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“The Bruise Brothers - Hockey's Heavyweight Champions”
The New Book By Bob Probert and Joey Kocur
Story featured in Michigan In Play! magazine www.michiganinplay.com
The night belonged to Steve Yzerman, but the moment was pure Bruise Brothers.
They gathered at Joe Louis Arena on Jan. 2, 2007 to honor Yzerman, the legendary Detroit Red Wings captain whose No. 19 sweater was retired that night. Bob Probert and Joe Kocur, the cult heroes embraced by Detroit as the Bruise Brothers, were on hand to recognize the many achievements of their teammate and friend.
As they watched the action unfold, Probert, whose 2,090 penalty minutes remain a Wings record, just ahead of Kocur, who sat out 1,963 minutes in the sin bin as a Red Wing, reminisced about the occasion when they battled at Chicago's United Center after Probert had moved on to the Chicago Blackhawks.
Then Kocur pointed to a spot on the ice and said to Probert, "That's where we had our first fight." That - meaning the Joe Louis Arena ice surface - was where they earned the reputation as two of the toughest customers in National Hockey League history, perhaps the most famous one-two punch ever to suit up for a team.
And now they are telling their story. “The Bruise Brothers - Hockey's Heavyweight Champions,” is due for release April ‘08. The book is Kocur and Probert's personal story of their life in hockey. And what a life it's been. Any list of all-time NHL enforcers cannot be completed without naming both Probert and Kocur among the elite.
Don Cherry and Dave Semenko rated Probert as the toughest fighter in the NHL. The Hockey News listed Probert as the NHL's best fighter of the expansion era since 1967. An on-line competition conducted by a Vancouver newspaper selected Probert as the game's greatest pugilist. Tough-guy Dennis Bonvie is famous for saying, "You're going to make me or break me," prior to fighting Probert.
Probert was an unstoppable force on the ice. He could fight, deliver punishing hits, make plays and score goals. In 1987-88, he tallied 29 goals, played in the NHL All-Star Game and in the playoffs, shattered Gordie Howe's 33-year-old Wings record for playoff scoring.
"He was a bear, a big, physically-strong player who's able to play," former Toronto coach John Brophy said of Probert. "There aren't many of them." Detroit was fortunate enough to suit up two of them.
Kocur made his mark first, leading the NHL with 377 penalty minutes in 1985-86, a Red Wings record. He was the first rookie to top the league in penalty minutes. Two seasons later, Probert bettered that mark, leading the NHL with 398 penalty minutes.
Probert was known for his stamina when dropping the gloves, a stunning ability to outlast and out-punch his opponents. Kocur's forte was the one-punch knockout. His devastating right hand was as feared as an Al MacInnis slapshot.
Don Jackson tried Kocur, only to have his jaw broken by a single punch. Jim Kyte tangled with him, then had to be helped off the ice when it was all over. Brad Dalgarno got the worst of it. A Kocur haymaker crushed his orbital bone. Dalgarno required several surgeries to repair the damage and was out of hockey for more than a year.
In the book, both Kocur and Probert deal with the stress and demands of life as an NHL enforcer. "I remember those days going into the trainer's room together and we always had holes in every knuckle and they'd ask, 'Why?'" Kocur said. "We never knew why."
The Bruise Brothers also discuss their own opinions on fighting in the game and why they think it is and always will be a necessary part of hockey.
"Joey and I never had any doubt as to the way we wanted to play the game, or as to the way we thought hockey should be played," Probert said. "Our job was to motivate and intimidate, to make sure everybody on our team felt good about themselves and seek to leave the other team feeling not so good about themselves."
"I didn't fight just because I wanted to," added Kocur. "I fought because of something that happened in the game."...
