Banned In Canada

Say what you want about enforcers in the NHL, but the days where there was a legitimate heavyweight rumbler on a roster are long gone. While these guys were heroes to their fans, we know the toll it took on a lot of them thanks to science today that the NHL continues to deny. One of the guys who suffered before his tragic ending was Bob Probert who stood among the toughest hombres to ever wear skates and throw knuckles. For a time, though, he wasn't allowed to cross the border into Canada thanks to his repeated run-ins with the law, and that story made headlines on December 18, 1991 as Probert was left in Detroit by the Red Wings again while they travelled across Canada on a road trip!

The story, written by Corky Meinecke of Knight-Ridder Newspapers, was published in the Winnipeg Free Press on this day 33 years ago.

Of course, I'm not here to defend Probert's legal problems as he is responsible for the consequences of his actions. The fact that he was banned from crossing the border into Canada is one of those consequences, and he was finding ways to deal with the periods of time his teammates were playing hockey and he wasn't. However, it sounds like he was doing all he could in finding ways to join them on their treks through the Great White North.

As Probert told Meinecke, "I just don't understand why I ca't get a trial permit, why I just can't play a game and come right back. They could even escort me there and back. They keep telling me, 'We're getting closer.' But it's been three years."

In fact, as Meinecke wrote, it was three years and seven days from that point where the two spoke as the last game he had played in Canada came on December 10, 1988 in Toronto against the Maple Leafs. The Red Wings clobbered the Maple Leafs by an 8-2 score, and Bob Probert scored the opening goal of the game unassisted for his second marker of the season. It should be noted that Probert got five for fighting and two for instigating a fight with Toronto's Brian Curran at 9:39 of the second period, and he was given a ten-minute misconduct at 9:35 of the third period for attempting to injure a Leafs player. In short, it was a good day at the office for Probert.

For nearly four complete years, Probert was banned from playing in Canada as part of that ban saw him suspended by the NHL on March 4, 1989 before being reinstated by the league on March 9, 1990. He also spent three months in a correctional facility in Rochester, Minnesota and another three months in a rehabilitation center near Detroit. Those periods of time stemmed from his arrest in March 1989 where he attempted to smuggle cocaine into the United States in his underwear at the Detroit-Windsor Tunnel.

On December 7, 1992, his fortunes changed as Probert's waiver request was granted by the US Immigration and Naturalization Service.

"Sufficient time has passed and Probert has demonstrated since his drug conviction that he has been properly rehabilitated," INS District Director James Montgomery said in a statement. "Over the last several years, since his conviction, he has not had any criminal misconduct. He has cooperated fully with the United States Department of Probation. He has cooperated fully with us and has made numerous speeches in the community in regard to speaking out against drugs and alcohol."

In a weird twist of fate, Probert's first game back in Canada would come in Toronto against the Maple Leafs on December 9, 1992. He was hardly a factor as Toronto scored five power-play goals en route to a 5-3 victory, but Probert did what he was known for as he scrapped with Wendel Clark at 2:32 of the third period before picking up a roughing penlaty at 10:18, a kneeing penalty at 19:17, and a second fighting major for that kneeing infraction after squaring off with Clark once more. 14 minutes in penalties in his return sounds like a very Bob Probert-like effort back in early December 1992.

Of course, we lost Bob Probert after he died of a heart attack on July 5, 2010. On September 25, 2010, Probert's family made the courageous decision to donate his brain to science as part of Boston University's Sports Legacy Institute where the effects of concussions and other sports-related head injuries are studied. It was found that Probert had been suffering from chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE), a condition that the NHL has repeatedly denied any responsibility for and any link to the suffering some of their most feared warriors are facing.

For four years, though, teams in Canada could breathe a little easier knowing the Red Wings were visiting without one of the most feared players in the NHL on their roster. It's a shame that we lost him so prematurely after he worked his tail off being one of the most entertaining players of his time.

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!