Michael J. Hartman (born February 7, 1967 in Detroit, Michigan) is a retired professional ice hockey player. Hartman was drafted in the seventh round, 131st overall, by the Buffalo Sabres in the 1986 NHL Entry Draft.

Hartman played Canadian junior hockey with the Belleville Bulls and North Bay Centennials of the Ontario Hockey League, where he compiled 102 points and 473 penalty minutes in 138 games. Hartman represented the United States at the World Junior Championships in 1987 and made the Sabres later that same year, as he amassed six points in 17 National Hockey League (NHL) games.^[1]

On April 29, 2012 Hartman will be inducted into the National Jewish Sports Hall of Fame and Museum in a ceremony in Commack, N.Y ^[2]

Biography[link]

Hartman split the following season between Buffalo and their AHL affiliate, the Rochester Americans, before becoming a full-time NHL'er in 1988–89. That season, Hartman racked up a career-high 316 penalty minutes and added 8 goals. The 1989–90 season proved to be Hartman's best statistically, as he scored a career-high 11 goals and 10 assists and led the Sabres in penalty minutes for the second straight year with 211.^[1]

At the beginning of the 1991–92 season, after three full seasons with the Sabres, Hartman was part of a five player swap with the Winnipeg Jets. The Sabres traded Hartman, forward Darrin Shannon and defenceman Dean Kennedy to the Jets in exchange for forward Dave McLlwain, defenceman Gord Donnelly and the Jets' fifth round pick in the 1992 NHL Entry Draft (Yuri Khmylev). Hartman accounted for eight points and 264 penalty minutes in his only year with the Jets, who left him unprotected in the expansion draft that followed the season.^[1]

Hartman was leading the team with 154 penalty minutes. At the trade deadline that season, Hartman was traded to the New York Rangers for forward Randy Gilhen. Hartman played his final 39 NHL games over parts of the next three seasons with the Rangers, scoring one goal and amassing 80 penalty minutes. For his NHL career, Hartman scored 43 goals, added 35 assists and had 1388 penalty minutes in 397 regular season contests.^[1]

In 1995, Hartman moved to the IHL's Orlando Solar Bears, where he scored 24 points in 77 games. Hartman played four of his last five professional seasons with the Charlotte Checkers of the ECHL, retiring after the 2003–04 season. The exception was the 1998–99 season, which he spent with Kölner Haie of Germany's Deutsche Eishockey Liga. That season, Hartman also played three games for USA Hockey's qualifying squad which won a berth in the World Championships.^[1]

See also[link]

• List of select Jewish ice hockey players

References[link]

External links[link]

• Mike Hartman's career stats at The Internet Hockey Database
• Mike Hartman's biography at Legends of Hockey

Tahir "Tie" Domi (born November 1, 1969) is a retired Canadian professional ice hockey player. During a sixteen-year NHL career when he was known for his role as an enforcer, he played for the Toronto Maple Leafs, New York Rangers and Winnipeg Jets.

Playing career[link]

Minor hockey[link]

Domi grew up in the town of Belle River, Ontario playing minor hockey for the local Belle River Rink Rats (OMHA). His parents are from the town of Bitola, in modern-day Republic of Macedonia, and are of Albanian ethnicity. As a 15-year old, Domi played for the Belle River Canadiens Jr. "C." (GLJCHL). As a 16-year old, he played for the Windsor Bulldogs Jr. "B." (WOJBHL) hockey club.

He was selected in the seventh round (102nd overall) in the 1986 OHL Priority Selection by the Peterborough Petes. Domi spent one year as a part-time player with the Petes, and playing with the local Peterborough Roadrunners Jr.B. (MetJHL), he didn't become a regular member of the Petes line-up until he was 18. Domi quickly made his mark in the OHL, gaining a reputation as an enforcer.

Professional[link]

He was drafted in 1988 by the Toronto Maple Leafs in the second round, 27th overall. In 1989, he turned professional with the Newmarket Saints, the American Hockey League affiliate of the Leafs. After two games with the Leafs, he was traded to the New York Rangers in 1990. In 1992 he was traded again to the Winnipeg Jets.

Return to Toronto[link]

In 1995, Domi was traded back to the Toronto Maple Leafs. He has more penalty minutes than any other player in the history of the Maple Leafs (see Maple Leafs records) and third overall in penalty minutes in NHL history. In the 1997–98 season, Domi set a Leafs single-season record with 365 penalty minutes, passing a mark set by Tiger Williams in the 1977–78 season.

In 1995, New York Rangers' defenseman Ulf Samuelsson was famously knocked unconscious by a sucker punch to the face from Domi. Domi received an eight-game suspension and a fine for the incident, described by some as one of the cheapest shots in NHL history.^[1] Domi insisted that Samuelsson provoked the punch by repeatedly calling him "dummy".^[2]

On June 30, 2002, Domi was traded to the Nashville Predators by Toronto for Nashville's 8th round choice (Shaun Landolt) in the 2003 NHL Entry Draft. He never played a game with Nashville, later resigning with Toronto as a free agent on July 14, 2002.

In what turned out to be his final season of 2005–06, Domi scored his 100th NHL goal. Also, Domi played his 1,000th career NHL game, on March 3, 2006 against the Buffalo Sabres. Seven days later, on March 10, 2006, Domi was a healthy scratch for the Maple Leafs game versus the New York Islanders. It was the first time since the 1999 playoffs that Tie had been made a healthy scratch by coach Pat Quinn. Domi stated publicly that he was not happy with being benched, a fact that was underlined by his staying in his hotel room, not arriving at the game until after the second period. This is widely regarded as a contributing factor in the decision to buy out his contract.^[3]

On June 30, 2006, the Toronto Maple Leafs opted to buy out the final year of Domi's contract.^[4] Domi became a free agent on July 1, 2006, and on September 19, 2006, Tie Domi announced his retirement from the NHL and a new position in broadcasting on TSN. His "career" with TSN lasted less than one month and he was quietly removed from the TSN airwaves after proving himself to be uncomfortable and awkward on television. While he knew the game he was hired to analyze, he was unable to project this to an audience.^[5]

He had his best season in the 2003-04 NHL season, where he set career highs of 15 goals and 29 points.

Notable incidents[link]

Domi was involved in several incidents where he has been suspended or fined by the NHL:

• In October 1995, Domi was suspended for eight games and fined for a sucker punch to Ulf Samuelsson of the New York Rangers.
• During the 2000–01 season, Domi was fined $1,000 (max at the time) for an incident involving a fan during a game in Philadelphia. Sitting in the penalty box, Domi used his water bottle to spray water at a heckler, prompting another Philadelphia Flyers fan (Chris Trumbore) to begin yelling at him and climbing up the glass. The glass panel gave way, and the fan fell into the penalty box where Domi was seated. Flyers management got an earful and, reportedly, a fine, for not having better crowd control and security in place.^[6]
• On May 3, 2001, in the closing seconds of Game 4 of the 2001 Eastern Conference Semi-finals, well away from the play, Domi threw an elbow at the head of New Jersey Devils defenceman Scott Niedermayer, knocking him unconscious. Domi received a five-minute intent to injure penalty, and was later suspended by the league for the remainder of the playoffs.

Off the ice[link]

Domi has tried his hand at acting, appearing in the 1999 independent film Men of Means. He also appeared briefly in the hockey-themed comedy Mystery, Alaska as himself. He has also been involved in a number of other pro and semi-pro sports; he played a full season for Kosovo of the Canadian International Soccer League during the summer of 1995, and appeared in two pre-season exhibition games as a placekicker for the Toronto Argonauts of the Canadian Football League.^[7]

In 2004, Domi and his wife Leanne filed suit against Ottawa sports radio station The Team 1200 after commentator Don "Dandyman" Romani insinuated on the air that Domi beat his wife. The lawsuit was dropped after Romani left the station, who apologized to the Domis, and said his remarks were "an ill-advised attempt at humour".^[8]

In the mid-1990s, Domi was romantically linked to Canadian Member of Parliament Belinda Stronach. Stronach was accused of being a "homewrecker", as Domi was married at the time and the relationship ultimately led to his wife filing for divorce.^[9]

Tie and Leanne, who are now divorced, have three children: daughters Carlin and Avery Rose, and son Max. On September 26, 2006, a temporary settlement in their divorce was struck.

In October 2009, Domi began competing as a pairs figure skater on the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, reality show Battle of the Blades with Christine Hough.

In March 2010, Domi was an assistant coach with the Don Mills Flyers Bantams and helped lead the team to the All-Ontario AAA Championship in Ottawa.

Career statistics[link]

See also[link]

• List of NHL players with 1000 games played
• List of NHL players with 2000 career penalty minutes

Footnotes[link]

External links[link]

• Official website
• Tie Domi's career stats at The Internet Hockey Database
• Tie Domi - Hockeygoon.com
• hockeyfights.com - Tie Domi
• ESPN The Magazine profile on Domi
• Tie Domi at the Internet Movie Database

Robert Alan Probert (June 5, 1965 – July 5, 2010) was a Canadian professional ice hockey forward. Probert played for the National Hockey League's Detroit Red Wings and Chicago Blackhawks. While a successful player by some measures, including being voted to the 1987–88 Campbell Conference all-star team, Probert was best known for his activities as a fighter and enforcer, as well as being one half of the "Bruise Brothers" with then-Red Wing teammate Joey Kocur, during the late 1980s and early 1990s.^[1] Probert was also known for his off-ice antics and legal problems.

Playing career[link]

Prior to playing with the Detroit Red Wings, Probert was with the Brantford Alexanders of the Ontario Hockey League. After being drafted, he spent one more season with the Alexanders before spending his 1984–85 season with both the Hamilton Steelhawks and the Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds of the OHL.

Detroit Red Wings (1985–1994)[link]

Probert was drafted as the fourth pick in the third round (46th overall) in the 1983 NHL Entry Draft, in which the Red Wings also selected Kocur and Steve Yzerman.

During the 1985–86 and 1986–87 seasons, Probert spent the majority of his time with the Red Wings while occasionally playing for their minor league affiliate Adirondack Red Wings of the American Hockey League. In the 1985–86 season, he finished third on the team in penalty minutes behind Kocur and Randy Ladouceur, both of whom played more regular season games than Probert. In the 1986–87 season, Probert accumulated only 24 points, but amassed 221 penalty minutes.

The 1987–88 season was the pinnacle of Probert's career. He cemented his reputation as an enforcer with a league-leading 398 penalty minutes, the sixth-highest single-season total in NHL history.^[2] He also tied for third on the team with 62 points, and played in his only NHL All-Star Game. In addition he contributed the most points during the Red Wings' playoff run, in which Yzerman missed all but the final three games with a knee injury.

Probert's career hit a snag in 1989 when he was arrested for cocaine possession while crossing the Detroit-Windsor border.^[3] U.S. Customs agents at the Detroit-Windsor Tunnel found 14 grams of cocaine hidden in Probert's underpants.^[4] He served three months in a federal prison in Minnesota, three more months in a halfway house, and was indefinitely suspended from the NHL. The NHL lifted the suspension at the conclusion of his prison term.^[5] Probert was initially ordered to be deported to Canada following his conviction, but he immediately filed for an appeal. The appeal process allowed him to resume his career with the Red Wings, but barred him from traveling with the team to Canada, as he would not be allowed to return to the United States. The matter was resolved on December 7, 1992, when the Immigration and Naturalization Service granted his appeal, restoring his travel privileges between the United States and Canada.^[6]

When Probert returned to the Red Wings, he was temporarily one of the alternate captains of the team along with Gerard Gallant. While his penalty minutes remained high, he also averaged 40 points a season. During his last season with the Red Wings, he accumulated only 17 points for the team.

At this time, Probert once again got into trouble with the law. On July 15, 1994, he suffered minor injuries when he crashed his motorcycle into a car in West Bloomfield Township, Michigan. Police determined that his blood alcohol level was approximately triple the legal limit, and that there were also trace amounts of cocaine in his system.^[7] At the time of the accident, Probert had been ruled an unrestricted free agent. On July 19, the Red Wings announced that they would not offer him a contract. "This is the end," said senior vice-president Jim Devellano. "[In] my 12 years with the organization ... we've never spent more time on one player and his problems than we have on Probert."

Chicago Blackhawks (1995–2002)[link]

Probert signed with the Chicago Blackhawks on July 23, 1994, but was placed on inactive status by commissioner Gary Bettman in September 1994 while Probert entered rehab following his July 15 crash and subsequent drunk-driving charge.^[8] As a result, Probert sat out the lockout-shortened 1994-95 season before joining the Blackhawks.

Probert's first season with the Blackhawks was the last in which he accumulated over 40 points in a season. From then on, his points and penalty minutes gradually decreased. While he never returned to the levels of point production he achieved with the Red Wings, he remained a physical force on the ice and continued many long-term rivalries with other enforcers.^[9]

Probert also sustained various injuries during his time with the Blackhawks, most notably a torn rotator cuff injury which caused him to miss most of the 1997–98 season.^[7] One of the more noteworthy occurrences of his career with Chicago is that he scored the final NHL goal at the historic Maple Leaf Gardens on February 13, 1999.^[10]

Fighting[link]

Probert often saw it as his job to protect his teammates, especially Detroit captain Steve Yzerman. In a 2007 news story, he recalled a time that he sucker-punched enforcer Kevin Maguire of the Buffalo Sabres (December 23, 1987) after Maguire attacked Yzerman. Maguire then unsuccessfully attempted to avoid Probert.^[11]

Some significant tilts in Probert's career include:^[9]

• A long-standing rivalry with the Toronto Maple Leafs' Wendel Clark.
• Two long fights with Craig Coxe of the Vancouver Canucks in the mid-1980s.
• A career-spanning series of battles with Tie Domi of the New York Rangers, Winnipeg Jets, and Toronto Maple Leafs. One of Probert's memorable confrontations was also the genesis of Tie Domi's now-infamous belt gesture, where he gestured to the crowd as if he had a heavyweight title belt around his waist. Fights afterwards between Domi and Probert were seen in the eyes of many as Probert "regaining the title" from Domi.
• A career-spanning series of fights with longtime enforcer Stu Grimson, including a fight in December 1993 when the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim made their first visit ever to Detroit.
• A memorable fight on December 17, 1993 with former teammate Joey Kocur of the Rangers, during a brawl involving several players from both teams. Probert and Kocur had grabbed the nearest opposing player without realizing who it was, and continued trading punches even after they identified each other. Later on in Probert's career, he would face Kocur a couple more times when he was with the Chicago Blackhawks.
• A fight on February 4, 1994, against Marty McSorley, then of the Pittsburgh Penguins, lasting nearly 100 seconds.

Community involvement[link]

He actively supported young hockey players in the community, and often bought tickets for kids who couldn't afford to go to Red Wings games. He encouraged a young fan in 1989 to pursue sobriety, challenged him to a contest in which he predicted he would surpass him, that man now has 23 years sobriety-August 18, 2011. ^[12]

Retirement[link]

After the 2001–02 season, Probert was placed on waivers by the Blackhawks. Because he was not picked up by another team, he was advised that his role with the Blackhawks would be limited, or even relegated to playing in the minor leagues again. On November 16, 2002, Probert opted to "unofficially" retire so that he could join the Blackhawks radio broadcasting team.^[7] He had finished fourth on the NHL's all-time list with 3,300 penalty minutes.

His stint with the Blackhawks radio team did not last long. In February 2003, it was reported that Probert went back to rehab. During the 2003 offseason, Probert formally announced his retirement.

Post-retirement[link]

In media[link]

Probert, along with former teammate Joe Kocur, is featured in a book entitled Bruise Brothers by Bob Duff .^[13]

Literary works[link]

Before his death, Probert had been working on a memoir with Kirstie McLellan Day, co-writer of Theo Fleury's bestselling autobiography Playing with Fire. Probert's widow, Dani, decided to honour his wishes to tell his story and continue with completion of the book.^[14] "Tough Guy: My Life on the Edge" was published October 26, 2010 by HarperCollins Canada.^[15]

Hockey-related appearances[link]

Probert regularly appeared in charity games, spoke at conventions, and conducted youth clinics. His activities as a Red Wings alumnus were somewhat limited by the fact that, due to his criminal history, he required an immigration waiver each time he wanted to cross the border.

On January 2, 2007, Probert appeared along with many other former Red Wings teammates to honor the retiring of Steve Yzerman's number 19 at Joe Louis Arena. He wore his number 24 Red Wings jersey, and helped former teammate Vladimir Konstantinov onto the ice for the ceremony. The Detroit crowd gave him a very warm welcome, which he later said he appreciated. He stayed on to watch the game with Joey Kocur behind the penalty box.^[11]

This was noted as a possible reconciliation with the Red Wings organization. Apparently it worked, as Probert became a late addition to a January 27, 2007, Red Wings Alumni game against the Boston Bruins Alumni at Joe Louis Arena. He scored a goal and two assists, though the Red Wings alumni lost the game 8-6.^[16]

Probert recently worked on the Mike Myers 2008 film The Love Guru, making a cameo as a hockey player. He commented on the irony of being given jersey number 28 to wear in the film — the same number worn by longtime rival Tie Domi.^[17]

In 2009, Probert participated in the Canadian figure skating reality television show Battle of the Blades which features figure skating pairs of male hockey players and female figure skaters competing against other pairs. Probert was partnered with Kristina Lenko.

Legal problems[link]

On June 4, 2004, Probert was arrested for allegedly parking his BMW sport utility vehicle on the wrong side of the street and entering into an altercation over drugs with bystanders. Several police officers intervened and had to subdue Probert with taser and stun guns. He was later acquitted on all charges related to this incident.^[18]

On July 1, 2005, Probert was arrested at his Windsor-area (Lakeshore) home for breach of peace, resisting arrest, and assaulting a police officer. Probert's attorney, Patrick Ducharme, advised the media, "I anticipate he will be pleading not guilty and going to trial."^[18] Probert was arrested again on August 23, 2005, at a bar in Tecumseh, Ontario, for violating two conditions of his probation that he not consume alcohol or be in an establishment that serves liquor. He was released after paying a $200 CAD fine. All charges stemming from the arrest on July 1 were eventually dropped.

Death[link]

On July 5, 2010, Probert was boating on Lake St. Clair with his children, father-in-law, and mother-in-law when he developed what was described as "severe chest pain" and collapsed at approximately 2:00 pm local time. His father-in-law Dan Parkinson, the Cornwall, Ontario chief of police, attempted CPR to save his life.^[19] He was rushed to Windsor Regional Hospital's Metropolitan Campus with no vital signs. Efforts to revive him were unsuccessful, and he was pronounced dead later that afternoon.^[20][21]

Funeral services were held July 9, 2010 in Windsor, Ontario, Canada and attended by several former teammates and opponents,^[22] including Dino Ciccarelli, Tie Domi, Gerard Gallant, Doug Gilmour, Stu Grimson, Joey Kocur, Brad McCrimmon, Darren McCarty, and Steve Yzerman, as well as Red Wings general manager Ken Holland and owners Mike and Marian Ilitch.^[23] Yzerman delivered the eulogy.^[23] In recognition of Probert's love of motorcycle riding, his funeral procession was led by a group of 54 motorcyclists, and his casket was transported on a custom-built motorcycle sidecar.^[23] Probert is survived by his wife and four children.^[22]

Bob Probert's family announced, on September 25, 2010, that his brain would be donated to the Sports Legacy Institute to assist researchers who are studying the effects of concussions and other sports-related head injuries.^[24] In February 2011, it was announced by researchers at Boston University that they had found evidence of chronic traumatic encephalopathy in Probert's brain.^[25] However the findings were not officially revealed in the press until late on Wednesday March 2, 2011 by The New York Times and The Globe and Mail in Toronto.^[26]

Career statistics[link]

Records[link]

• Detroit Red Wings franchise record for career penalty minutes (2,090).
• Detroit Red Wings franchise record for penalty minutes in a season (398 in 1987–88).
• 5th all time in penalty minutes (3,300).

See also[link]

• List of NHL players with 2000 career penalty minutes

References[link]

Further reading[link]

• Probert, Bob (April 2007). "What a Journey It's Been". In Play! Magazine. http://www.bluetoad.com/publication/?i=2613&page=1. Retrieved July 6, 2010. 

External links[link]

• Bob Probert's biography at Legends of Hockey

Robert Paul McGill (born April 27, 1962 in Edmonton, Alberta) is a retired Canadian ice hockey defenceman.

McGill started his National Hockey League career with the Toronto Maple Leafs in 1982. He also played for the Chicago Black Hawks, San Jose Sharks, Detroit Red Wings, New York Islanders, and Hartford Whalers. He left the NHL after the 1994 season.

McGill is currently an analyst with Leafs TV, a popular media outlet in the Greater Toronto Area following the Toronto Maple Leafs and their AHL affiliate the Toronto Marlies. McGill also serves as the colour analyst for the Marlies on their radio broadcasts on the AM 640 Toronto.

External links[link]

• Bob McGill's career stats at The Internet Hockey Database

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