookie
During a game between the Vancouver Canucks and Washington Capitals, the Caps were forced into a goalie change after Mike Palmateer suffered an injury late in the second period. Rookie goaltender Dave Parro came in, and Williams immediately skated over to him.
“There was a faceoff deep in our end,” Parro told the Saskatoon Star Phoenix, per Vancouver Hockey Insider. “Tiger doesn’t line up. He skates right up to me, puts his nose against my facemask, and asks, ‘Hey, where’s your weakness?’”
Parro laughed at Williams’ comment—but he wasn’t laughing later in the game when Tiger started crowding his crease.
“I tapped him on the ankle. He came back for more, and I really gave it to him,” Parro said. “He turned around and pitchforked me. If I hadn’t moved, it would have been my throat.”
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