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Remembering Bob Probert

by Paul on 07/05/10 at 10:02 PM ET
Comments (3)

The death of Bob Probert has gripped the Detroit area tonight.  The working class fans loved him and even though Probert had his problems, the fans always gave him another chance.

Reaction to his death follows…

from Mitch Albom of the Detroit Free Press,

What is a man? Is he the worst he’s ever done? If so, Bob Probert will be remembered for a night he dropped his pants at the Canadian border and a packet of cocaine fell out. He’ll be remembered for handcuffs, for jail, for alcoholism, for wrapping a Monte Carlo around a utility pole, for crashing a motorcycle with his bloodstream laced with substances, and for year after year single-handedly exhausting the patience of the Red Wings’ front office.

What is a man? Is he the best he’s ever done? If so, Bob Probert will be remembered for a good heart, a gentle soul, a giant’s body that on skates could do that rarest of combinations, speed, score and wallop. He’ll be remembered for the countless attempts he made at cleaning up instead of giving up, his loyalty to his teammates, his love for his kids, and his sincere desire, each time he said it, to get his life together and live out his days in peace.

continued

from Ken Campbell of The Hockey News,

When Jim Devellano drafted Bob Probert in the third round of the 1983 draft, he told everyone that Probert would be to the Detroit Red Wings what Clark Gillies was to the New York Islanders.

“Clark Gillies is in the Hockey Hall of Fame,” Devellano said, “and Bob Probert could have been in the Hockey Hall of Fame.”

continued

Filed in: NHL Teams, Detroit Red Wings | KK Hockey | Permalink
 Tags: Bob+Probert,

Comments

Paul,i met Bob once in 1990 thru a friend.i was just beginning my recovery,18 months in.he encouraged me.the CBC special they ran on him when they showed his fathers grave shocked me with the date his father passed,my 21st birthday!i haven’t drank since having met Bob.back in 1997 i was hired by Compuware Arena,Bob had rented the ice on my 1st day…he remembered me and asked if i was clean…......this is devastating.the Trolls on 97.1 tonight are killing me with their synopsis.thankfully Sean Baligian will right the ship tomorrow

Posted by Speedy on 07/05/10 at 10:41 PM ET

Speedy, thanks for sharing your story and in regards from 97.1, just don’t listen, just like me.

We’ve forgotten more about the game than the whole group there knows (except Stoney).

Posted by Paul from Motown Area on 07/05/10 at 10:45 PM ET

Sean actually worked with me during that time at Little Caesars…he was an amazing support then,and a good friend now.the only part about 97.1 today that killed me was Caputo essentially degrading a mans life now that it’s over.Bob never ran from anything he was caught doing.my happiness was he found a woman who helped him get his life right to some degree.Caputo is a disgrace to ANY form of media

Posted by Speedy on 07/05/10 at 11:18 PM ET

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Paul Kukla founded Kukla’s Korner in 2005 and the site has since become the must-read site on the ‘net for all the latest happenings around the NHL. 

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