Former Blackhawk Bob Probert Dies

By Marcus Gilmer in News on Jul 6, 2010 2:00PM

Former Blackhawk Bob Probert, remembered as one of the toughest enforcers of his era, died on Monday at the age of 45. Probert, who played for both Detroit and Chicago in a 16-year career, complained of chest pains while boating with his family on Lake St. Clair yesterday afternoon. Probert's father-in-law performed CPR until they could get Probert to Windsor Regional Hospital where further attempts to revive him failed. Probert had 384 points scored in 935 regular season games but he's most remembered for his role as enforcer on the ice, a role that led to 3,300 penalty minutes, still fifth most in NHL history. Probert dealt with substance abuse during his career. While with Detroit, he was charged several times with DUI and in 1989 arrested trying to transport cocaine from Canada to the U.S. And he missed the entire 1994-1995 season (already shortened by a lockout) due to a suspension stemming from a motorcycle accident in which police found both alcohol and traces of cocaine in his bloodstream.

But by the time he started playing for the Blackhawks in 1995, teammates said Probert had turned his life around. Then-senior VP of the Blackhawks, Bob Pulford, told the Tribune: "He went through rehabilitation and all the time he was playing here he was completely sober. He was a great person. One the ice he put the fear of God in the other team. I remember Darryl Sutter (the Hawks' ex-coach and current Calgary general manager) saying his teammates should pay half of his salary because of the way he protects them. But he wasn't just a tough guy. He had a lot of talent." Probert suffered a relapse in 2003 and got treatment via the NHL and NHL Players Association's substance abuse and behavioral health program, a relapse Pulford says was prompted by the end of his playing career. Probert later visited troops overseas as a member of the NHL's Alumni Tour.

Said Blackhawks president John McDonough in a statement: "Bob will always be a member of the Blackhawks family and his memory will live on through our fans."

One YouTube user's ode to Probert's enforcing skills, after the jump.