Bob Probert Dies Near Windsor Home

When most recent players announce their retirement, I feel a little old considering that I remember when they were rookies. I remember Probert's career right around the time that I started to really get into hockey. Every team feared fighting him and playing against him.

Probert played in 935 regular-season games and amassed 3,300 penalty minutes, including 2,090 PIMs with the Red Wings, which still stands as a franchise record. He compiled 114 goals and 145 assists in Detroit.

“What that does is puts a huge impact on the other team. How were they going to react and how were they going to match-up? I think there were quite a few tough guys who made money because of Bob, where teams needed to sign somebody, or have somebody to match-up with Bob Probert.

Probert passed on near his home in Windsor, ON while working on his boat. I have been reading up on some articles all over the Internet and since his retirement, his life has been resembling a road to redemption. Probert's reputation takes on a little black mark while getting in trouble with the law and dabbling in illegal substances.

But as most eulogies do, people still tend to focus on the positives as Bob Probert did a lot for the communities he was associated with.

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.”

The test results for an autopsy has not been released yet, but I'd be willing to bet that it was something that was heart related. Ironic. A player who had both a good heart and bad heart.

[Via: Click on Detroit & Yahoo! Sports & Detroit Red Wings Official Page]