Some of the game's best tough guys (ATTENTION: DO NOT READ, HORRIBLE WRITING AHEAD)

[MichkovSzn 133]

There are many names for “tough guys” throughout the sport of hockey, enforcers, fighters, hotheads, and much much more. The sport of hockey is known for its hard hits and fights breaking out between its players, the VHL is no exception, it has seen many players come through who were ready to fight anytime, anywhere and lose a few teeth along the way. Today I want to highlight a few guys who made it their life’s mission to hit as many people as possible.

 

Vinny Detroit

 

You simply can’t talk about VHL tough guys without talking about Vinny Detroit. Vinny was no slouch offensively scoring 519 points in 646 career games, but where he really shined was in his toughness. Vinny is the VHL all time leader in hits with 3163 throughout his entire career which is enough for an astonishing 4.9 a game. He also spent an astronomical 1753 minutes in the penalty box, he spent more than 29 hours in the penalty box over his entire career. And Vinny was no stranger to throwing the gloves down as he was one of the league’s top fighters during his time. He might not have been the type of player to win a Higgins or a slobo but he teams were scared of him all the same.

 

Edwin Encarnacion

 

Edwin Encarnacion is another great example of a player who was always looking for the next person to fight. Edwin Encarnacion was a lower line, energy guy who got his teammates pumped and the fan’s cheering with his huge hits and many fights. He was always willing to put his body on the line for his team’s success with 1467 shots blocked, good enough for the 2nd most all time, and 2662 hits throughout his career. However, his most ludicrous statistic is the insane 2028 minutes spent in the sin bin, almost an entire day and a half’s worth of time spent sitting in the penalty box. He may not have been a high flying goal scorer, or a crafty assist artist, but he had his role to play on the ice, and he played it quite well.

Tommy Sleeves

 

Another player from Dasboot’s agency, Tommy Sleeves is one of the toughest defenders to suit up in the VHL. He is by no means an offensive defenseman, with only 230 points through his 555 career games in the big leagues. However on the defensive side of the puck, Tommy is willing to do whatever it takes to keep the puck out of his own net, with 1324 shots blocked in his time in the VHL. While hits are normally a stat dominated by forwards but Tommy Sleeves was no stranger to getting physical and laying out a few players, with 2413 hits, the most by any defenseman in VHL history by just shy of 400. He is also ready to get rid of the gloves and throw a few haymakers, so far in season 98 he has been in 6 fights while winning 4 of them, among VHL players he is surely one of the toughest.

 

While the players I talked about today may not win a ton of awards or be known to light up the stat sheet, they still hold a special place in the VHL and can be some of the most fun players that keep this league special. Now give me that 6 uncapped TPE