St. Louis Blues: Top 5 St. Louis Blues Fighters Of All-Time

26 Mar 1998: Leftwinger Tony Twist of the Tampa Bay Lightning in action during a game against the St. Louis Blues at the Kiel Center in St. Louis, Missouri. The Blues defeated the Lightning 3-2. Mandatory Credit: Elsa Hasch /Allsport
26 Mar 1998: Leftwinger Tony Twist of the Tampa Bay Lightning in action during a game against the St. Louis Blues at the Kiel Center in St. Louis, Missouri. The Blues defeated the Lightning 3-2. Mandatory Credit: Elsa Hasch /Allsport
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Canadian professional hockey player Brian Sutter of the St. Louis Blues grapples with American colleague Eddie Hospodar of the New York Rangers, Madison Square Garden, New York, May 1981. (Photo by Bruce Bennett Studios via Getty Images Studios/Getty Images)
Canadian professional hockey player Brian Sutter of the St. Louis Blues grapples with American colleague Eddie Hospodar of the New York Rangers, Madison Square Garden, New York, May 1981. (Photo by Bruce Bennett Studios via Getty Images Studios/Getty Images)

Coming in at number one on the list, non-other than the captain, Brian Sutter. Sutter was listed at 5’11” 173lbs.  He is the smallest player on this list by almost 30 lbs, but he did not lack heart.

If you ask anyone in hockey who is the greatest hockey family of all time, a good majority of them will name the Sutter family.  A family of six brothers that all made it to the NHL.

Brian was drafted by the Blues in the second round of the 1976 NHL amateur draft and went on to play 35 games for the Blues that year, and a total of 779 games, all with the Blues.

During his career, Sutter had 157 fights and in the 1980-1981 season a total of 26 fights, the highest total in his 12-year career.  Once again he had more fights against the Blackhawks than any other team in the NHL.

Also, out of all the players on this list, Sutter had more career fights against any one opponent.  He fought Pat Price, a defenseman with five different teams, a total of seven times.  Something tells me these two didn’t like each other.

The Blues have always been known as a hard-working, blue-collared team.  And in my opinion, there is not one player that best personifies this mentality then Brian Sutter.

During the last nine years of his career, Sutter was the captain of the Blues.  The longest-tenured captain in Blues history.  Not only was Sutter a hard-nosed player, but many consider him the greatest leader of the Blues, ever.

In 1988, Sutter was forced to retire due to a nagging back injury, and almost immediately was hired as head coach of the Blues.  And in the 1990-1991 season won the Jack Adams award for coach of the year.

Pat Maroon lead the Blues last season with six fights.  Based on that average, a player would have to play over 10 years for the Blues before they would ever crack the top five based on fighting majors.

If we continue to see the current trend of fighting decline in the NHL, I don’t know that anyone on this list will ever be surpassed.