The NHL has seen its fair share of enforcers throughout the years, and many of them wouldn’t have a place in the league today, where both physicality and skill are required to make a difference. But in the ’80s and ’90s, it was a completely different story. Joey Kocur was one of the most prominent NHL fighters in those days, and he faced off against some really tough opponents. However, he remembers one fight in particular — against his good friend Bob Probert.
Both Joey Kocur and Bob Probert made their way into the NHL on the Red Wings’ roster back in the mid-’80s. They were both feared enforcers and never hesitated to drop the mitts against anyone in the league. They soon became known as the “Bruise Brothers” and struck fear into many opponents. But in 1991, Kocur was traded to the New York Rangers, where he would go on to win a Stanley Cup in 1994. And during that time, he also fought his best friend, Bob Probert.
Joey Kocur fight against Bob Probert
In December 1993, the Red Wings and the Rangers faced off in a mid-season matchup, and Joey Kocur recalls what happened:
“I remember Esa Tikkanen took a shot at one of the Wings players, and Probie and I got left out on an island there. We were pretty much at center ice. That afternoon was very, very intense — the crowd was going crazy. But knowing Probie, the longer that fight went on, the stronger he was gonna get. So thank God it didn’t last that long,” Kocur recalls in a YouTube video you can watch below.
