2009-2010 Winner: Ian Laperriere (Philadelphia Flyers)The Bob Probert Award was given out for the first time in 2010. It is awarded to the agitator that had the biggest impact on his team throughout the season.
One of the most fierced NHL agitators of all time, Bob Probert had only just gotten his junior career underway with the Brantford Alexanders when the Detroit Wings drafted him in 1983. The Wings liked his blend of toughness, size, and offensive skill. In spite of his selection, though, he remained at the junior level for two additional seasons before joining the Wings in 1985-86. During his first two years in the Motor City, Probert bounced between the Wings and the minors. In 1987-88, however, he caught on in a big way, scoring plenty of points and establishing himself as one of the most feared enforcers in the NHL. He was once described as the most powerful combination of power and skill this side of Mark Messier. But as Red Wings insiders noted, Probert was groomed to lean more toward fisticuffs than toward the development of his playing skills. As such, he is most remembered for punching a wide swath across the NHL. After receiving a lifetime ban from the NHL for drug possession, Probert was sent to serve a six-month prison sentence in Minnesota, he entered a rehab program that brought about a recovery sufficient enough to get his ban from hockey lifted. Late in the 1989-90 campaign, Probert was reinstated in the NHL with the Wings. He picked up his career where he left off, as a fighting man with a long reach and a willingness to stir up trouble around the goal crease. A second offense would haunt Probert in the mid 1990s. All appeared to be well until days after he's signed as a free agent with the Chicago Blackhawks in the summer of 1994. Probert would be involved in motorcycle accident while under the influence, crashing his motorcycle into a car. As a consequence, Probert was suspended indefinitely from the NHL before making it back to the NHL in 1995-96 with the Blackhawks. Upon his return to the Blackhawk lineup in 1995-96, Probert went to play six more seasons with the team before retiring at the end of the 2001-02 season. Tragically, Probert passed away on July 5, 2010 after collapsing on a boat on Lake St. Clair, leaving behind his wife and four children. He had a total of 3300 regular season penalty minutes in 935 games.
2010-2011 Winner: Ian Laperriere (Philadelphia Flyers)
2011-2012 Winner: Chris Neil (Ottawa Senators)
2012-2013 Winner: David Clarkson (Pittsburgh Penguins)
2013-2014 Winner: Dalton Smith (Tampa Bay Lightning)
Past votes:
2010: Laperriere wins the first award with 8 first-place votes, after 198 PIM and 14/23 fight wins In 82GP. Wade Belak (NSH, 6 votes, RIP) and Jared Boll (VAN, 3 votes) were a close 2nd and 3rd.
2011: Laperriere defends his title with 5 votes, after 209 PIM and 14/19 fight wins in 82 GP. Derek Boogaard (VAN, 4 votes, RIP) and Jordin Tootoo (NSH, 4 votes) were a very close 2nd.
2012: Neil earns his first title with a whopping 10 1st votes and 35 voting points, after 182 PIM and 20/28 fight wins in 82 GP. George Parros (ANA, 5 1sts, 27 votes) and David Elsner (CGY, 10 votes) rounded out another tight race.
2013: Clarkson punches his way to another victory before being traded to Toronto, with 4 1st votes and 19 points, after a whopping 287 PIM and 23/27 FW in 82 GP. Scott Mayfield (TOR, 4 1sts, 17 voting points) and Darren Archibald (FLA, 6 pts) fill out another tight race.
2014: The fierce Smith earns 6 first place votes and 20 points despite just 75PIM, but because of his 216 hits and impressive 10FW in just 12 bouts, after which nobody wanted to face him anymore. Julius Junttilla (PHI, 3 1sts, 11 pts) and Logan Couture (WPG, 2 1sts, 10 pts) didn't punch quite as efficiently.