The Tiger: ice hockey goon spent 3,971 minutes in the penalty box during his NHL career

Dave “Tiger” Williams (Canada) was not a person you wanted to get into a fight with. Nor the one you wanted to see score, as afterwards he would sit on his hockey stick and ‘ride’ around the rink, celebrating like a cowboy or a witch.

But if you watched the left winger play, you knew that he seemingly spent more time in the penalty box than on the ice – and whether or not you viewed his ruthlessness as an asset or a hindrance, you knew one thing for certain… the Tiger was a beast.

During 17 National Hockey League (NHL) seasons between 1974 - 1988, Tiger played for five teams, and amassed a shocking 3,971 penalty minutes in 962 regular season games. That’s the equivalent of spending 2.8 days in the ‘sin bin.’ 

To this day, he holds the Guinness World Records title for most penalty minutes in an NHL career – amounting to a total of 4,426 minutes during the regular and playoff seasons. He has 401 more minutes than Dale Hunter, who sits at second place.

Dave was nicknamed Tiger when he was just five years old, by his minor hockey coach in Weyburn, Saskatchewan. Already filled with a fiery enthusiasm for the sport, the forward grew into a dynamic player, standing at 5 ft 11 in (180 cm) and weighing 190 lbs (86 kg) when he signed with Toronto Maple Leafs during the 1974 draft.

Known as an “enforcer” or a “goon” – a strong player whose job is to aggressively respond to, or provoke, violence – Tiger was unrivaled in his ability to commit penalties. He led the league twice in time spent in the ‘box’, with 338 minutes in 1976 - 1977 and 298 in 1978 - 1979.

Notably, Tiger could also score goals, a rarity among the stereotype known for their size and aggression. During his best season in Toronto, he scored 22 goals in 55 games, and in the 1980 - 1981 season, when he was traded to the Vancouver Canucks, Williams scored a career high of 35 goals and 62 points. Of course, he also had 343 penalty minutes.

After he’d score, he was known for his flamboyant celebrations, such as throwing one leg over his hockey stick and riding it like a broomstick, racing around the ice and infuriating the opposition, who he’d most-likely bruised only minutes before.

Over the course of his career, Tiger also suited up with the Vancouver Canucks, Detroit Red Wings, Los Angeles Kings, and the (now extinct) Hartford Whalers, but Toronto always had his heart – and he became a brand ambassador for the team, touring around the world with them for events after he retired in 1988.

“It's a game that keeps you young, that keeps the kid in you,” Williams once said to the NHL. “Everybody should play the game as long as they can.”

Well, of course that’s easier to believe when you’re giving out the hits, and not taking them!

Header image: Alamy