Iron Man

Sarah Green
Jan 30, 2004

Steve Reid is a Fighter Worth Watching

Do you know what it's like to sit down for lunch with one of the CHL's most promising tough guys? Well, it's pretty cool. Especially if you're a girl, like me. But if I had been a guy that day, I probably wouldn't have wanted to say the wrong thing to Steve Reid.

A couple of weeks ago Reid and I sat together in a downtown bar, and over enormous hamburgers, which Reid polished off with gusto, we talked a little about his career as a hockey fighter.

Steve Reid has made quite an impression on minor pro fight fans since being signed by the Central Hockey League's Fort Worth Brahmas on New Year's Eve, and he knows exactly why the Bulls called him to duty. "I understand what I was brought in here to do. I have to get out there and clear the path for the high scorers. I'm happy to be able to do that. My job is to help bring some intimidation, some fear to the other team so that the scorers can focus on what they need to do, without having to worry so much that someone's going to do something stupid to them and take them out of the game."

And with that statement, Steve Reid has entered the hard world of the CHL fighter, one that many choose to leave after a season or two, the paychecks often not measuring up to the physical punishment meted out. So far, Reid shows little to no damage from his chosen occupation. Only the first knuckle of his beefy right hand bears a small red tooth-mark, a souvenir from a recent set-to with the Austin Ice Bats' Scott McCallum. Never mind that McCallum looms a good four inches above Reid. "Oh, yeah, I underestimated my reach on the first swing, but after that, we made contact a few times," he says with a broad smile. And contact was made, alright. To the delight of the crowd, Reid quickly brought McCallum down to the ice with several hammers to the big man's left temple.

Reid has all the attributes of the prototypical hockey tough guy, with attitude to spare. At 24, the six-foot, 225 lb. forward is broad and absolutely solid, and his gravelly low voice booms out at sub-woofer level. He's shaved his head, which adds to a slightly menacing appearance, even when he's relaxing off the ice. His big neck is as thick as his leonine head. He suffers from no apparent self-doubt, and meets everyone he encounters with a direct and, when necessary, rather penetrating gaze.

This happens to be Reid's rookie CHL season, but his tough reputation had already reverberated throughout the collegiate hockey grapevine when Reid played for Canada's St. Clair College for two seasons, starting in 2001. Interestingly, he pursued studies in criminology while attending school there. "I'd like to pursue police work if I wasn't playing. I'd love to be on a SWAT team. How awesome would that be?"

From 1996 to 1998, Reid spent some time in the OHL with the Sudbury Wolves, rooming with and playing alongside current Phoenix defenseman Paul Mara and Ottawa Senator center Mike Fisher.

The Leamington, Ontario native has an interesting take on the small and exclusive club that the hockey fighter belongs to. "A friend of mine and I sat and talked one day about how so many of the game's tough guys come from around the Windsor - Southern Ontario area. There are a lot, including guys like Bob Probert and Tie Domi. Maybe it's the way we're brought up playing, so many of us in the same style, not the nice, polite European style, or maybe it's just in the water there." He may have some ammunition to back his theory up. After all, Bob Probert's dad just happens to be Reid's mom's boss.

Many fighters train by boxing during the summer. Reid trains during the off-season with a group of bodybuilding friends at home. This probably explains his fighting style, which although lacks some finesse, is certainly effective. He can throw punches the way a lot of fighters do, but the guy is solid from the bodybuilding, and it's hard for opponents to hurt him. He eats heartily, and doesn't seem to suffer the post-game nausea that some players complain of after a hard game.

"I've got to eat before, during, after a game. Whenever. I love to eat, and I've got to so I can keep bulked up. In the summer I do some protein shakes, but during the season, I just eat."

Brahmas fans know that when Reid is called out to the ice by head coach Al Sims, they can expect their full entertainment value. In his professional debut with the Fort Worth Brahmas, Reid tallied 15 penalty minutes during an end of game melee with the Bossier-Shreveport MudBugs. Reid won't fight dirty, though, and when an opposing player took a swipe at him straight from the bench, Reid refused to take the bait and lose his cool. Instead he kept his focus on the game, although he has been heard to threaten to beat the living crap out of guys in the opposite penalty box, um, to put it politely.

And Reid has no apologies for any damage he inflicts. "I don't feel bad about hurting the other guy. It's part of the game. You don't bear grudges in hockey. I'll talk to a guy I've fought with after the game. For me, it's over with when I leave the ice."

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