Enforcer Advent Calendar – December 18th – Tim Hunter
It’s the half-way point! Not only are we are nearing the end of the ‘Enforcer Advent Calendar,’ but also this crazy year. Every fan has a different player who they hold near and dear to their heart, meaning that there are so many more warriors that could have made this list. That’s the beauty of sport, we all have a different favourite. Some think Gretzky, others – Mario Lemieux, the older generation may tell you Gordie Howe, while the younger generation argues for Sydney Crosby. Regardless of who your favourite is, we can agree that all these men deserve to be celebrated for their sacrifices. Frankly, enforcers deserve a little spotlight for their accomplishments too because they are far-too-often the unsung heroes. So, let’s celebrate some legends… ‘tis the season, after all.
Past Poster Boys –
December 1st – John “Fergy” Ferguson Sr. December 2nd – Tony “Twister” Twist
December 3rd- Dave “Cementhead” Semenko December 4th – Ryan “Muffin Man” Reaves
December 5th – Darren “Big Mac” McCarty December 6th – Colton “Bobby” Orr
December 7th – Stan “Bulldog” Jonathan December 8th – Lyle “Cornelius” Odelein
December 9th –Krzysztof “The Polish Hammer” Oliwa December 10th – Stu “The Grim Reaper” Grimson
December 11th – Basil “Baz” McRae December 12th – Jordan “Tootoo Train” Tootoo
December 13th – Dave “Browny” Brown December 14th –Darcy “Hordichuks” Hordichuk
December 15th – Eddie “The Entertainer” Shack December 16th – Georges “Big Georges” Laraque
December 17th – Joey “Bruise Brother” Kocur
December 18th – Tim Hunter
Every kid playing street hockey has had the dream of lifting the Stanley Cup for their hometown team. For Tim Hunter, the stars aligned when he was drafted by the Atlanta Flames because unbeknownst to him they would move to his hometown – Calgary, Alberta, Canada. Hunter wore his hometown Red & Yellow for over a decade and was a part of the 1986 squad that fell short in the finals. Luckily, the Calgary native got his redemption as a member of the 1989 team who still stands as the only Flames team to ever bring a cup to Cowtown. Furthermore, Hunter still holds the club record for penalty minutes and, unless Mark Giordano plans to start taking 30 penalty minutes a game, that record will always be his. As a mainstay in Calgary, Hunter was always an active participant in the Battle of Alberta who brought intimidation, toughness and some much-needed swagger to the Flames. The Oilers-Flames intense rivalry was at its peak during Hunter’s time in Calgary. The hometown boy wouldn’t have had it any other way.
Tim Hunter vs Dave Semenko – April 17,1983 – 1st period – 4:01
Ahhh, only in the 80s could we get 15 penalties in the 1st period, followed by 12 goals, and for the rest of the game…2 penalties. It was a wild game, but unfortunately for Hunter and the Flames, they were on the receiving end of a 10-2 beat down in their own barn. The game started off with a bang and immediately laid the groundwork for Hunter and Dave ‘Cementehead’ Semenko to collide. Honestly, the tilt was inevitable when the Oilers enforcer face-washed Hunter against the glass during Game 3 of a playoff game. Fight fans know that Semenko always had a knack for getting the jump on his opponents, and that Sunday night he was able to grab Hunter faster than a senior yelling BINGO! The Calgary fans clearly had no idea their signs were upside down because that wasn’t their focus when Semenko landed two quick uppercuts on their hometown enforcer. Fans absolutely erupted when Hunter shook his gloves off and responded with a huge left hand of his own. Semenko bounced back with a quick right hook, but Hunter countered with a flurry of hammer-punches to a chorus of Saddledome cowbells. Hunter had ‘Probert-like’ stamina which fuelled him to fire off a couple left hooks to end the bout…almost. These two teams despised each other, so it was no surprise when Semenko threw a sucker-punch while Hunter was being tied up with the linesmen. As predicted, this caused an all-out melee. Jim Peplinski – the consummate teammate – saw the cheap shot and quickly fed Semenko a few punches in response to his dirty-tactic. In the end, the Oilers had the last laugh as they sent the Flames golfing that postseason.
Tim Hunter vs Chris Nilan – May 18, 1986 – 1st period – 10:25
Unique to hockey: two guys start mixing it up, but two other guys end up throwing down. After the stick-work to Mike Vernon, the battle should have been between Jim Peplinski and Bob Gainey. But Chris Nilan and Tim Hunter had no problem jumping in to drop the gloves during Game 2 of the Stanley Cup finals. The Flames had dominated Game 1 and were hoping to carry that momentum into Game 2. In this bout, the two exchanged a couple jabs before they were able to separate themselves from the scrum. Nilan hit Hunter with a quick uppercut and followed it up with two punches. The Flames enforcer was only able to land a few body shots before the two warriors tumbled to the ice. Hunter wasn’t going to back down from anyone and, given the stakes of this game, Hunter would have taken on the whole Canadiens team if it meant winning the Cup. This bout was part of an unreal game that ended when Brian Skrudland popped in an OT winner to send the series back to Montreal, tied at 1-1. Maybe it was the Flames’ inexperience or just buckling under pressure, but the Canadiens rattled off 3 straight wins on route to lifting their 24th Stanley Cup.
Tim Hunter vs David Maley – March 14, 1989 – 2nd period – 8:30
David Maley didn’t like a hit Hunter delivered to his teammate and took matters into his own hands. The two started their dance at the blue line and immediately traded a couple big blows. Maley landed a huge right hand to Hunter’s legendary nose (which he still claims has never been broken…) but that didn’t phase the former Seattle Breaker. Hunter responded with a flurry of uppercuts that forced Maley to duck his head in fear. The second Maley tried to respond back, Hunter fed the Devils big-man a series of rights. He put the exclamation point on the bout when he landed a big right hook on Maley who was falling to the ice. There’s a reason Hunter had the A on his jersey in Calgary: he wasn’t a goon, he was a leader. And Lanny McDonald’s duster aside, Hunter was a big part of the swagger the Flames had in 89’. This special squad met the Canadiens in the final and exacted their revenge for their loss 3 seasons earlier. The city of Calgary had been forced to watch their northern neighbours have 4 Stanley Cup parades but, because of Hunter and the other legendary Flames, the Cup finally got lifted in Stampede City.
The enforcer-turned-coach has become a common theme in the NHL. Craig Berube explained the phenomenon by speculating that the lack of playing time meant more watching and analyzing the game than your average player. Former enforcer Tim Hunter wasted no time in making his jump to coaching, taking an assistant position with the Washington Capitals the season after he retired. After spending 14 seasons as the second in command, he made the jump to Head Coach for the WHL Moose Jaw Warriors. The former Flames draft pick hit the ground running and was able to lead the Warriors to 4 straight playoff appearances. However, this January, Moose Jaw announced they were parting ways with Hunter. There should be no doubt Calgary’s tough guy will find himself behind the bench again soon. Tim Hunter has always had a great sense of humour that ranged from chirping on-the-ice to telling a good story. This includes when Hunter was serving as Head Coach for Team Canada and he shared a hilarious story about the late Pat Quinn. He recalled that, a livid Quinn stormed into the dressing room and punched a Gatorade cooler across the room. The larger-than-life Quinn then went to kick a garbage can across the dressing-room but, to the team’s surprise, it didn’t budge…at all. Then, Quinn hobbled out the room. Hunter went and checked inside the garbage can and discovered that it was half full of cement. Unbelievably, Quinn didn’t break his foot, but he definitely paid the price to get his point across.
Twitter:@Jonesinthezone
