Ranking the 10 Scariest NHL Players from the 80s and 90s

Fear is not something you'll ever hear any NHL player talk about during their career. Fear cannot exist on the ice because if it does, the ability to play at the peak level necessary in the world's best league is erased. But during the 1980s and 1990s, there were plenty of players to be afraid of for one reason or another.

On this Halloween, we're taking a look back at those rough and tumble days when big hits, big fights and a monster physical presence or ability could be found anywhere on any given night.

Fear comes from being hit anywhere on the ice by a player coming at you fast and built like a rock. Fear comes from running afoul of the wrong guy at the wrong time and having to defend yourself from their fists of fury.

Players may play without fear, but these players we're doing our best to rank here did their part to make sure their opponents were always aware of their surroundings anywhere on the ice.

Disagree with the rankings or have some other suggestions? Let us know in the comments!

Fear and hate sometimes go hand in hand in hockey and in the 1980s, Al Secord was able to inspire both.

He was feared because he was a ruthlessly physical player and an equally nasty fighter as well as a more than capable goal scorer as well. Secord provided the muscle as well as a scoring touch on a line with Denis Savard and Steve Larmer in the 80s with Chicago, but when it came time to get mean, boy could he ever.

Secord drove opposing teams and their fans to madness with his dual talents. Even saying his name in Minnesota will draw a vulgar response from spitting mad North Stars fans from back in the day.

Secord's ability to hurt opponents on the ice and on the scoreboard made him unique among tough guys in the 80s and helped separate him from being considered a "goon" although opinions may vary on that point.

He's most known for his years with Chicago, but he also spent time with Boston, Toronto and Philadelphia before he hung it up after the 1989-1990 season. He had nearly 500 career points (496) and nearly 2,100 penalty minutes (2,093) in 766 games in the league.

You can't have a most-feared NHL player ranking on Halloween without the guy nicknamed "The Grim Reaper."

Stu Grimson patrolled the NHL throughout the 1990s before ultimately retiring in 2002, but the 6-foot-4, 240-pound winger made his presence felt in the league immediately with Chicago in the early 90s under coach Mike Keenan.

It was with the Blackhawks that Grimson established himself as a premier enforcer on one of the toughest teams in the NHL. He was able to carve a role on a team that had other nasty customers like Mike Peluso, Chris Chelios, Bryan Marchment, Dave Manson and Steve Smith. With most of those guys being defensemen, Grimson provided security from the left wing where he took on any and all comers.

After earning his reputation in Chicago, he went from there to Anaheim, Detroit, Hartford/Carolina, Los Angeles and Nashville and piled up 2,113 penalty minutes in 729 career games. Although he stuck around for many years after his time in Chicago and had quite a few more battles, he was arguably one of the more terrifying presences on the ice give his size and proclivity for brawling, and occasionally out of control while doing so.

You could probably make half of this ranking up with guys who played for the Chicago Blackhawks during the early 1990s with the way coach Mike Keenan riled them up to play physically, but defenseman Dave Manson was a special brand of scary.

Manson was one of the most physical defensemen in the league and he hit guys like a truck wherever they were on the ice. Whether it was with Chicago, Edmonton, Winnipeg/Phoenix, Montréal, Dallas or Toronto he was one very mean customer.

Manson's tough-as-nails physical play made it miserable for opposing teams to try and score against his team when he was on the ice. And if things got out of hand, he was there ready and eager to duke it out with anyone willing (or foolish) enough to want to scrap with him.

Being a tough, physical defenseman in the 80s and 90s was different than it is today. Manson had capable enough skill to be useful moving the puck and helping his teams generate offense, but there was no question what he was best at. With 2,792 penalty minutes racked up in more than 1,100 games in the league along with 102 career goals and 390 points, it was abundantly clear.

You don't just get given the nickname "Knuckles," you earn it, and Chris Nilan more than earned it in the NHL.

Playing for Montréal, Boston and the New York Rangers during his 13 seasons in the league, Nilan had a special mix of abilities. He showed in his time with the Canadiens and Bruins he could contribute to the offense, but it was his nastiness that made him a feared foe.

In 688 career games, Nilan amassed 3,043 penalty minutes. He fought, he jawed with everyone and allowed them to get a real Boston experience hearing him talk. It was his take-no-nonsense approach to the game that made him such a menace on the ice. His lack of fear for anyone out there endeared him to all of his teammates.

When you run down the list of foes Nilan's fought, it's a who's-who of some of the toughest players from the 1980s. Whether it was Cam Neely, Terry O'Reilly, Stan Jonathan, Jay Miller, or any of the other guys that didn't play for the Bruins on this list, there was no fear out of Nilan and a reason to be wary for anyone going against him.

Tie Domi's reputation precedes him. For 16 NHL seasons with the New York Rangers, Winnipeg Jets and Toronto Maple Leafs, Domi made it his mission to drive opponents furious with his physical play and if they had a problem with it, he'd be happy to take it up with whoever decided to drop the gloves with him.

There's something to be said about a guy who takes on all comers and seeks out the spotlight when the hype builds up around any potential encounter with an opposing heavyweight. It's the kind of thing that could intimidate others. After all, fighting is not something a lot of guys get excited to do. It's painful and dangerous. And yet, Domi thrived in those moments.

Be it his numerous bouts against Stu Grimson, Joey Kocur, Bob Probert or Rob Ray, Domi welcomed them all and would often skate away smiling and taunting win or lose while the crowd cheered or jeered him depending on the locale.

Picture being a tough, physical player—not necessarily a fighter either—on a team and you've got Domi's team coming in next and knowing there's a good chance he'll be ready to go at a moment's notice. Dealing with a guy who had 3,515 penalty minutes in 1,020 games was reason enough to be wary and weary all at once.

To say Rob Ray commands respect would be an understatement and if you didn't respect his ability, you'd soon find a reason.

Ray played the game as hard as anyone and was relentless when he was on the ice. His ability to hit guys and rub opponents the wrong way for doing so was legendary and he quickly became one of the standard bearers when it came to fighting.

Ray patrolled the ice for the Buffalo Sabres for 14 years and joined up with the likes of Brad May and Matthew Barnaby (among others) to have one of the most bruising and punishing teams in the league for years. And while Ray's teammates were hard to deal with, it was Ray everyone else's heavyweights had their eye on.

Wanting to get into a fight with Ray was a scary proposition of its own. He was strong on his skates, threw punches with fists that felt like cinder blocks, and if things got really out of hand, he shed his jersey to get free and continue wailing away, a move that ultimately led to a league rule about tying down one's jersey or face getting kicked out of the game.

In his time in the NHL, "Rayzor" amassed 3,207 penalty minutes in 900 games and countless highlight reels for his many battles with Tie Domi.

Sometimes when talking with guys who played a tougher brand of hockey back in the day, you hear them talk about guys who were tough and others who were scary-tough. Tony Twist's name was one that came up often as the latter, and I never really understood the difference.

Then I watched some of his fights from the past and it all came together.

Twist was a classic heavyweight NHL brawler, but he fought in a way that was different from the usual class of elite fighters of the 80s and 90s. Twist fought with a kind of ferocity and speed that it was like trying to get a handle on the Tazmanian Devil. If he was allowed to get free enough to throw punches in succession, they arrived with such speed and force it's easy to see how guys would get in big trouble dealing with him.

Twist essentially fought guys like they were his archrival. From his time with the St. Louis Blues and Quebec Nordiques, his career wasn't a long one (445 games) but the havoc he wreaked led to 1,121 penalty minutes.

Fighting him was ill-advised and anyone who sought him out found out quickly why it was best to avoid him the next time.

Dale Hunter, in a lot of ways, was the stereotypical villain and if we know anything about villains, they're often meant to be feared because of the destruction they can cause. And boy, did Hunter ever do damage throughout his 19-year career.

In 1,407 games he racked up 3,565 penalty minutes and while he was not afraid of fighting by any means, he made his presence felt by delivering hits and creating his own advantages in ways that were against the rules, both written and unwritten.

It's that known kind of unknown that made Hunter such a destructive player for the Quebec Nordiques and Washington Capitals. Players could go into a game being totally aware of Hunter and how hard he plays and that he's liable to do something that will really make things go sideways, but you wouldn't know what it would be or when it could happen, if at all.

Hunter's "by any means necessary" way of playing the game wasn't meant to be appreciated by opponents, but it certainly was by teammates. Hunter was hated by opposing fans and probably by more than a few opposing players, too, and hate can just be fear in disguise.

There's probably no one player more recognizable and beloved for being as terrifying on the ice as Bob Probert. The fact he united Detroit Red Wings and Chicago Blackhawks fans in appreciation for his particular set of skills makes him more of an anomaly than anything, but make no mistake, Probert scared everyone.

We could talk up about how Probert made it to the All-Star Game in 1988 when he rode shotgun on a line with a young Steve Yzerman in Detroit. At that time in the NHL, Wayne Gretzky had Dave Semenko to watch his back and make sure he wasn't taken advantage of and Yzerman had the nuclear deterrent in Probert.

Any fight with Probert could've been a lesser fighter's last one. He was big (6'3", 225 pounds) and strong and punched with the force of an actual heavyweight fighter. Think Mike Tyson on skates, but big. Is that someone you'd want to take on? Hard pass.

Probert had countless battles with Tie Domi, Dave Brown, Stu Grimson and other top-tier brawlers and those repeats highlight how it was a select few that were brave enough to do so. Seeking out Bob Probert meant having to deal with him and that was a frightening prospect.

Fear doesn't always come with the threat of being punched in the face, sometimes fear comes from knowing there's a presence on the ice that can deliver a hit so powerful it can change the course of a game or series. That's what Scott Stevens did.

Stevens was one of the premier defensive defensemen throughout his 22-year career with the Washington Capitals, St. Louis Blues, and New Jersey Devils. Early on with the Caps and his one season with the Blues, Stevens was a ruthlessly physical blue liner and willing to fight to prove it. But when he landed in New Jersey, the fighting slowed down, but his physical play grew even stronger.

It's often said that if Stevens played in the NHL today that he'd be reviled and suspended so often it would make Tom Wilson look like a dangler in comparison. Stevens delivered hits that unfortunately altered careers in the cases of Paul Kariya and Eric Lindros, but his reputation for patrolling open ice like a Great White Shark in the open waters was the thing of legend.

Hits like those, as violent as they were, served to be all the warning to every player around the league needed to know what they were dealing with when facing Stevens and having a player who hit that hard at any moment was plenty of reason to get goosebumps when taking a shift against him.