A Reflection On Brad May

[I like Boobs]

Born on November 29, 1971 in Stoufville, Ontario, Brad May was one of the most polarizing figures in NHL history. Many fans loved him for his fighting abilities with teams like Buffalo, Vancouver, Colorado, Anaheim and Toronto. Many fans hated him for his cheapshots and questionableble antics... I'm going to examine the good and bad points of May's career in an objective manner and you can decide, but this is ILB's career reflection of Brad May - enjoy!

Brad May was drafted by the Buffalo Sabres, 14th overall in the 1990 NHL entry draft. He was coming off a great junior career in the OHL with the Niagara Falls Thunder where he played for legendary tough guy Bill Laforge. When asked about his early playing days, being drafted so highly, and being compared to Rick Tocchet, May responded:

I didn't play a physical role until I was 15. In my first year in the OHL , my coach Bill LaForge brought out my physical side. When I got to the OHL , certain roles had to be accepted to make the team. There was some pressure being chosen so high , but you should put pressure on yourself to succeed. I worked really hard to put myself in a position to make the Sabres in my first training camp. I might have played with Buffalo the season before , but I hurt my knee during the World Junior tryouts. I'm pretty confident I could have played with the Sabres that year , but I didn't have a chance due to my knee...being compared to Tocchet never got to me. I love Tocchet, Neely and Shayne Corson. Those are the guys I wanted to be like...

When asked about his first NHL Game and fight, May responded:

1998 Interview with Joe Lozito

Here's the Corson fight:

may vs corson donnelly vs roberge - YouTube

Than May went on to TKO Lefebvre:
http://youtu.be/qHPltFJMBzw

May also had a great fight with Gill:
http://youtu.be/ukgnRi7W644

Than had a couple nothing draws with Stephane Quintal and Joe Reekie before taking**on Scott Mellanby. They both dropped their gloves and squared off than Gord Donnelly came third man in for some reason which brought everyone into the mix. Not sure why Donnelly interfered there. Later that game May fought Louie DeBrusk but not much happened, mostly just wrestling. Than May absolutely hammered Troy Mallette, dropping him with a vicious KO. Even hit him again while he was down and out on the ice. Here's the clip:**

Brad May vs Troy Mallette KO
http://youtu.be/fM70MKm7JHY
Mallette didn't know where he was! May would go on to have an uninspired draw with Ed Kastellic before edging Gerard Gallant in an in close fight. May would than go on to drop Doug Houda with a hard right in a quick fight. May kept punching Houda while he was down. Here's the clip:
Brad May TKO's Doug Houda
http://youtu.be/EyOHyH_yIqQ

May would finish the season with a decision over David Shaw, a solid rookie season!

1992-1993:
May started the season off with a decent tilt with Mike Peluso. Had a good exchange than Peluso lost his balance and fell down. Than May took on a warrior and Jeff Odgers and as you might expect they had a beauty scrap. Nice toe to toe exchange that left Odgers a little bloody after, here's the clip:**
http://youtu.be/I0XEbSTlvFs

May would go on to fight Rick Tocchet and the man that many compared him to, beat him and bloodied him up after catching May with a beauty right. Here's the clip:**
http://youtu.be/L1SdAHLfEms

May would go on to take a win over Steven Finn before fighting Tocchet in a rematch off the draw after the Penguins scored. I called this one a draw. Here's the video:
http://youtu.be/gst0jbGkScI

May went on to put a beating on Mark Hardy of the Rangers after Hardy went after Sabres captain Pat Lafontaine. Than May had a quick fight with Nick Kypreos behind the Whalers net that can only be considered a draw. May than had an absolutely fantastic fight with Paul Kruse. Toe to toe slugfest war that Kruse won, here's the clip:**
http://youtu.be/0IhyqkbS_bQ

May would go on to fight Terry Carkner and I gave the decision to Carkner in that one, and than took on Tocchet for a third time that season in another entertaining bout which Tocchet won. Here's the clip:
http://youtu.be/Gen4B6oOxTA

May went on to fight Mario Roberge twice and I gave Roberge the decision in both fights. Here's a clip of the second fight:
http://youtu.be/uJ-PiG9n1fc

After the two Roberge fights, May fought Randy McKay in what was an absolute war. Both guys threw and landed bombs. Here's the fight:**
http://youtu.be/1RN8jELn1Gc

Results wise it wasn't a great season for May, but he was in every fight and was arguably the most entertaining fighter of the year. But the highlight of the year - and of his career many would argue - was when he scored the famous "May Day" goal:

In the spring of 1993, the Sabres had gone 10 years without winning a post-season series, and the streak seemed likely to continue as Buffalo faced the top-seeded Boston Bruins in the first round of the Adams Division playoffs.

But the underdogs jumped out to a surprising three-games-to-none lead in the best-of-seven series, setting up a potential sweep in Game 4 at the old Memorial Auditorium.

The contest went into overtime tied at 5-5 when May took a pass from Pat Lafontaine near the Boston blue-line, undressed future hall-of-fame defencemen Ray Bourque, froze goalie Andy Moog by faking a shot and shovelled the puck home to send the Sabres into the second round.

http://www.cbc.ca/news/story/2009/04...abres-may.html

And here's the goal:
http://youtu.be/Z0xxSsEqjIk

1993-1994:May started the season off with an bang as he took on a personal favorite in Jay Wells and popped him and dropped him. May hit Wells with a bomb and you could tell Wells was hurt. The period ended and you knew that a warrior like Wells was going to want another shot and they went again. This was a great fight. Here's the clip of both fights:
http://youtu.be/Rk8CMMhEOFo

May than fought Troy Mallette again and this time Mallette dropped May with some heavy shots. May was pissed and later tried to fight Mallette again, dropping his gloves but Mallette declined. This interview shows the fight and May jokingly promising a rematch:**
http://youtu.be/9rFH9KxkKdE

The rematch:
http://youtu.be/P4oKOncKu7o

May than took on Rudy Poeschek and took the decision in that fight. Than May threw a punch at Pavel Bure in a scrum and of all people, Dana Murzyn drilled May from behind. Tried to fight Huscroft but everyones favorite linesmen Kevin Collins jumped in for no reason and it never took place. Than May fought Mark Janssens. May landed a beauty that busted Janssens open but Janssens came on and overwhelmed May in a quick fight. May than fought Doug Zmolek twice in the same game and took both fights. Both very entertainging bouts. The next battle would be a fast and furious war with Dennis Vial - check this one out:**
http://youtu.be/zoxAzfaYFjY

1994-1995: This was the lockout shortened season and May started it off nicely with a win over Garth Butcher. Than he absolutely had his way with Rob Pearson, knocking him around and landing several big shots. Than May went on to fight Chris Tamer and this was a beauty:
http://youtu.be/uaM92M9a4wU

May went on to have draws with Beukeboom and Odelein before ending the season off with a beautiful sucker punch on Ulf Samuelsson. Cheap, yes... But beautiful to watch!

1995-1996
May started off by trying to fight Beukeboom again only to have Messier jump in as a third man and interfere. Later fought Kypreos that game and took the decision. May's next fight was his war with Basil McRae which ended with May dropping him with a big left for the TKO win:
http://youtu.be/1YSqcjaFUbQ

May than took a loss to Jim Cummins in a toe to toe war before righting the ship with a win in a great fight over Terry Carkner. Took a loss to Rudy Poeschek in an entertaining bout, before dropping Warren Rychel with a big shot for the TKO win. Than took on Darren Langdon in a sloppy fight and took the decision:
http://youtu.be/VkEsCkNX0Yk

May than lost to Francois Leroux before fighting Dennis Vial once again and it was another great wild swinging fight that I called a draw. May went on to take wins over Luke Richardson and Jon Rohloff before dropping Ken Baumgartner with a monster KO. Just destroyed him. I never saw the Bomber take a shot like that ever. Than for some reason, May attacks Bomber while he's out on the ice and Mike Gartner comes flying in to protect his fallen teammate. Here's the clip:*
http://youtu.be/7PyMLV5f9wk

May than beat Ian Moran before ending the season with wins over Terry Carkner and Igor Ulanov, here's the Carkner fight:*
http://youtu.be/ZtLRGE48PE0

A very good year for May!

1996-1997
May started off the season by beating Ronnie Stern in a good fight, the only problem was he ended up separating his shoulder and missed some time to injury. Here's the clip:

Brad May vs Ronnie Stern - YouTube

May's first game back from injuring his shoulder he ended up dropping Brent Grieves with a hard right to take the TKO win. Here's the clip:

http://youtu.be/38zJzN_gN7Q
May than was involved in the Philly-Buffalo brawl where Garth Snow left his net to attack Rob Ray. May landed a couple of shots on Snow before being held. May than took on Dean Malkoc in an uneventful draw before turtling to Mark Tinordi. Ended the season by smacking Wade Redden around in a partial linebrawl.

1997-1998
This would be May's last year with the Sabres. Started the season off by landing a couple of sucker punch shots on a helpless Chris Wells during a scrum. Very cheap by May, he ended up splitting Wells wide open. Hockey's funny though, the next fight he had Randy McKay jumped May and never gave him a chance before unloading several rights. May's last fight as a Sabre would be against Grant Marshall and he was doing well until his shoulder popped out on him again. Here's the fight:
http://youtu.be/qEwrHemGgBo

May was traded by Buffalo to the Vancouver Canucks for Geoff Sanderson on Feb 5.

Ironically in his first game back, May was playing Buffalo and smoked former linemate Derek Plante with a gloved punch shot for really no reason. Broke Plante's nose, cheap move:*
http://youtu.be/UNP6EjYA4C8

[blockerpunch]

Awesome thread thanks for taking the time to put that together! May had a real killer instinct when it came to finishing the job.

[BOSTONMASSACRE]

Really great thread, it's like watching a hockey fight tape with commentary.

[I like Boobs]

1998-1999: May started his career with the Canucks off right, taking on Sean Brown and using his ability to switch hands, easily took the win. May was one of the best at switching and had great hand speed and power as well. May would go on to beat Jeff Beukeboom and draw with Brad Brown before suckering Todd Simpson.**Here's the clip:
Todd Simpson Sucker Punched by Brad May - BLOODY - YouTube

1999-2000: May started the year off with a close loss to Wade Belak. Fought and easily bested Todd Simpson who he suckered last season. Than took on Todd Gill in a beauty! Here's the fight:**
todd gill { yotes } at brad may { nux } - YouTube

May than went on to beat Jamal Mayers, had another beauty fight with Gill before dropping Darren Van Impe which is here:**
Brad May TKO's Darren Van Impe - YouTube
May than went on to have draws with Sean Brown, Mayers and Wendel Clark before taking a decision over Ken Belanger. Took another uninspired draw with Tie Domi before earning a decision over Lyle Odelein.

2000-2001:

May joined the Phoenix Coyotes in the off season, and in the pre-season May dropped Sami Helenius with a hard shot to get the TKO and they fought to a draw early on in the year. May than fought Bryce Salvador to a draw before taking a loss to Darren McCarty in a good fight:
Darren McCarty vs Brad May - YouTube

May went on to take a loss to Reed Low, drew with Eric Boulton before finishing the season with a win over Cale Hulse.

As a member of the Phoenix Coyotes in November 2000, May was suspended for 20 games for slashing Columbus Blue Jackets forward Steve Heinze in the nose with his stick. Heinze would need nine stitches, but returned to ice quickly. After the game, May apologized to Heinze, who accepted the apology. At the time, the 20-game suspension was the fourth longest in NHL history.

Phoenix Coyotes left wing Brad May was suspended for 20 games by the NHL on Wednesday for a slash to the head of Columbus forward Steve Heinze.

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/hoc...suspension_ap/

2001-2002:
May started off the season with a win over Sean Brown. Than took on Aaron Downey and beat him in a wild fight, than turtled to him later on in a scrum. May than fought and beat Steve Webb and Bryce Salvador, fought Derian Hatcher to a draw, before taking a loss to Kevin Sawyer. May than went on to fight Ryan Vandenbussche:**
Brad May vs Ryan VandenBussche - YouTube

Good fight, probably a draw. May would finish off the year with wins over Jamal Mayers and Jamie Pushor.

May also got into some off ice trouble in Phoenix as evidenced by this article:

PHOENIX -- A Maricopa County civil jury ordered former Phoenix Coyote Brad May to pay a sheriff's sergeant $26,570 for punching him at a Scottsdale nightclub.

Maricopa County Sgt. Rich Burden, 40, sued May over a 2002 incident at the Cat Eye Lounge in Scottsdale. His lawyer said he "basically got tired of the drunk professional athlete running amok."

http://sports.espn.go.com/nhl/news/story?id=2263805

May started the season off with a great fight with an underrated Brad Brown, and it was a beauty. They had a furious exchange with both guys landing and taking some shots before Brown took over and landed a nice shot that put May down to end the fight. Here's the clip:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0tM5S...a_player<br />

May went on to have a nice quick fight with John Erskine in a quick back and forth affair before dropping Steve Begin hard. Begin was dazed and lost a couple teeth after the beating. Took wins against Todd Harvey and than Bryce Salvador in his first game back with the Canucks (May was acquired by Brian Burke). May didn't waste time stirring things up either as he hurt Tkachuk that same game, so the Blues were gunning for May. The revenge came in the form of Reed Low. Low went right after May and fed him a steady diet of shots and left May bloody and bruised. Here's the clip:*
Reed Low vs Brad May Round 2 - YouTube

May would end the season with a draw with Matt Johnson.

2003-2004:

May started the season with an unspirited draw with Jody Shelley before fighting Reed Low to a stalemate. Some would argue a Low win but I thought the fight was even. May went on to have a two fight game against Brad Brown. The first one wasn't much as May lost his balance and went down quickly. The second fight was a beauty though and I called it a draw, here it is:**

May went on to edge Nathan Perrot, lost to Georges Laraque, and than took a decision from Dirty Dale Purinton. Had an uneventful draw with Sean Brown before having a great fight with Steve Montador. Here it is:**
Brad May vs Steve Montador - YouTube

May's next action would be the infamous 3 fight game against the Colorado Avalanche. The Canucks were sour because a fourth line player had taken a run at their captain and leading scorer Markus Naslund when he was in a vulnerable position and injured him. The Canucks vowed revenge - Brad May himself told a reporter there was a "bounty" on Steve Moore.

“There’s definitely a bounty on his head,” Vancouver’s Brad May said of Moore after the original hit.

“Clean hit or not, that’s our best player and you respond. It’s going to be fun when we get him.’’

http://slam.canoe.ca/Slam/Hockey/NHL...-19227161.html

Fun wasn't really the word. That night May fought Av's tough guy Peter Worrell twice. Here's the second fight:*
Brad May vs Peter Worrell - YouTube

May would also go on to score two goals and roughed up Av's goalie David Aebischer both times, chirping each time. Finally during the Bertuzzi/Moore incident which I won't show because we've all seen it a hundred times, during the ensuing melee May fought Kurt Sauer.

May would end his season and time with the Vancouver Canucks sticking up for rookie Ryan Kessler. Jeff Cowan took a run with his hands up at Kessler who just managed to avoid the hit. May went after him right away and issued a severe beating, good job of enforcing:**
Brad May vs Jeff Cowan - YouTube

2005-2006:

During the off-season May was a free agent and he signed with the Colorado Avalanche! The timing was pretty lousy after the Moore incident, here's an article on the signing:

DENVER -- When it comes to hockey villains in Denver, there are the Red Wings, there is Todd Bertuzzi and running a distant third, there is Brad May.

The Red Wings play in Detroit. Bertuzzi plays in Vancouver. And starting this season, May will play in Denver for the Colorado Avalanche.

May was the Vancouver player who said -- in jest, he claims -- that there should be a bounty put on Avalanche forward Steve Moore, an act of retribution for a nasty hit Moore had put on Markus Naslund in the 2004 season that knocked the Canucks' captain out for three games.'

http://news.google.com/newspapers?ni...g=1449,2057646

Crazy. May's first fight with the Avalanche was against Georges Laraque and he took a pounding. One of the few times I've seen Laraque look angry and motivated, he pounded a visibly nervous May while on the ice. Here's the clip:**
May vs Laraque Oct 21, 2005 - YouTube

May than took a loss to the Fridge Todd Fedoruk after Fedoruk landed a big left. Lost to Sheldon Brookbank his replacement in Vancouver, than took a beating from Eric Godard. May was sticking up for his teammate John Michael Liles that Godard smoked with a clean hit, but Godard handled him easily.

May righted the ship with a win over George Parros, and kept it going with a win over Tim Jackman. Almost fought the giant Boogard (RIP) but the zebras prevented it from happening. Beat Cam Severson and ended his season on a positive note with a win over Darren McCarty.**

[I like Boobs]

2006-2007: May injured his shoulder again in a fight in the pre-season against Darryl Bootland. He was forced to have shoulder surgery and missed 53 games. He came back and was traded to the Anaheim Ducks for goalie prospect Michael Wall, and was reunited in Anaheim with his old buddy Brian Burke. Upon arriving he only had one fight - an uneventful draw against Danny Richmond - before the playoffs. Here's an article on that tough Ducks team: [quote]May injured his shoulder again in a fight in the pre-season against Darryl Bootland. He was forced to have shoulder surgery and missed 53 games. He came back and was traded to the Anaheim Ducks for goalie prospect Michael Wall, and was reunited in Anaheim with his old buddy Brian Burke. Upon arriving he only had one fight - an uneventful draw against Danny Richmond - before the playoffs.

ANAHEIM, Calif., April 9 — The Anaheim Ducks used to have an animated Tinkerbell that fluttered across the scoreboard and sprinkled pixie dust onto pictures of players’ heads.

Anaheim’s Brian Burke said those inside the game “all want fighting.” “The debate is always started by outsiders,” he said. “I’m sick of it.”
Tinkerbell cannot possibly recognize her team anymore. The Ducks have essentially traded pixie dust on the head for punches to the face.

“We fight,” Anaheim General Manager Brian Burke said. “It’s what we do. We put a premium on it.”

Burke may not sound politically correct, but he is refreshingly honest. While the National Hockey League has restricted contact and condemned violence, the Ducks have proved that fighting still works — both as a promotional tool and a strategic technique.

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/04/11/sp...ucks.html?_r=0

Well May fought alright, he fought Kim Johnsson of the Minnesota Wild and dropped him with one punch during a scrum. Video is here:**
Ducks vs. Wild Brawl &amp; Brad May KO's Kim Johnsson 4/17/07 - YouTube

Here's an article on the incident:

The Wild's series against Anaheim had lacked the traditional hostility that accompanies the playoffs through three games. That changed Tuesday night at Xcel Energy Center thanks in part to a questionable punch thrown by Ducks winger Brad May.

The Wild was en route to avoiding a sweep by recording a 4-1 victory over the Ducks in Game 4 of the first-round series when a fracas broke out late in the third period. As the Wild's Adam Hall and Anaheim's Kent Huskins and Shawn Thornton engaged in the main event, May and Wild defenseman Kim Johnsson paired up.

May threw a punch that left Johnsson, a nonfighter, face down on the ice and being tended to by the training staff. "That is a joke," Wild tough guy Derek Boogaard said. "Just suckering a guy that I don't think has had a fight in his NHL career shows that a guy like Brad May has no respect so he deserves no respect from anybody, and that's how he's going to get treated."

Boogaard shared that message -- and much stronger words -- with the Ducks bench in the moments after Johnsson was dropped. At one point, Boogaard could be seen jawing at the Anaheim players as coach Randy Carlyle made a chirping motion with his hands.

http://www.startribune.com/printarticle/?id=11661581

The Ducks would go on to win the series and the cup that year - the only Cup in May's career - but Brad May didn't enjoy his off season as much as much as his teammates, as this article explains:

2007-2008:

I wonder though how many really truly appreciate what the NHL's tough guys, especially those who really don't do much other than fight, go through. Those bouts that many of us take for granted can keep the toughest of tough guys awake long after most others have drifted off to dreamland.

It doesn't surprise former NHLer Brad May that some hockey fighters turn to booze and drugs to numb the pain and anxiety they feel given their chosen profession. That said, May is quick to point out people from all walks of life abuse alcohol and drugs and it certainly isn't just professional athletes.

"It's a coping mechanism," May said. "Drinking alcohol is not a bad thing if you can control it, but if it controls you, that's when it's a bad thing. Sometimes when people drink they do it to get away from their fears or inhibitions."

http://www.sportsnet.ca/hockey/2011/...umn_tough_gig/

Here's the fight:
Boogaard vs May Oct 14, 2007 - YouTube

May does a good job here, staying alive and landing a couple shots. May than went on to beat and bloody Barrett Jackman, and beat Ole Kristian Tollefsen before having four of the best fights you'll ever see against Krys Barch. These were all wild swinging beauties, the real winners being the fight fans.

Round 1:
Barch vs May Nov 5, 2007 - YouTube

Round 2:
May vs Barch Nov 21, 2007 - YouTube

Round 3:
Barch vs May Jan 15, 2008 - YouTube

Round 4:
May vs Barch Mar 19, 2008 - YouTube

Four fights as good as you'll ever see in a rivalry matchup.

2008-2009:

May started the season off with a couple of draws with Darren McCarty and Matt Greene before beating Nick Tarnasky. In May's last fight as a member of the Ducks, he was beating by Cam Janssen. May was than**acquired by his lifelong friend and fan Brian Burke - who had bolted to Toronto to manage the Maple Leafs - for a sixth round draft pick. In his first fight in his first game in a Toronto uniform, May went with Frankie Bouillon. It was a good scrap but Montreal didn't like it because May was running around a bit without Laraque in the lineup.

A month later, Big Georges wanted to square the issue and beat May and May wasn't too happy about it after, here's the clip:
Brad May vs Georges Laraque Feb 7, 2009 - YouTube

And here's May's post game reaction, not sure why he's this sour:

MONTREAL (Feb. 8) — When Brad May and Georges Laraque squared off inside the Canadiens’ blueline just 1:16 after the opening faceoff Saturday night, it seemed like another routine example of what NHL tough guys believe to be their obligation on the ice. Happening as it did so early in the game, there was no pre-cursor to the fight; it was merely the thing to do for a couple of guys that have crafted long careers with their fists. After the game, however, May had a gleam in his eye when I approached him for a quick interview. He was being hurried along to the Leafs’ team bus for a trip to Pierre Trudeau Airport and a flight down to Fort Lauderdale. But, Brad wasn’t going to leave without getting something off his chest — taking dead-aim at Guy Carbonneau, the coach of the Canadiens.

“Carbonneau put Georges out there… sent Georges out there, and he actually thought we were going to back down,” May contended. “I know all about that guy, and I’m talking about their coach. You know what? It’s not going to happen. It’s been 19 years [in the NHL] Guy… keep sending them out.”

Asked why he felt so certain that Carbonneau had instructed Laraque to fight, May replied: “Guy just doesn’t have any idea what’s it’s like to be a tough guy. The toughest guy in his family is Brendan Morrow, his son-in-law, who’s an unbelievable player and very tough. Guy Carbonneau [used to be] incredibly tough blocking shots in the NHL, but never in a fighting role. He knows nothing about it. There’s respect to be shown in a situation like that, but he wanted to set the tone and I was happy to be a part of it.”

http://www.hockeybuzz.com/blog/Howar...onneau/3/19263

[I like Boobs]

[quote][quote][quote]
May went on to hit a milestone that year playing in his 1000th game. Here's an article on that:

STEVE BUFFERY, SUN MEDIA

Maple Leafs coach Ron Wilson doesn't always come across as a ray of sunshine.

Slapped with the nickname Napoleon by Don Cherry and described in even less-flattering terms by some members of the Toronto hockey media (usually after being lectured by the first-year Leafs coach), Wilson, nevertheless, has a humane, even kind, side to his personality.

Particularly when it involves his players.

One example of that thoughtfulness occurred on March 21 in Montreal, when Wilson started rookie defenceman Phil Oreskovic, who was playing his first game at the Bell Centre -- a gesture that Oreskovic appreciated. Another example will come to light this week.

Leafs GM Brian Burke confirmed yesterday that Wilson purposely sat veteran forward Brad May out of a game late this season (likely the Feb. 26 game at the New York Islanders) to guarantee that when May plays his 1,000 career NHL game this season, it will be against the Buffalo Sabres.

http://slam.canoe.ca/Slam/Hockey/NHL...23726-sun.html

Finally the last article for that season:

May had nobody to fight with
By DON BRENNAN, SUN MEDIA

For a Battle, there sure isn't much hand-to-hand combat between the Senators and Maple Leafs now that Brian McGrattan and Tie Domi are gone, and Chris Neil is on injury rehab.

A poor fellow like Brad May, for instance, really has nobody to fight.

The veteran hard-nosed winger tried to get at Jesse Winchester in the second period when the rookie Senator slammed Nikolai Kulemin into the boards, but even if he had succeed, Winchester is not exactly in May's snack bracket.

Winchester has only had two NHL fights, and they could barely qualified. May, a 6-foot-1, 213-pounder, has had 142 regular-season scraps in his 17-year NHL career, according to hockeyfights.com. Earlier this year. he dropped the mitts was with big Georges Laraque, the 6-foot-3, 230-pounder widely considered the league's most fearsome brawler.

http://slam.canoe.ca/Slam/Columnists...92886-sun.html

2009-2010
This would be Brad May's final NHL season and he was cut loose early by the Maple Leafs. But he was picked up almost immediately by the Detroit Red Wings. Here's an article about the signing:

DETROIT -- After an impressive showing during his pro try-out, veteran forward Brad May earned a roster spot with the Red Wings on the eve of the team's home opener at Joe Louis Arena.

General manager Ken Holland announced that the Wings had signed May to a one-year contract.*

May, 37, was Buffalo’s first-round selection (14th overall) in 1990. The Toronto native split time with Anaheim and the Maple Leafs last season, compiling one goal, six assists and 89 penalty minutes over 58 games. In 17 NHL seasons, he has 127 goals and 160 assists in 2,182 games.

After Thursday's morning skate, May talked about what the contract signing means at this stage of his career.

“I love the game,” he said. “It’s still fun. Recognizing that it is becoming finite for a guy like me to actually come in good shape late in training camp and be able to prove myself, obviously that’s number one, I’ve got a long way to go, but I’m excited and I can’t wait to get playing.”

http://redwings.nhl.com/club/news.htm?id=501460

May started off with a draw to Cody McLeod, before taking losses to Tanner Glass, Rick Rypien (RIP) and Jarred Boll. May than renewed his rivalry with Barch and they had two more dandies:

Round 5:

Krys Barch vs Brad May Nov 18, 2009 - YouTube

Round 6:

Brad May vs Krys Barch Dec 19, 2009 - YouTube

May went on to have a couple more draws but that's how he should be remembered. So to summarize that's my career examination of Brad May. He was one of the best at switching hands, and had some of the best hand speed ever. Lots of power in either hand, he's very overlooked in that regard, he's dropped as many players as anyone. He could be extremely cheap but he always answered the bell throughout his career. As always would love to hear any stories, opinions, thoughts, memories or articles on May. Hope you enjoyed the read.

[BENNETTWOLF]

Thanks ILB for your usual outstanding retrospective. I always underestimated brad but he hung on so long it wasn't hard to root for him at the end. Wild career from being a teenage irritant/tough guy to fighting that memorable series vs barch at the end which was about as good as it gets in recent years.

Easy guy to underestimate in some ways as he was generally a #2 type guy behind rob ray etc but he really switched hands well and carried notable pop in either one. Entertaining fighter that was fun to root for or against depending on your viewpoint. From what i've gathered, he wasn't well liked around the league early on in his career. Pretty useful player as well and another that broke the 1000 game plateau.

[mikebflorida]

Outstanding. I've always been a May fan and now everyone knows why, he was always entertaining!



BOOBS!

[GOON 21]

Gread read as usual Booobs, love the fact that you take the time 2 do it


B May was a guy i always liked, he took a regular shift, could play the game and hit everything in sight (fighters and non fighters alike which i dont have a issue with) and pretty effective fighter and a guy i ALWAYS liked, but also that he lasted 17-18 years in the NHL, thats damn impressive


Nice job bro, id buy ya a beer if you were closer

[NameyMD]

always bothered me about May the completely + utterly vile cheap shot he pulled on Bomber in that one fight..guy was practically out of it and May just throws down with full force like he wants him dead or paralyzed from the neck down at least..the definition of unnecessary..and boobs barely mentions it
..cuz I don't think Bomber was ever the kind of enforcer to provoke that kind of 'retribution' and there didn't seem have been anything dirty going on before the fight anyway

so a stain on his career & card in my eyes, as is the whole Berpuzzi deal -

that said, dude's a legend, and a great fighter.

[ewen21]

I have nothing but hatred for this guy

[I like Boobs]

Namey, I've mentioned that incident many times in the past. With a project this size it's hard to focus on any one incident for too long. I had wanted to include this little gem from the May/Wells fights but I forgot:

He had challenged the tough talking May in buffalo training camp several times, but May never took him up on any of them. He had heard that May was taking boxing lessons and was talking like he could take on anybody however. When this game happened in buffalo, Wells had been battling Matt Barnaby for a few shifts and Jay thought he was going to get Barnaby to go. but upon a whistle and play stoppage, Muckler sent May onto the ice and May went up to Wells, slapped him with his stick and said "you picked on Barnaby, now it's your turn". Jay says "no we're not", May says "yes we are" and Jay decided to oblige him. May and Wellsy exchanged some punches, with May landing better, which put him to his knees. Wells was mad as hell that he let this guy do this to him. during the second intermission, the dressing room was quite as all hell - even coach neilson was saying very little about anything. All of a sudden, Joey Kocur yells out "MAY is MINE - NOBODY TOUCHES HIM UNTIL I GET HIM". Wellsy turns around and says "NO. WAY. HE'S MINE. I don't want anybody going near him till I've had my chance with him". Jay felt it was important to avenge this fight - he had been embarrassed by this young kid may in front of his family and friends, many of which were still in buffalo. wells went looking for may in the 3rd period and may didn't want to fight at first - he turned him down a couple of times. Then finally he obliged him and wells scored well in the re-match. when the fight was broken up, May dropped his arms and hands and says "good fight!". Jay wells liked Brad May (in spite of all this) and thinks he was a good fighter, but a guy that would look to fight only when it was good for him to do so (ie end of shifts etc). He considers rob ray considerably better than may - " ray was a light-heavy that was a strong guy that would fight and do well wtih the other heavies in the league. a hard puncher who had a real mean streak and who loved to fight - he got better with age. may was a middleweight who fought on his terms only and who usually looked good against other middleweights. Ray was easily the better of the two."

Link to interview with Jay Wells

[Costanza]

Great work as always ILB.

His quote about always playing with integrity and honor is an absolute joke tho.

[srehm1]

Great job, ILB!

Another standout work on a great fighter.

I waited to comment on this thread because i knew there was more coming. I first came across Brad May when he was a Sabre. He was sort of an up and coming power forward type, or at least that was what he was billed as coming into the league.

I didn't really know how good a fighter he was until i had seen a few of his fights on some fight tapes i had picked up. He was awesome. Not a big guy, kind of a MW type but he could throw from both sides with good power. he also could switch hands on a dime. the way he threw punches-so fast with such force-made me keep an eye on every punch for a KO or TKO. I had no problem with him throwing at downed or vulnerable fighters. Absolutely none. A lot of my favorite fighters had this same kind of attitude in fights.

Not being a Sabres fan, I didn't get to see him on a daily basis. So most of what I base him on is fight footage. So I didn't get to see some of his spot picking or refusals. I looked at him as a tough SOB and a vicious MW. Reminded me a lot of Wendel Clark. Just the way he threw fast and furious with such power and explosiveness.

I'll never forget that 2 fight game against Jay Wells. I was shocked to see Wells get put down like that. Certainly a rarity. I just loved Wells response in the rematch. There was no way he was going to let May off the hook for that! A couple of great fights right there.

Great post, Boobs!

[NJDevils17]

Really good stuff, as usual, ILB.

Always been a big fan of Brad May. The dude is hilarious too.