Anaheim Ducks: The Top 5 Enforcers in Franchise History

5 – Tim Jackman (2013-2016)

Starting off our list at number five is Tim Jackman.

Traded to the Anaheim Ducks in 2013, Tim Jackman’s tenure saw him mostly play on the fourth line. Jackman was never known for his scoring prowess but it was always something he tried to focus on. In an interview with the LA Times, Jackman said he embraced the idea of fighting as the Columbus Blue Jackets, the team who drafted Jackman back in 2001, wanted him to. He never fought in college but accepted his role as the tough guy to do what he could to stay in the league and play the game he loved.

In Jackman’s three year stint with the Anaheim Ducks and San Diego Gulls, the now thirty-six-year-old right winger would total eleven points and 152 penalty minutes. One of Jackman’s most notable goals for the Ducks came from a dump in at center ice that would bounce past then Vancouver goalie, Roberto Luongo. It earned him the nickname “sniper” amongst the boys in the locker room.

Jackman scraped with many of the same players. The list includes notable fighters such as Tom Sestito, Matt Martin, Kyle Clifford and the MVP himself, John Scott.

T4 – Jared Boll (2016-2018) & Todd Fedoruk (2005-2007)

Here we have a dual entry at number four. I put these two together because they both did similar things in their short time with the club. Both Todd Fedoruk and Jared Boll were primarily signed to be the team’s muscle and protect the smaller, more vulnerable, players. Additionally, both had varying degrees of success but did what they were paid to do quite often.

Jared Boll

Did you guys see this one coming? Well if not, you should have. Jared Boll was signed at the start of the 2016-2017 season after nine seasons with Columbus Blue Jackets. He was primarily a 4th liner sent out to match up against teams with strong physical presences.

Boll frequently had bouts against crosstown rivals Kurtis MacDermid and Kyle Clifford while in a Ducks sweater but had consistent altercations with old foes such as Cody McLeod, Deryk Engelland, George Parros, and Cam Janssen to name a few.

He scored four points (1G, 3A) in sixty-one games, over two seasons with Anaheim. Sadly, as many of us know, Boll was forced to retire this summer due to some serious back issues.

Todd Fedoruk

After the 2004-2005 lockout season, Fedoruk was traded to Anaheim from Philly, where he spent the first seven years of his career. In 86 games with Anaheim over two seasons, “The Fridge” would accumulate twenty-six points and 210 penalty minutes.

Fedoruk dropped gloves with many notable tough guys, like George Laraque, Brad May, George Parros, and Derek Boogaard on a fairly consistent basis. His most notable fight in a Ducks sweater took place on October 26, 2006. That night he took on Derek Boogaard and sustained a brutal facial injury after falling to the ice as a result of a KO punch.

During reconstructive surgery, he had titanium plates put in his face to repair the damage caused by the fight. Fedoruk was be traded back to Philly later that season.

3 – Stu “The Grim Reaper” Grimson (1993-1995, 1998-2000)

Coming in at number three we have The Grim Reaper himself, Stu Grimson.

Grimson was most notable for his long-standing rivalry with legend Bob Probert. He made a name for himself as one of the league’s toughest guys through the 90’s into the early 2000’s. Grimson served as one of the original Alternate Captains of the inaugural Mighty Ducks team under Troy Loney.

In 231 games with the organization, Grimson would finish his tenure with 13 points. But Grimson earned his money another way. He racked up 583 penalty minutes over his four-year stint in Anaheim. Aside from Probert, Grimson also fought guys like Georges Laraque, Ryan VandenBussche, Krzysztof Oliwa, and Shawn Antoski on a consistent basis.

He was forced to retire from hockey due to post-concussion syndrome. Grimson has since gone back and earned himself a law degree and currently works as a tv analyst for the Nashville Predators with whom he ended his career with, in 2001.

2 – Chris Pronger (2006- 2009)

Coming in at Number Two, we have former Captain, Chris Pronger.

I added Pronger to this list solely because of his physicality as a player and the reputation he built as someone to be feared on the ice. Despite a total of three fights to his name in his time as a Ducks player, post-Stanley Cup victory, Pronger was always the guy that could slowly push the boundaries to see what he could get away with.

That makes sense, who’s going to want to go after a man who is 6’6,” 220 lbs? I’m not here to glorify playing against the grain and really pushing the rules, but not many players can say they were suspended twice in one postseason. It demonstrates how a player of his stature could really do some physical damage.

Not much of a surprise, it was one of the things he was known for throughout his career. I had trouble adding him to the list because when you think enforcer, you think players who fight and that’s it. Changes in the NHL game show how Pronger’s style of play is starting to become the new norm for today’s enforcers.

It’s not so much being able to just hold your own in a fight anymore, it’s being able to hold your own in all aspects of your game with some tenacity.

1 – George Parros (2006-2012)

Finally, we finish our countdown with a familiar face that we all knew would make this list.

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George Parros is not currently in the good graces of many Anaheim Ducks fans in his role as the NHL’s Head of the Department of Player Safety. The Stache is still an important piece of Ducks history that will never be forgotten. As part of the 2007 Championship team and most known for his mustache, Parros did one thing and that was fighting.

Parros took on just about anyone that would drop the gloves with him. Some of his frequent adversaries include Colton Orr, Darcy Hordichuk, Derek Boogaard, Paul Bissonette, and Jared Boll.

Anaheim was the only stop in Parros’ career where he stayed more than one season, so the vast majority of his fights were in a Ducks sweater. Unlike other entries on this list, Parros finished his tenure in Anaheim with almost thirty points in 356 games.

On the opposite side of the coin, Parros totaled 812 of 1,092 career penalty minutes during his six seasons with the team. Five of those six seasons, he totaled over 100 minutes in the sin bin. Interestingly, the Stache only finished among the top 10 NHL penalty minute leaders twice.

Parros is number one because when I think Anaheim Ducks enforcers, he’s always the first one that comes to mind. The fact that he’s been able to also start a very successful business based around “The Code” and the ethics of being a “Violent Gentlemen”, shows how much the role means to him.

Players embrace the role, but Parros’ venture into making a business out of it has taken steps towards showing the hockey world that its more than just a role, its a lifestyle.