Tough Guy - 03/05/21

 Hello Hockey Fans, 

Book 11: Tough Guy: My Life on the Edge (8/10)

Premise: The (mostly) autobiography of Bob Probert, famous NHL enforcer. From his youth to his death. 

Bob (Robert) Probert ['pro'-'BURT' pro: 'o' in pro is pronounced as 'o' in "pros"] has gone down in history as one of the most famous enforcers in NHL History. In this story Probert sits down and discusses his career, family, fame, and addiction. While reading the book it feels more like you're sitting on a front porch talking to him over a few beers then flipping through the pages of a book. The style is very conversational which in many ways makes the reader feel more forgiving for some of the crimes and other immoral acts he committed. 

From a hockey fans (guilty) point of view this book was a fascinating first hand account of the golden days and eventual decline of the enforcer (sometimes called 'Goons') in the National Hockey League. An enforcer was put on the ice to fight other players for several reason, if an opponent was too rough with one of your team mates or occasionally to get your team fired up. When this happened the enforcer would fight someone on the opposing team, often another enforcer.* However the role of enforcer did not just mean they fought, many of them were skilled hockey players who had their teammates back. 

Besides the hockey games and fights, Probert also talks about his life of partying, gambling, and addiction. Probert bounces between the NHL, rehab centers, and training camps in what feels like a dizzying rate. Often times he is clean for months or years before alcohol and cocaine work there way back into his life. The lapses causes a lot of professional, legal, and familial complications.

The Violent Gentleman's Hockey Club. Make Hockey Violent Again. Along with several other clothing brands want the NHL to become more lenient on fighting, regressing to the rules of the 90's. But as Probert points out near the end of this book states, the general speed of the skaters in the NHL has gotten faster, and thus larger muscular players can often be left behind.

This book is obviously for sports fans, true crime fans**, or even better a mixture of the two. While Probert does often talk about his crimes, he is not consistently apologetic about them, even when they hurt his wife in kids. For a large portion of the book he simply does what he wants to with little to no regards. It's hard to see him as either the bad guy or the good buy through most of it. But simply as someone who makes mistake after mistake, has the means and money to continue to make then, and the spotlight of the hockey world pointed at him every time he messed up. 

So throw down your gloves and defend your team mate, 

and remember dear readers, Stay Vivd.

*In the documentary Ice Guardians one of the previous enforcers states that Gretzky was only able to do as well as he did because he had tough enforcers on his team and no one would mess with him. 

** Crime in Sports podcast: Episode 120 is about Bob Probert. It is true crime told by two comedians. If you want a shorter overview of his life and crime this is a good source.