[EDDIESHORETOEBLAKE]

OVERALL LIST (to be counted)
(1) Cairns
(2) Brashear
(3) Parker
(4) Johnson
(5) Simon
(6) Laraque
(7) Worrell
(8) Peters
(9) Brookbank
(10) Shelley


Also, here's mine for 2003-2004, only concerning this season . . .

(1) Peters: Sure he was at the receiving end of one of the most brutal looking TKOs in the history of hockey, but outside of that, he had a shockingly effective year . . . had a slew of fights . . . proved to be one of the top two or three “damaging” fighters in the league, and but for a few seeming “I’m ahead on points” bail-outs, was one of the most fearless, exciting fighters out there . . .

(1) Neil: I may not be in the majority putting him this high, but he had a slew of fights, fought some pretty decent guys, played the enforcer role well enough as an undersized “heavyweight” and perhaps a lone gunman of sorts for most of the year in Ottawa, was never embarrassed, and actually handled quite a few guys I never figured he would; he showed glimpses of power, and was always exciting . . .

(3) Oliwa: Had maybe the best year he’s ever had, which is actually saying something . . . he had some big-time wins against top-line competition; but for Chris Simon (and that is certainly debatable), he would be a lock as comeback fighter of the year . . .

(4) Cairns: Yeah, he didn’t fight as much as the aforementioned guys, but when he did, seemingly more often than not, somebody was getting hurt . . . I thought he solidified himself as the most damaging fighter in the league, and may be the most feared fighter out there right now (apologies to Parker and Laraque) . . .

(5) Johnson: He had a “fine-wine” type year, and arguably his best season ever . . . he showcased devastating power (see Johnson-Peters II), and finally beat his nemesis, George Laraque . . .

(6) Shelley: Okay, okay, so he lost more than he won . . . but for Oliwa, his fight card was unmatched, and he had a few nice wins . . . he’s also pretty much the most fearless heavy in the league, and maybe its most entertaining (obviously not anymore entertaining than Vandy, Hordi, etc., but he’s closer in stature to the classic “heavyweight”) . . .

(7) Brookbank: Rookie of the Year? Maybe . . . I might go with Peters, but the difference is negligible . . . busted on the scene with his jackhammer right and reckless attitude – amazing it took him as long as it did to find a home this season . . . had some big-time wins utilizing the right hand bomb, and had very few, if any, clear losses . . .

(8) Vandenbussche: I thought Vandy had one of his best years ever . . . although Burnett seemed to have his number, he also served one up on Garrett earlier in the season . . . he continues to be one of the top two or three most fearless and exciting guys in the league, and one of the most devastating undersized heavies in the history of hockey . . .

(9) Simon: My pick for comeback fighter of the year (narrowly over Oliwa) . . . at times looked like a guy I knew in the mid-90s . . . I think he gets the comeback award simply because of where he came from – nearly 8 years of relatively little fan fare (I actually thought he always fared pretty well throughout those 8 years when he did “drop ‘em”, but nobody else really did . . .

(10) Brashear: I can’t keep this guy out of my top 10 – he’s still the best fighter in the league in my humble opinion, and but for a lack of fights, had perhaps the most solid season of anybody . . .

HM: Worrell: Peter, but for his shocking loss to Hordichuk, had one of the better second halves of any fighter IMO, and was amongst the busier fighters . . . had he been healthy, I have no doubt he would have been a top 5 guy this past season . . .

Some other guys that I thought merit some attention (somewhat in order, but they are all sort of interchangeable to some degree):

Wiemer: Not a big-time fight card, but certainly beat up a lot of people . . .

Langdon: Actually turned in a solid season . . .

Low: Stayed under the radar for the most part, but when I went back and reviewed his year, he was right up there with nearly everybody else . . .

Parker: Had a somewhat boring season, but considering the way people tend to fight him, it was actually pretty solid . . . not a Top 10 season, and certainly disappointing to anybody who had him as their pre-season No. 1 (yours truly), but he didn’t do anything to be embarrassed about . . .

Hordi: Benefited somewhat from “cheating” in a few fights, but I can cut him some slack – afterall, he is Hordi . . .

Boulerice: As an appreciator (word?) of technique, Jesse is one of my favorites to watch fight – the second coming of Ken Baumgartner . . .

Lessard: perhaps a little too inactive, and not a big fan of his tendency to jump guys, can’t really argue that the guy can throw down, in did so very well this past season . . .

Godard: He had some rough showings, but overall, was extremely solid as the second big gun on the Island . . .

Burnett: Another of the “young guns” . . . needs to work on his balance, but showed signs of brilliance . . . not sure how long he will hold on in the bigs, but who knows . . .

Vandermeer: Wow, was this guy entertaining or what . . . had some epic brawls this season, with some nice wins . . . tremendous tools – some of the best endurance fighters in the game, and if anybody saw his scrap with Grant Marshall (not exactly a pillow puncher), then you know what I mean when I say the kid’s got an iron jaw . . .

Laraque: Outside of perhaps Peter Worrell (Hordi), had the most publicized “losses” of the season – this may have actually taken away from an otherwise solid season . . . granted, he rarely fought, which, for me, keeps him far from this season’s Top 10, but when he did he was his usual dominating self . . .

Belak: Missed too much of the season to seriously contend, but had a typical solid season otherwise . . .

Peat: Another guy who didn’t fight nearly enough for anybody’s liking, but when he does, he’s easily amongst the top 10 talented fighters in the game . . .