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Old 07-06-2010, 07:39 AM
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Default RIP Former NHL Enforcer Bob Probert


Former Detroit Red Wings and Chicago Blackhawks tough guy Bob Probert has died.
He was on a boat on Lake St. Clair at about 2:30 p.m. when he began experiencing chest pains, said Windsor Regional Hospital spokeswoman Gisele Sullens.

He collapsed on the boat and his father-in-law, Dan Parkinson, administered CPR, Sullens said. Windsor EMS transported him to the hospital, where he was pronounced dead.

The news of Probert's passing was especially sad for senior vice president Jimmy Devellano, who drafted Probert in 1983.

"It's very sad, very, very sad," Devellano said. "He was a pretty popular player in Detroit in the '80s, and certainly one tough guy with a lot of ability. But unfortunately we never got 100% out of him because of his off-ice problems."

Probert was 45, and leaves behind a wife and four children.

"Bob was a part of our very first NHL draft class that also included Steve Yzerman, Joe Kocur, Petr Klima and Stu Grimson," team owners Mike and Marian Ilitch said in a statement. "Bob was always there for his teammates and was one of the toughest men to ever play in the NHL. He also was one of the kindest, most colorful and beloved players Detroit has ever known. We are very saddened by his passing and our thoughts and prayers go out to Bob's family."

In his heyday in the late '80s, Probert was renowned around the NHL as one of its top heavyweight fighters, and together with Joe Kocur, they were known as the "Bruise Brothers."

What made Probert so special, however, was what else he could do: skate, shoot, score. In '87-88, he had 398 penalty minutes but was also third on the team with 62 points.

"This is a very sad day for Red Wings fans as we have lost one of the toughest players, best power forwards and all-around great guys who ever wore the Winged Wheel," Kocur said in a statement. "My favorite memory of Bob would be sitting down before a game, going over the opposing lineup and picking and choosing who would go first and if the goalie would be safe or not. It was great to be able to go out on the ice knowing that he had my back and I had his."

He was like the brother I never had. My prayers go out to his family."

After being selected by the Wings in the third round in the same draft that netted Yzerman, Probert played for Detroit from 1985-86 to '93-94. The team cut ties with him after numerous problems related to his drinking.

Probert's career hit a low in 1989 when he was arrested for cocaine possession while crossing the Detroit-Windsor border, resulting in his being sent to federal prison.

In July of 1994 he was in a motorcycle crash in West Bloomfield, and police determined he had alcohol and trace amounts of cocaine in his system. That led the Wings to decide against offering a new contract to one of their most popular players.

"We did everything," Devellano said. "I don't think there was a player I ever worked harder on, tried harder on to get his off ice life turned around."

Probert played for the Chicago Blackhawks from 1995-2002.

"Our thoughts and prayers are with the entire Probert family during this difficult time," said Blackhawks president John McDonough. "Bob will always be a member of the Blackhawks family and his memory will live on through our fans."
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