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Don't Call Me Goon: Hockey's Greatest Enforcers, Gunslingers, and Bad Boys
In professional hockey, enforcers are often as popular with fans as the stars who cash the big paycheques. Called upon to duke it out with a fellow troublemaker, or to shadow (and bruise) an opponent’s top scorer, these men get the crowds out of their seats, the sports-radio shows buzzing, and the TV audience spilling their beers in excitement. Don’t Call Me Goon gives the mayhem-makers their due by sharing their overlooked stories and contributions to the game. Drawing on a wealth of knowledge, research, and interviews, Oliver and Kamchen highlight the players who have perfected the art of on-ice enforcing from old timers like Joe Hall and Red Horner; to legendary heavy-hitters like Tiger Williams, Stu Grimson, and Bob Probert; to fan favourites like Tie Domi and Georges Laraque; and contemporaries like Arron Asham and Brian McGrattan. Don’t Call Me Goon also explores the issues that plague the NHL’s bad boys — suspensions, concussions, controversy — and looks ahead to the future of tough guys in the fastest game on ice.
- GenresHockeySportsNonfiction
288 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2013
About the author
Greg Oliver
26 books20 followersA writer, editor, and stay-at-home dad, Greg Oliver has written extensively about hockey and professional wrestling. He's done two children's books, and, in December 2020, self-published the biography of Canadian comic genius Billy Van, titled Who's The Man? Billy Van!
He was co-awarded the 2008 James Melby Memorial Award for wrestling journalist from the National Wrestling Hall of Fame, and the Cauliflower Alley Club awarded him its Melby Award for historical work in pro wrestling in 2021.
In the spring of 2023, the memoirs of former Toronto Blue Jays manager John Gibbons (Gibby: Tales of a Baseball Lifer), and pro wrestler turned monster truck driver Madusa Miceli / Alundra Blayze (The Woman Who Would Be King: The MADUSA Story) hit shelves.
Run with the Bull: Three Generations of Sports and Entertainment, written with Eric Johnston and Joseph Casciaro, came out in February 2024, and is an interesting mix of pro wrestling, comedy and family.
He has another book on the go, though it has not been announced publicly. He’s always looking for the next project.
A member of the Society for International Hockey Research, and a recipient of SIHR's Bill Fitsell President’s Award in 2021, Greg lives in Toronto, Ontario, with his wife and lives vicariously through his son, away at university.
He was co-awarded the 2008 James Melby Memorial Award for wrestling journalist from the National Wrestling Hall of Fame, and the Cauliflower Alley Club awarded him its Melby Award for historical work in pro wrestling in 2021.
In the spring of 2023, the memoirs of former Toronto Blue Jays manager John Gibbons (Gibby: Tales of a Baseball Lifer), and pro wrestler turned monster truck driver Madusa Miceli / Alundra Blayze (The Woman Who Would Be King: The MADUSA Story) hit shelves.
Run with the Bull: Three Generations of Sports and Entertainment, written with Eric Johnston and Joseph Casciaro, came out in February 2024, and is an interesting mix of pro wrestling, comedy and family.
He has another book on the go, though it has not been announced publicly. He’s always looking for the next project.
A member of the Society for International Hockey Research, and a recipient of SIHR's Bill Fitsell President’s Award in 2021, Greg lives in Toronto, Ontario, with his wife and lives vicariously through his son, away at university.
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Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
November 20, 2013
Despite what we’ve learned in recent years about the long term effects of fighting, hard hitting and cheap shots in pro hockey, there’s no denying that the foundation of the sport was built on the backs of “the enforcer”. When a team is down and their spirit is broken, they call on the almighty bruiser to run onto the battlefield and turn that momentum around. Whether it’s through a bone crushing hit that ignites the fans or a fight that shakes the confidence of their opponent, the goon brings that intangible that often isn’t measured on a score sheet.
With “Don’t Call Me Goon”, co-authors Greg Oliver and Richard Kamchen present a look at a select few of the toughest guys to ever lace up a pair of skates. While the argument between those who want to keep fighting in the game and those who want it banished is ongoing, there’s no questioning the impact a physical player has on the ice. Whether he’s talking trash, eliminating an offensive threat or dropping his gloves for a round of fisticuffs, he’s often known to have just as big an impact as a go-ahead goal.
Oliver and Kamchen do a great job tackling the early brawlers such as Joe Hall, Sprague Cleghorn and Red Horner as well as some of the heavy hitters of the original six era. However, I found the book really picked up when they moved into the expansion era. The punishing physical full team style pioneered by the St. Louis Blues and then adapted and perfected by the Broad Street Bullies Philadelphia Flyers had my jaw nearly hitting the floor. Players would often come down with a severe case of the Philly Flu, opting to sit it out rather than take that hellish beating the Bobby Clarke led squad would hand out. They were unstoppable from 1972 to 1978 when the equally destructive Montreal Canadiens would put an end to it.
The book then moves through some of the greatest tag teams like the late Bob Probert, a one man wrecking crew and his running mate Joey Koncur. It was until these two arrived alongside the legendary Steve Yzerman that the Detroit Red Wings turned things around in the late 1980s. The authors shine a light on former Maple Leaf heavyweights Tiger Williams and Dan Maloney as well as Anaheim’s Stu “The Grim Reaper” Grimson and his buddy Todd Ewen.
Oliver and Kamchen also take time to spotlight a few of the guys who could hit you as often as one of their shots would find the back of the net. Explosive multi-dimensional players like Clark Gillies and Wilf Paiement show that some ruffians are more than hitting machines.
Overall, I thought they presented an unbiased look at a few of hockey’s most memorable players. While it would be impossible to write a book about physical style hockey and not shed a light on the controversy it creates, both Oliver and Kamchen kept things light and managed to avoid having an opinion either way.
Don’t Call Me Goon is a swift punch in the face that won’t make you feel like you’re watching the clock, waiting for your penalty to end.
With “Don’t Call Me Goon”, co-authors Greg Oliver and Richard Kamchen present a look at a select few of the toughest guys to ever lace up a pair of skates. While the argument between those who want to keep fighting in the game and those who want it banished is ongoing, there’s no questioning the impact a physical player has on the ice. Whether he’s talking trash, eliminating an offensive threat or dropping his gloves for a round of fisticuffs, he’s often known to have just as big an impact as a go-ahead goal.
Oliver and Kamchen do a great job tackling the early brawlers such as Joe Hall, Sprague Cleghorn and Red Horner as well as some of the heavy hitters of the original six era. However, I found the book really picked up when they moved into the expansion era. The punishing physical full team style pioneered by the St. Louis Blues and then adapted and perfected by the Broad Street Bullies Philadelphia Flyers had my jaw nearly hitting the floor. Players would often come down with a severe case of the Philly Flu, opting to sit it out rather than take that hellish beating the Bobby Clarke led squad would hand out. They were unstoppable from 1972 to 1978 when the equally destructive Montreal Canadiens would put an end to it.
The book then moves through some of the greatest tag teams like the late Bob Probert, a one man wrecking crew and his running mate Joey Koncur. It was until these two arrived alongside the legendary Steve Yzerman that the Detroit Red Wings turned things around in the late 1980s. The authors shine a light on former Maple Leaf heavyweights Tiger Williams and Dan Maloney as well as Anaheim’s Stu “The Grim Reaper” Grimson and his buddy Todd Ewen.
Oliver and Kamchen also take time to spotlight a few of the guys who could hit you as often as one of their shots would find the back of the net. Explosive multi-dimensional players like Clark Gillies and Wilf Paiement show that some ruffians are more than hitting machines.
Overall, I thought they presented an unbiased look at a few of hockey’s most memorable players. While it would be impossible to write a book about physical style hockey and not shed a light on the controversy it creates, both Oliver and Kamchen kept things light and managed to avoid having an opinion either way.
Don’t Call Me Goon is a swift punch in the face that won’t make you feel like you’re watching the clock, waiting for your penalty to end.
March 27, 2020
While fighting and bench clearing brawls may not be as prevalent in the National Hockey League (NHL) today as it was in previous decades, players who are considered "enforcers" because of their fighting ability are still just as important to a team and just as popular with the fans as ever. This book by Greg Oliver and Richard Kamchen provides the reader with a look at some of the more famous players who have had that designation for their teams.
Dividing up the book into sections based on the eras in which these men played the game, Oliver and Kamchen covers the entire history of the league and the various men whose fisticuffs were as much a part of their game as their skating and puck handling. In the early days, the "pioneers of mayhem" included Red Horner and Jean Pusie. Moving to the Original Six era of the league, tough guys like Reggie Fleming and John Ferguson are portrayed. Once the league expanded, so did the opportunities for players with this type of game, highlighted by the two Stanley Cup championships won in the 1970's by the Philadelphia Flyers. Their rough and physical style of play, led by tough players like Dave Schultz and Andre "Moose" Dupont, gave opponents nightmares and led to many opponents wanting to skip a game against the Flyers, one of the better anecdotes in the book.
After writing about several players from the modern era, the book turns toward grouping enforcers into other subgroups – some would score goals as well as fight, some were very good on defense and as mentioned before, many were fan favorites. Those types of players are profiled in the book as well. Each player highlighted in the book is given a short biography of a few pages and some description of the types of scraps he would usually encounter on the ice.
The book finishes with a description of the reduction in fighting in today's professional hockey, a trend that doesn't sit well with many of the players highlighted in the book. There is also a discussion on concussions and the increased awareness of CTE in the game and also a final chapter about the "requiem for a gunslinger." While the book is certainly not an exhaustive look at the life of a hockey enforcer, it tells about many entertaining players who filled that role. Any hockey fan who is a fan of some of these players or the type of hockey that was played in the era of the aforementioned Flyers teams will enjoy this book.
https://sportsbookguy.blogspot.com/20...
Dividing up the book into sections based on the eras in which these men played the game, Oliver and Kamchen covers the entire history of the league and the various men whose fisticuffs were as much a part of their game as their skating and puck handling. In the early days, the "pioneers of mayhem" included Red Horner and Jean Pusie. Moving to the Original Six era of the league, tough guys like Reggie Fleming and John Ferguson are portrayed. Once the league expanded, so did the opportunities for players with this type of game, highlighted by the two Stanley Cup championships won in the 1970's by the Philadelphia Flyers. Their rough and physical style of play, led by tough players like Dave Schultz and Andre "Moose" Dupont, gave opponents nightmares and led to many opponents wanting to skip a game against the Flyers, one of the better anecdotes in the book.
After writing about several players from the modern era, the book turns toward grouping enforcers into other subgroups – some would score goals as well as fight, some were very good on defense and as mentioned before, many were fan favorites. Those types of players are profiled in the book as well. Each player highlighted in the book is given a short biography of a few pages and some description of the types of scraps he would usually encounter on the ice.
The book finishes with a description of the reduction in fighting in today's professional hockey, a trend that doesn't sit well with many of the players highlighted in the book. There is also a discussion on concussions and the increased awareness of CTE in the game and also a final chapter about the "requiem for a gunslinger." While the book is certainly not an exhaustive look at the life of a hockey enforcer, it tells about many entertaining players who filled that role. Any hockey fan who is a fan of some of these players or the type of hockey that was played in the era of the aforementioned Flyers teams will enjoy this book.
https://sportsbookguy.blogspot.com/20...
October 16, 2014
This book was good if you're a hockey fan. It's about most of the famous enforces to play the game. It was a very interesting book to read because it teaches you about how the role of a fighter has changed over the years.
February 3, 2025
Review for Don't Call Me Goon can be found on Hockey Blog In Canada.
November 15, 2019
J'ai bien aimé. On visite toutes les époques de la ligue avec ce livre avec une vision inhabituelle.
March 5, 2015
This book is about hockey enforcers and their fights. It goes back to the early years of the early twentieth century and highlights many, many players. Let me tell you, for those of you who think fighting is still prevalent in today’s hockey game, it isn’t. They actually brought people up on murder charges back then! Hockey would break out at fights. It was crazy!
The authors cover early fighters such as Joe Hall, Red Horner, and Sprague Cleghorn before moving on to heavyweights from the original six era. It was fascinating to read about. Things really got bad, though, during the expansion era, circa 1967. When the Philadelphia Flyers, St. Louis Blues, Pittsburgh Penguins, and other teams came into existence, doors opened for players who previously couldn’t get on with the original six teams. A lot of these were fighters. And so Philly’s Broadstreet Bullies were born, and they terrorized the NHL throughout the ‘70s. I was disappointed the authors didn’t cover someone I consider to be perhaps the most famous enforcer of all time, Dave “The Hammer” Schulz, nor did they cover Bob “The Battleship” Kelly, other than just brief mentions. Still, the fights were tremendous. And tremendous to read about.
The authors then go into pairings of fighters, such as the infamous Bob Probert and Joey Concur, as well as Tiger Williams and Dan Maloney, among others. They then go on to highlight fighters who could score and defend too. They try to cover issues like concussions, but I don’t think they go quite far enough with that. It’s a growing concern and one that shouldn’t be swept under the rug.
It was interesting to read the former enforcer’s take on the current state of the game. They think it’s been ruined by a newish interference rule that has resulted in cheap shots and gone a long way to eliminating the role of enforcer. They think enforcers policed the game and the refs shouldn’t be the ones having to do it themselves and aren’t in a position to do it right either. They think today’s game is watered down with pansy players skating around doing whatever they want. As noted big time enforcer Tiger Williams said in the book, “Some snot-nosed little [punk] that isn’t going to break a nail is going to score 50 goals and he’s never driven to the net in his life. He’s never stood in front of the net with Moose Dupont giving him 89 cross-checks in the back of his head,…. To have today’s play’s players score 400 goals in a no-punch pond hockey league is garbage. Getting in another guy’s face is part of the character of the game.” Well said, Tiger, well said.
The authors cover early fighters such as Joe Hall, Red Horner, and Sprague Cleghorn before moving on to heavyweights from the original six era. It was fascinating to read about. Things really got bad, though, during the expansion era, circa 1967. When the Philadelphia Flyers, St. Louis Blues, Pittsburgh Penguins, and other teams came into existence, doors opened for players who previously couldn’t get on with the original six teams. A lot of these were fighters. And so Philly’s Broadstreet Bullies were born, and they terrorized the NHL throughout the ‘70s. I was disappointed the authors didn’t cover someone I consider to be perhaps the most famous enforcer of all time, Dave “The Hammer” Schulz, nor did they cover Bob “The Battleship” Kelly, other than just brief mentions. Still, the fights were tremendous. And tremendous to read about.
The authors then go into pairings of fighters, such as the infamous Bob Probert and Joey Concur, as well as Tiger Williams and Dan Maloney, among others. They then go on to highlight fighters who could score and defend too. They try to cover issues like concussions, but I don’t think they go quite far enough with that. It’s a growing concern and one that shouldn’t be swept under the rug.
It was interesting to read the former enforcer’s take on the current state of the game. They think it’s been ruined by a newish interference rule that has resulted in cheap shots and gone a long way to eliminating the role of enforcer. They think enforcers policed the game and the refs shouldn’t be the ones having to do it themselves and aren’t in a position to do it right either. They think today’s game is watered down with pansy players skating around doing whatever they want. As noted big time enforcer Tiger Williams said in the book, “Some snot-nosed little [punk] that isn’t going to break a nail is going to score 50 goals and he’s never driven to the net in his life. He’s never stood in front of the net with Moose Dupont giving him 89 cross-checks in the back of his head,…. To have today’s play’s players score 400 goals in a no-punch pond hockey league is garbage. Getting in another guy’s face is part of the character of the game.” Well said, Tiger, well said.
September 20, 2013
A disappointing read that left me confused as to who the authors' intended audience is. I would almost say this book is meant to be a who's who primer on NHL fighters for 8-12 year old hockey fans. Of course I don't know who on earth would want a 9 year old child reading about hockey fighting.
Roughly speaking the book takes an encyclopedia-like approach with sections dedicated to specific notorious (or not so much) enforcers grouped very vaguely into themes or time periods. Since the book tries to be comprehensive there is hardly enough detail here to satisfy a dedicated hockey fan and even the most celebrated fighters of the NHL might only get a couple pages that follow a template of: junior career, break into the pros, a couple of notable fights (very brief and generic descriptions), their exit and supporting approvals of their career from former teammates or coaches.
It is very lightweight stuff. A great deal of the quotes are culled from other books or newspapers, offering little new insight. Much of it is simply idiotic boilerplate "he was a menace on the ice, stuck up for his teammates no matter what, but a heart of gold teddy bear away from the rink" type stuff. In other words, you get as much perspective on the game as you would watching an interview with a player at intermission on television: "Yeah we were expecting a tough game from these guys cuz they work hard every night so we have to play as team, take it one shift at a time with a 100% effort and hopefully we'll gome out of here with two points...blah blah blah"
The lack of meaningful discussion on the modern fighting debate is also very disappointing though perhaps I should not criticize a book for what it is not. But because there is very little of that conversation (questioning the place of fighting in the game) in this volume it begs the question of what value it has. Well I can tell you, very little. I was hoping for the story nuggets, the things you DON'T know about fighters, fighting etc. Very little of that here.
Roughly speaking the book takes an encyclopedia-like approach with sections dedicated to specific notorious (or not so much) enforcers grouped very vaguely into themes or time periods. Since the book tries to be comprehensive there is hardly enough detail here to satisfy a dedicated hockey fan and even the most celebrated fighters of the NHL might only get a couple pages that follow a template of: junior career, break into the pros, a couple of notable fights (very brief and generic descriptions), their exit and supporting approvals of their career from former teammates or coaches.
It is very lightweight stuff. A great deal of the quotes are culled from other books or newspapers, offering little new insight. Much of it is simply idiotic boilerplate "he was a menace on the ice, stuck up for his teammates no matter what, but a heart of gold teddy bear away from the rink" type stuff. In other words, you get as much perspective on the game as you would watching an interview with a player at intermission on television: "Yeah we were expecting a tough game from these guys cuz they work hard every night so we have to play as team, take it one shift at a time with a 100% effort and hopefully we'll gome out of here with two points...blah blah blah"
The lack of meaningful discussion on the modern fighting debate is also very disappointing though perhaps I should not criticize a book for what it is not. But because there is very little of that conversation (questioning the place of fighting in the game) in this volume it begs the question of what value it has. Well I can tell you, very little. I was hoping for the story nuggets, the things you DON'T know about fighters, fighting etc. Very little of that here.
Read
September 17, 2014I personally liked the book. I liked how the chapters switched from player to player. I liked some of the older guys that were so called, "goons", but I think the most interesting chapters were the ones with the more recent "goons". My favorite section was "Today's Game". The section is about the most recent goons, the ones that are in "Today's Game". There's people in this section that still play today. People like Aaron Asham, Derek Dorsett, and a few others. I don't know why but Shawn Thornton isn't in their. That is what I thought of my book.
October 1, 2013
I won a free copy of this book through a goodreads giveaway.
Now, there are two things that you should know about me:
1. I know pretty much nothing about hockey.
2. I tend to avoid non-fiction texts.
So, why did I enter the contest? Because of those two reasons... :)
I actually felt somewhat engaged while reading the book - which must mean that it is pretty darn close to *amazing* as I have trouble focusing in on non-fiction a lot of the time...
Awesome story!
Now, there are two things that you should know about me:
1. I know pretty much nothing about hockey.
2. I tend to avoid non-fiction texts.
So, why did I enter the contest? Because of those two reasons... :)
I actually felt somewhat engaged while reading the book - which must mean that it is pretty darn close to *amazing* as I have trouble focusing in on non-fiction a lot of the time...
Awesome story!
January 19, 2016
I found this book super riveting! It was cool to read all the stories of fighters in the past and how they really shaped the game. It brought up so many good points on why fighting and physical play should stay. Overall, it was just really neat to see how the league has evolved and the impact these famous players have had. Of course, the section on john scott was a timely read as well.
October 1, 2013
This book was good. I liked reading it. I feel like I learned a little more about Canada's game of hockey. I'd definitely recommend this book to hockey fans everywhere as a must read and a worth while addition to the hockey lovers bookshelf.
*won on GoodReads First Reads*
*won on GoodReads First Reads*
February 8, 2014
Very interesting about the era of the goon and how it changed hockey
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews