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Windsor-born, retired NHL Enforcer (Detroit Red Wings & Chicago Blackhawks) Bob Probert dies of Suspected Heart Attack While Boating with Family.
Windsor's Bob Probert, arguably the toughest man ever in the National Hockey League, was on a boating trip on Lake St. Clair with family on July 5th when he complained about chest pain, then collapsed. His father-in-law performed CPR on him as the boat raced to shore.
Neighbours said emergency services personnel worked on him onshore before he was rushed to Windsor Regional Hospital. He naver regained conciousness.
Very sad. Bob Probert was only 45 years old.
Very popular amongst hockey fans in Windsor and Detroit, Probert lived a quiet life as a family man in his home town.
Athough remembered for his fights, the Windsor native had 384 points (163 goals, 221 assists) in 935 career regular-season games with Detroit and Chicago. His 3,300 career penalty minutes rank sixth in NHL history.
Probert appeared last fall as a contestant on CBC's Battle of the Blades show where former hockey greats were paired with well known female figure skaters.
http://www.windsorstar.com/tough+Probert+d...8287/story.html
http://www.myfoxdetr...d-20100705-wpms
Windsor's Bob Probert, arguably the toughest man ever in the National Hockey League, was on a boating trip on Lake St. Clair with family on July 5th when he complained about chest pain, then collapsed. His father-in-law performed CPR on him as the boat raced to shore.
Neighbours said emergency services personnel worked on him onshore before he was rushed to Windsor Regional Hospital. He naver regained conciousness.
Very sad. Bob Probert was only 45 years old.
Very popular amongst hockey fans in Windsor and Detroit, Probert lived a quiet life as a family man in his home town.
Athough remembered for his fights, the Windsor native had 384 points (163 goals, 221 assists) in 935 career regular-season games with Detroit and Chicago. His 3,300 career penalty minutes rank sixth in NHL history.
Probert appeared last fall as a contestant on CBC's Battle of the Blades show where former hockey greats were paired with well known female figure skaters.
http://www.windsorstar.com/tough+Probert+d...8287/story.html
NHL tough guy Bob Probert dead at 45
By Trevor Wilhelm, Don Lajoie and Dylan Kristy, Canwest News Service
July 5, 2010
WINDSOR, Ont. — He was a legendary on-ice brawler who fought personal battles with booze, drugs and the law — then found redemption in good deeds and the hearts of his children.
Former Detroit Red Wing and Chicago Blackhawk Bob Probert, 45, died suddenly Monday after collapsing in a boat on Lake St. Clair near Windsor.
"He was largely misunderstood," said Patrick Ducharme, who represented Probert for more than two decades as his agent and criminal lawyer. "Beneath that tough exterior that he demonstrated in his NHL career was really a very timid, shy, not very outgoing person. He largely wanted to do good things, and when he was sober and thinking straight, he did some tremendous things."
Close friend Rick Rogow said Probert was boating with his children, father-in-law and mother-in-law when he developed "severe chest pain" and collapsed around 2 p.m. local time. Father-in-law Dan Parkinson, police chief in Cornwall, Ont., performed CPR in a desperate attempt to save him.
A witness on the scene, who asked not to be identified, said Probert looked like he was fixing something on his Bombardier Speedster 200 boat.
"He was fixing the trim or something, stood up and then collapsed," the witness said.
Neighbours on shore rushed to Probert's side after seeing the retired hockey player's family calling for help. The OPP's forensic identification unit was on scene briefly examining Probert's blue and white Seadoo sport boat.
A next door neighbour said emergency services personnel "were already working on him in the boat and were working on him for a while" before transporting him to Windsor Regional Hospital.
Rogow and Parkinson held a brief news conference Monday evening at Windsor Regional Hospital. They didn't take questions from the media.
"This is a tragedy for the family," said Parkinson.
"This was totally unexpected. Bob lost the fight of his life this afternoon."
Probert's death is similar to that of his father, a former Windsor police officer, who died of a heart attack at age 41. He leaves behind his wife Dani and four young children: Brogan, Tierney, and twins Jack and Declyn.
"Bob was a part of our very first NHL draft class that also included Steve Yzerman, Joe Kocur, Petr Klima and Stu Grimson," Detroit Red Wings owner Mike Ilitch said in a statement. "Bob was always there for his teammates and was one of the toughest men to ever play in the NHL. He was also one of the kindest, most colourful and beloved players Detroit has ever known. We are very saddened by his passing and our thoughts and prayers go out to Bob's family."
Ducharme said there's been a lot of focus on Probert's tough-guy image and his personal struggles, but there was a much sweeter side to the big brawler.
He once donated a "significant amount of money" so a sick young boy could fly to Los Angeles for an expensive medical procedure.
"He helped save a little boy's life," said Ducharme. "And he wanted to do so anonymously. He didn't want anybody to know about it. He did that out of the goodness of his heart and because he was a good person."
Probert had visited Canadian troops in Afghanistan and did charitable work including raising money through playing old-timer hockey.
But, particularly in his younger days, Probert's darker side often got the upper hand. He was arrested in 1989 for trying to smuggle cocaine into the U.S.
"He had his demons over the years," said Ducharme. "And when the demons would flare up, all manner of good behaviour and thoughtfulness and sensitivity went out the window as he struggled with those demons."
Ducharme first met Probert when the hockey player was charged with several offences related to drunk driving, assaulting police and resisting arrest.
Ilitch, Jim Devellano, then the Red Wings general manager, and captain Steve Yzerman walked Probert into Ducharme's office.
"He had hired another lawyer who said there was no question he was going to go to jail," said Ducharme. "They asked if they thought I could keep him out of jail. Ever the optimist, I said I had no doubt I could keep him out of jail."
Ducharme got Probert to plead guilty to a more minor offence, and did keep him out of jail.
"From then on, I became a part of his life," said Ducharme. "It was at times a lot of fun. I used to say to him he took me to the highs and lows of life, from signing multi-million dollar contracts to trying to explain cocaine in his pocket while he was passed out on a street corner. It had every kind of bend and dip you can imagine."
Ducharme said Probert's love for his children was the main reason he refused to let his weaknesses overpower him.
"He had four beautiful children and he loved them very much," said Ducharme. "Part of his struggles to maintain sobriety were really struggles to maintain his relationship with his children."
Former hockey foe Craig Muni said he also saw Probert's children bring out his softer side when they became teammates in retirement for a number of NHL alumni games.
"When we came to Windsor he would be in the dressing room with his family, wife and kids and he would take them out for a skate," Muni said from Buffalo. "He was a good guy and a family man."
Probert — a former all-star who played 935 NHL games and scored the last goal at Maple Leaf Gardens — may have had a gentle hand with his children, but his on-ice opponents didn't receive the same courtesy. He ranks fifth all time in penalty minutes with 3,300 to go along with his 163 goals and 221 assists.
Muni, who played against Probert many times, said he was "tough" to face. But it wasn't just for his fists.
"He was absolutely one of the toughest players to ever play in the NHL," said the three-time Stanley Cup winner. "But he could play. He had good hands, a great skater, had speed, could shoot, could score. He was a pure power forward."
Former Wings teammate and unofficial "Bruise Brother" Joe Kocur, also known to strike fear into the hearts of opponents whenever the referee yelled "let em go," often helped Probert deliver the pain. But he also said Probert was more than a brawler.
"This is a very sad day for Red Wings fans as we have lost one of the toughest players, best power forwards and all-around great guys who ever wore the winged wheel," he said.
"My favourite memory of Bob would be sitting down before a game, going over the opposing lineup and picking and choosing who would go first and if the goalie would be safe or not. It was great to be able to go out on the ice knowing that he had my back and I had his. He was like the brother I never had."
http://www.myfoxdetr...d-20100705-wpms
Former Red Wing Bob Probert Dies
Updated: Tuesday, 06 Jul 2010, 8:20 AM EDT
Published : Monday, 05 Jul 2010, 5:22 PM EDT
DETROIT (AP) - Retired hockey enforcer Bob Probert, as adept with his fists as with a stick in a 16-season career with the Detroit Red Wings and Chicago Blackhawks, died Monday after suffering chest pains while boating with his family. He was 45.
"Bob lost the fight of his life this afternoon," said Probert's father-in-law, Dan Parkinson, a police officer who performed CPR before Probert was rushed to Ontario's Windsor Regional Medical Center.
Click on the video player to watch video on Probert's life and hear reaction from former teammate Shawn Burr.
Probert was on a boat in Lake St. Clair with his wife, children and in-laws when he "developed severe chest pains" Monday, family friend Rich Rogow told a Monday evening news conference at the medical center.
"This is a tragedy for the family," Parkinson said. "We ask that you respect their privacy at this time."
Probert, who struggled to overcome drinking problems during his time in the NHL, played for the Red Wings in 1985-1994 and for the Blackhawks in 1995-2002.
"Bob was a part of our very first NHL Draft class that also included Steve Yzerman, Joe Kocur, Petr Klima and Stu Grimson," Red Wings owners Mike and Marian Ilitch said in a statement. "Bob was always there for his teammates and was one of the toughest men to ever play in the NHL.
"He also was one of the kindest, most colorful, and beloved players Detroit has ever known."
Blackhawks president John McDonough said the organziation's "thoughts and prayers are with the entire Probert family."
"Bob will always be a member of the Blackhawks family and his memory will live on through our fans," McDonough said in a statement.
The Windsor native had 384 points (163 goals, 221 assists) in 935 career regular-season games with Detroit and Chicago. His 3,300 career penalty minutes rank sixth in NHL history.
"Bob was a guy that started as a strictly tough guy but made himself a player," former Toronto maple Leafs enforcer Wendel Clark told Canadian Press. "Off the ice, everything was a whole different story. He was one of the good guys and he'd do anything for anybody."
Probert was charged several times with driving under the influence while playing for Detroit. He also was caught trying to carry cocaine from Canada into the U.S. in 1989 and served a six-month federal prison sentence.
The Blackhawks honored Probert with a Bob Probert Heritage Night on Feb. 22, 2009, at the United Center, and he dropped the ceremonial puck before Game 3 of the 2009 Western Conference Final between Detroit and Chicago.
No funeral arrangements were immediately made. Probert is survived by his wife and four children.