Bob Probert passes away

During his career, there were few players like Bob Probert. He had the hands to once score 29 goals in a season and the fists to once rack up 398 penalty minutes in a season (and to go over 300 penalty minutes in two other seasons as well).

In an era of the NHL where there were numerous players in the league whose sole purpose was to drop the gloves, Probert was the best fighter of all of them yet also served a real hockey purpose as a player who could put the puck in the net.

Probert died today at the age of 45 after collapsing while on a boat in Lake St. Clair, near Windsor. He was 45 years old.

The cause of the death has not yet been released but one can only hope it wasn't related to the substance abuse issues he faced during his life. He was once suspended by the NHL for attempting to smuggle cocaine into the U.S. from Canada and once had a motorcycle accident while having traces of cocaine and three times the legal limit of alcohol in his system.

In tribute to perhaps the greatest enforcer in NHL history, here are a sampling of some of his fights. RIP.