NHL Player Rankings: Top 5 Fighters In The NHL (Video)

These five NHL skaters won’t be on Santa’s nice list this year and have their names written in permanent marker on the naughty list as they are the biggest enforcers, penalty leaders and best fighters in the league.

Christmas is upon us and everyone from little children to your crazy uncle are hoping they’ve done enough in the last year to wind up on Santa’s nice list so they can get everything on their wish list when they rip open their presents this holiday season.

Then there are those who have a pretty good idea they’ll be getting a giant lump of coal in their stocking for their behavior that landed them on the naughty list. These five NHL skaters are in that group because they represent the best fighters, enforcers and should start paying rent for as much time as they spend in the penalty box.

While there has been a growing  population of fans and observers of the game who hope fighting will be abolished from the NHL, I am not in that company, because it is an integral part of the game and removing that element would hurt the game.

It would likely also take away the careers of these five players who are featured in this week’s NHL player rankings that is a grouping of the nastiest, meanest, toughest, fiercest competitors on the ice who have the responsibility of serving as an on-ice enforcer if the opponent takes a run at one of the top skilled players on the ice.

In short, they are sure to be on Santa’s naughty list this year, so let’s shine the spotlight on a handful of players who deserve some recognition for doing the dirty work while others get the limelight for scoring goals, making flashy passes and highlight-reel saves.

Stats courtesy of hockey-reference.com and ESPN.com and video courtesy of hockeyfights.com.

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