Gregory Joseph "Joey" Kocur (born December 21, 1964) is a

Canadian Canadians () are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of their being ''C ...

former professional

ice hockey Ice hockey (or simply hockey in North America) is a team sport played on ice skates, usually on an Ice rink, ice skating rink with Ice hockey rink, lines and markings specific to the sport. It belongs to a family of sports called hockey. Tw ...

player. He is best known for his activities as a fighter and enforcer, as well as being one half of the "Bruise Brothers" with then-

Detroit Red Wings The Detroit Red Wings (colloquially referred to as the Wings) are a professional ice hockey team based in Detroit. The Red Wings compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Atlantic Division (NHL), Atlantic Division in the East ...

teammate

Bob Probert Robert Alan Probert (June 5, 1965 – July 5, 2010) was a Canadian professional ice hockey forward. Probert played for the National Hockey League's Detroit Red Wings and Chicago Blackhawks. While a successful player by some measures, including be ...

, during the late 1980s and early 1990s. Joe Kocur is a 4 time Stanley Cup champion.

Career

Known for his physical play, Kocur was one of the most penalized players in

NHL The National Hockey League (NHL; , ''LNH'') is a professional ice hockey league in North America composed of 32 teams25 in the United States and 7 in Canada. The NHL is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United States and Cana ...

history, amassing a career total of 2,519 penalty minutes in stints with the

, the

New York Rangers The New York Rangers are a professional ice hockey team based in New York City. The Rangers compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division in the Eastern Conference (NHL), Eastern Conference. The team plays ...

and the

Vancouver Canucks The Vancouver Canucks are a professional ice hockey team based in Vancouver. The Canucks compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Pacific Division (NHL), Pacific Division in the Western Conference (NHL), Western Conferenc ...

. Kocur officially retired at the end of the 1998–1999 season. He served as a video coach to

Scotty Bowman William Scott Bowman (born September 18, 1933) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey head coach. He holds the record for most wins in National Hockey League (NHL) history, with 1,244 wins in the regular season and 223 in the Stanley Cup ...

from the

2001 The year's most prominent event was the September 11 attacks against the United States by al-Qaeda, which Casualties of the September 11 attacks, killed 2,977 people and instigated the global war on terror. The United States led a Participan ...

season until Bowman's retirement following the

2002 The effects of the September 11 attacks of the previous year had a significant impact on the affairs of 2002. The war on terror was a major political focus. Without settled international law, several nations engaged in anti-terror operation ...

season. Under head coach Dave Lewis, Kocur served as an associate coach along with Barry Smith; he was not asked to return after the hiring of coach

Mike Babcock Mike Babcock (born April 29, 1963) is a Canadian former ice hockey player and coach. He spent parts of eighteen seasons as a head coach in the National Hockey League (NHL), beginning when he was named head coach of the Anaheim Ducks, Mighty Duck ...

. Kocur was best known for his devastating right-hand punch; he so frequently hit players with his right hand, often landing blows on their helmets or teeth, his right hand was often in poor condition. In an interview,

Donald Brashear Donald Brashear (born January 7, 1972) is an American-Canadian former professional hockey player. He played for five organizations in the National Hockey League (NHL) over a 16-year career, in which he played the role of an enforcer. He was am ...

described how Kocur cracked his helmet with his punches; though his helmet absorbed most of the blow, he still felt serious pain in his gums even on the other side of his face, leaving him unable to eat for a day or so. Kocur's punches often seriously injured players, such as

Brad Dalgarno Bradley William Dalgarno (born August 11, 1967) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey right wing. He was drafted in the first round, sixth overall, by the New York Islanders of the National Hockey League (NHL) in the 1985 NHL Entry Draft. ...

of the

New York Islanders The New York Islanders (colloquially known as the Isles) are a professional ice hockey team based in Elmont, New York. The Islanders compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division in the Eastern Conference (N ...

, whose

orbital bone In anatomy, the orbit is the cavity or socket/hole of the skull in which the eye and its appendages are situated. "Orbit" can refer to the bony socket, or it can also be used to imply the contents. In the adult human, the volume of the orbit is ...

cheek bone The cheeks () constitute the area of the face below the eyes and between the nose and the left or right ear. ''Buccal'' means relating to the cheek. In humans, the region is innervated by the buccal nerve. The area between the inside of the che ...

, and

jaw The jaws are a pair of opposable articulated structures at the entrance of the mouth, typically used for grasping and manipulating food. The term ''jaws'' is also broadly applied to the whole of the structures constituting the vault of the mouth ...

were fractured by Kocur. Kocur left the NHL following the 1996 season and was playing in the International Hockey League when the Red Wings brought him back during the 1996–97 season after captain

Steve Yzerman Stephen Gregory Yzerman ( ; born May 9, 1965) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player currently serving as executive vice president and general manager of the Detroit Red Wings, with whom he spent all 22 seasons of his NHL playing ...

recommended him to head coach Scotty Bowman. Although he did not fight as much as in his younger days, Kocur brought an element of toughness to the Wings that had been lost with the departures of Probert and

Stu Grimson Stuart Grimson (born May 20, 1965) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player. Grimson played in the National Hockey League from 1989 to 2002. During this time, he played for the Calgary Flames, Chicago Blackhawks, Mighty Ducks of Anahe ...

. Kocur scored goals in the 1997 and 1998 Stanley Cup finals series, helping the Wings win the Stanley Cup both times. Kocur had previously won a Stanley Cup ring as a member of the 1993-94 New York Rangers.

Post hockey career

Kocur is president of the Detroit Red Wings Alumni Association and is active in its efforts to raise money for children's charities in

Metro Detroit Metro Detroit is a major metropolitan area in the U.S. state of Michigan, consisting of the city of Detroit and over 200 municipalities in the Southeast Michigan, surrounding area. There are varied definitions of the area, including the officia ...

. In 2010, he created Kocur Enterprises and is a manufacturer's representative of specialty products serving commercial, industrial and municipal markets in several states. In 2012, he started his own charity called "The Joe Kocur Foundation for Children". The foundation holds an annual charity softball game in Highland Township Michigan every August.

Family

Kocur lives in

Michigan Michigan ( ) is a peninsular U.S. state, state in the Great Lakes region, Great Lakes region of the Upper Midwest, Upper Midwestern United States. It shares water and land boundaries with Minnesota to the northwest, Wisconsin to the west, ...

with his wife Kristen, son Liam, and daughter Kendall. Kocur is a cousin of former NHL player

Wendel Clark Wendel Lee Clark (born October 26, 1966) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player. His professional career lasted from 1985 until 2000, during which time he played for the Toronto Maple Leafs, Quebec Nordiques, New York Islanders, Tamp ...

and former NHL player and coach

Barry Melrose Barry James Melrose (born July 15, 1956) is a Canadian–American retired broadcaster and former professional ice hockey player and head coach. Melrose played in the World Hockey Association (WHA) and National Hockey League (NHL). After retiring ...

as well.

In media

Along with former teammate

, Kocur is featured in a book entitled ''Bruise Brothers'' by Bob Duff. Kocur makes occasional cameo appearances playing adult league hockey in Waterford, Michigan. On December 31, 2013, Kocur appeared in the second game of the NHL Alumni Showdown at

Comerica Park Comerica Park is a baseball stadium located in Downtown Detroit. It has been the ballpark of Major League Baseball's Detroit Tigers since 2000, when the team left Tiger Stadium (Detroit), Tiger Stadium. History Construction Founded in 1894, t ...

Detroit Detroit ( , ) is the List of municipalities in Michigan, most populous city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is situated on the bank of the Detroit River across from Windsor, Ontario. It had a population of 639,111 at the 2020 United State ...

, part of the Hockeytown Winter Festival leading up to the

2014 NHL Winter Classic The 2014 NHL Winter Classic was an outdoor ice hockey game played in the National Hockey League (NHL) on January 1, 2014, at Michigan Stadium in Ann Arbor, Michigan. The sixth edition of the Winter Classic, it matched the Toronto Maple Leafs ...

. Kocur, who wore the number 26 sweater during his playing days, honored his deceased Bruise Brother, Bob Probert, by wearing Probert's number 24 sweater. Kocur and his Grind Line Detroit Red Wings teammates were honored in the Fall of 2021 by the Michigan Sports Hall of Fame in Detroit.

Career statistics

Bold indicates led league

Achievements

1994 The year 1994 was designated as the " International Year of the Family" and the "International Year of Sport and the Olympic Ideal" by the United Nations. In the Line Islands and Phoenix Islands of Kiribati, 1994 had only 364 days, omitti ...

Stanley Cup The Stanley Cup () is the championship trophy awarded annually to the National Hockey League (NHL) playoff champion. It is the oldest existing trophy to be awarded to a professional sports franchise in North America, and the International Ic ...

Champion ( NYR) *

1997 Events January * January 1 – The Emergency Alert System is introduced in the United States. * January 11 – Turkey threatens Cyprus on account of a deal to buy Russian S-300 missiles, prompting the Cypriot Missile Crisis. * January 1 ...

Stanley Cup Champion (

) *

1998 1998 was designated as the ''International Year of the Ocean''. Events January * January 6 – The ''Lunar Prospector'' spacecraft is launched into orbit around the Moon, and later finds evidence for Lunar water, frozen water, in soil i ...

Stanley Cup Champion (Detroit) *

Stanley Cup Champion (Detroit as video coach) *2016

National Polish-American Sports Hall of Fame The National Polish-American Sports Hall of Fame and Museum was founded in 1973. The mission of the National Polish-American Sports Hall of Fame is to recognize and preserve outstanding achievement by individuals of Polish heritage in the field o ...

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Kocur, Joe 1964 births Adirondack Red Wings players Canadian ice hockey right wingers Detroit Red Wings coaches Detroit Red Wings draft picks Detroit Red Wings players Canadian expatriate ice hockey players in the United States Ice hockey people from Saskatchewan Living people New York Rangers players People from Kelvington, Saskatchewan San Antonio Dragons players Saskatoon Blades players Stanley Cup champions Vancouver Canucks players Yorkton Terriers players Canadian ice hockey coaches 20th-century Canadian sportsmen