July 9 - 2010 - WINDSOR, Ontario — Bob Probert took his final motorcycle ride Friday.
Bob Probert, the much-loved hockey enforcer who died Monday at age 45 while boating with family on Lake St. Clair, near his hometown of Windsor, Ont., was honoured at a funeral attended by about 1,000 mourners. The casket of the former NHL tough guy left his church, Windsor Christian Fellowship, for Heavenly Rest Cemetery on the sidecar of a Harley-Davidson, following approximately 60 other thundering hogs.
Before mourners trailed the procession of motorcycles — half a dozen of which belonged to Probert — they were led from the church by a piper through an honour guard of NHL players and officials. The church overflowed with bouquets and an arrangement bearing a red 24, in honour of Probert’s Red Wings number. A black-and-white portrait of a smiling Probert overlooked the proceedings while a slide show from his life played on large screens before the service began.
“He was a rugged hockey player and an unselfish teammate who was willing to do anything for his team,” Red Wings hockey legend Steve Yzerman said during a eulogy. “And most notably, he had a kind heart and a gentle soul.” Yzerman said Probert was not just popular with fans, but with players. The former Red Wings captain remembered an All-Star Game filled with hockey greats who seemed most interested in meeting “Probie.” Yzerman recalled good times with Probert on and off the ice. “On top of his fine play, he made the game fun,” Yzerman recalled. “Whether it was stopping in the middle of a fight to adjust his helmet and give Gerard (Gallant) and I a wink to let us know everything was OK, or in card games ’till the wee hours of the morning the night before a playoff game.”
Other attendees included Red Wings owner Mike Ilitch and his wife Marian, former teammates Darren McCarty and Kris Draper and former Wings broadcaster Mickey Redmond, as well as former Maple Leafs enforcer Tie Domi. Most people who recounted memories of Probert stressed that unlike his big bad public image, he was actually a funny, fun, caring man.
“He was the goofiest, most embarrassing dad ever,” joked his daughter Brogan, eliciting chuckles from the audience, before she turned serious and drew tears. “Most of all, he cared for us with all his heart. He loved us so much. I’m really going to miss him. Thinking about the future, I don’t know how on earth I’m supposed to move forward without him in my life.”
Longtime family friend Rick Rogow said Probert lived life to the fullest. “Bob was always a big kid,” Rogow said. “From Cedar Point to motorcycle rides to the Woodward Dream Cruise to skydiving to water-skiing, Bob did it all.” Rogow, too, then turned serious. “Bob’s friendship meant everything to me,” he said. “Bob, you weren’t only my best friend, you were my brother.”
Other speakers included Probert’s daughter Tierney, NHL vice-president Colin Campbell, Probert’s uncle Mike Coady and his father-in-law Dan Parkinson.
Fans lined the procession route for Probert, waving flags and Probert memorabilia. A number of funeral attendees, including children, donned hockey jerseys, while many bikers wore full colours. About two dozen journalists camped outside the church. After the service, family members attended private cremation services.
Probert’s death triggered an outpouring of support for his family and tributes for the hockey player whose well-documented struggles with drugs and alcohol drew almost as much attention as his impressive career.
The former all-star, who played 935 NHL games, ranks fifth all-time in penalty minutes with 3,300 to go along with his 163 goals and 221 assists. On Feb. 13, 1999, Probert, playing for the Chicago Blackhawks, scored the last NHL goal at Toronto’s Maple Leaf Gardens.
He leaves behind his wife Dani and four young children: Brogan, Tierney, and twins Jack and Declyn. He is survived by his mother Theresa and brother Norm, and predeceased by his father Al, who was a Windsor police officer.
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 current captain Steve Yzerman. 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.
The 1985-86 and 1986-87 seasons saw Probert spending 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. While he wasn't the most prolific pointmaker in the 1985-86 season, he finished third on the team in penalty minutes, behind Kocur and Randy Ladouceur, both of which played more regular season games than Probert. In the 1986-87 season, Probert only accumulated 24 points, but amassed 221 penalty minutes.
The 1987-88 season saw Probert not only develop upon his fighting abilities, with an astonishing 398 penalty minutes, but also find him tying for third on his team in points with 62 ( Petr Klima also had 62 points). He also found himself playing in his first (and only) NHL All-Star Game, as well as contributing the most points during the Red Wings playoff run, in which Yzerman went out early with a knee injury.
However, in 1989, while crossing the Detroit-Windsor border, Probert was arrested for possessing cocaine . Probert would end up serving 9 months in a federal prison and would end up banned from the NHL. The ban was lifted in 1990.
Bob Probert will always be remembered as one of the very toughest fighters to ever lace up skates in the NHL. His long list of fistic feats is filled with a fearsome pile of premiere puckster pugilists.
He had two long fights with Craig Coxe of the Vancouver Canucks in the mid 1980's, both of which featured each man pummeling the other with flurries of right hands and Probert getting the edge in each tussle.
He also was involved in two historic battles with Tie Domi of the New York Rangers in the early 1990's. Both fights took place at New York's Madison Square Garden. The first battle saw Domi rip Probert's jersey off and land several powerful left hands, one of which opened up a large cut on Probert's forehead. Probert landed his fair share of punches as well, but Domi's impressive showing prompted him to wrap an imaginary heavyweight championship belt around his waist as he skated to the penalty box.
The much anticipated rematch took place several months later at the Garden. Less than a minute into the game, the two dropped their gloves, and Probert, obviously raging and anxious to engage, started things off with a flurry of right hands to Domi's face and helmet. Domi then got started with his left hand, and the two proceeded to wail away on one another for nearly a full minute. Probert knocked Domi to the ice to end the fracass, and as the two skated to their respective penalty boxes, Red Wings' captain Steve Yzerman could be see on the Wings' bench mocking Mr. Domi with the same fake belt gesture with which Domi had mocked Probert just months before.
Another memorable Probert fight was carried out on February 4 , 1994 , against Marty McSorley, then of the Pittsburgh Penguins . The fight took place on Probert's home ice, at Joe Louis Arena . The two men, both weighing upwards of 230 pounds, blasted away at one another for nearly 100 full seconds, with Probert landing a few more vicious shots than McSorley. McSorley was cut over his left eye by a Probert right hand bomb midway through the fight - a punch which temporarily knocked Marty to his knees. However, McSorley regained his skates and resumed trading punches with Probert for another 30 to 40 seconds. Both players were exhausted at the end of the fight, yet found enough energy to give one another a manly embrace with a mutual respect for the battle in which they had just been involved, before skating to the penalty boxes.
In his career, Bob "The Bad One" Probert took part in many other classic hockey fights against noted ruffians such as Todd Ewen, Troy Crowder, Donald Brashear, Stu "The Grim Reaper" Grimson, Joey Kocur, Bob Mcgill, Dave Semenko, and "Big" Jay Caufield. Probert is widely regarded as being one of the best fighters in the history of the National Hockey League.
When Probert returned to the Red Wings, he temporarily found himself as one of the Alternate (or Associate) Captains of the team, along with Gerard Gallant. While his penalty minutes remained high, he averaged 40 points a season. During his last season with the Red Wings, he accumulated merely 17 points for the team.
At this time, Probert was once again finding himself in trouble with the law. On July 15, 1994, Probert suffered minor injuries when he crashed his motorcycle into a car while driving in West Bloomfield Township, Michigan. At the time of the accident, a local newspaper reported Probert's blood-alcohol level was as high as .31, more than three times the legal .10 limit. The accident came just two days after Probert had been pulled over for erratic driving and had been unable to produce his license. At the time of the accident, Probert had been ruled an unrestricted free agent.
Given added controversy, Detroit decided not to make another contract offer to Probert. On July 19, 1994, the Red Wings announced that Probert was no longer part of the team. "This is the end," said senior vice-president Jim Devellano. "In my 12 years with the organization ... we've never spent more time on one player and his problems than we have on Probert."
Probert's time with the Blackhawks was not the best of his playing years. His first season with the Blackhawks would be the last that he would accumulate over 40 points within a season. From then, his points and penalty minutes would both begin to decrease. In addition to this, Probert would end up sustaining various injuries during his time with the Blackhawks, most notably a torn rotator cuff injury which would cause him to miss most of the 1997-98 season. 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.
After the 2001-02 season, Probert was placed on waivers by the Blackhawks. Because he was not picked up by another team, he was advised that his role with the Blackhawks would be limited, or even relegated to playing in the minor leagues again. On November 16, 2002, Probert opted to "unofficially" retire so that he could join the Blackhawk's radio broadcasting team. He had finished fourth on the NHL's all-time list with 3,300 penalty minutes.
His stint with the Blackhawks radio team did not last long. In February 2003, it was reported that Probert went back to rehab. During the 2002-03 off season, Probert formally announced his retirement.
Bob Probert was a member of the NHL Alumni Association " Hockey's Greatest Family " ( please Click Here to visit their website ), where he actively participated in various charity events sponsored by the ex NHL-ers. He went to Afghanistan to play in a ball hockey event with the Canadian Troops in Kandahar back in 2007 ( please read the article below ) ...
Also in 2007 Bob wrote a book " The Bruise Brothers " with ex team mate Joey Kocur, which is for sale online. Please see below to order the book.
As the Stanley Cup gleamed on the sidelines, a team of NHL veterans handily defeated Canadian soldiers Thursday in a spirited game of Afghanistan ball hockey.
Team Task Force Afghanistan took on Team Canada, which included 17 former NHL stars such as Bob Probert and Mark Napier.
The former pros arrived in Kandahar with Chief of Defence Staff Gen. Rick Hillier and hockey's top prize — the Stanley Cup — on Wednesday.
While the soldiers lost 7-1, the game gave the more than 2,000 Canadian soldiers in Kandahar a few hours of distraction from the conflict raging outside the walls of the military base.
The morning game took place under the scorching Afghan sun, with temperatures pushing close to 40 C. "Never played in anything this hot, but never had so much fun either," said Napier.
It was so hot that midway through the third period, goaltender Ron Tugnutt had an iced cappuccino delivered to him in the crease. "I felt that was just the treat I need to get me through the game," said Tugnutt. "It was extremely hot with all that equipment on. I’m almost back to my playing weight."
"It's absolutely amazing what they are doing here. This has been a truly enlightening experience for me and something I'll never forget," he said.
Longtime Toronto Maple Leafs enforcer Dave (Tiger) Williams lived up to his reputation, taunting the referees and getting into a playful scrap with Cpl. Mike Loder of the 2nd Newfoundland Regiment.
Maj. Steve Bassindale, who played goal for the soldiers, said he'll never forget the experience. "Awesome! Best thing that will ever happen on this tour happened to me in the last two or three hours," said Bassindale.
Cpt. Gillian Worstfold, one of several hundred soldiers who lined the boards to watch the game, said the NHL players' visit is a great morale booster. "Makes us very proud that they're willing to come out here and lift our spirits and make our morale very sky-high," she said.
Soldiers at the base have been dealing with the deaths of eight Canadian soldiers, who were killed by roadside bombs in the past month.
Newfoundland singer Terry Kelly was to perform at a barbecue Thursday evening, when troops will get a rare treat — a couple of beers.
