Sandy McCarthy-Top-10 All Time?

[BENNETTWOLF]

Originally Posted by T800m101

I fail to see how McCarthy gets the win in that bout. The number of connected of punches was dead even, and neither of them landed any good shots. Twist lost his edge and fell. I don't see how it can be anything more than an average draw.

You may be right. To tell the truth, i'm going off a "Tuff guys" article. I have seen the fight and don't recall it as being dramatic in any sense. So, i'll change my thought to "drew with a prime Twist". Still a pretty nice group of showings.

For someone with a strong grasp of that calgary run, how did he fare vs grimson? Or did stu and brash really start to make their claims (96-97) while sandy was falling slightly off? I know he decked Dan Kordic in 96-97, did he tangle with the grim reaper around there or slightly earlier?

[T800m101]

Originally Posted by BENNETTWOLF

You may be right. To tell the truth, i'm going off a "Tuff guys" article. I have seen the fight and don't recall it as being dramatic in any sense. So, i'll change my thought to "drew with a prime Twist". Still a pretty nice group of showings.

For someone with a strong grasp of that calgary run, how did he fare vs grimson? Or did stu and brash really start to make their claims (96-97) while sandy was falling slightly off? I know he decked Dan Kordic in 96-97, did he tangle with the grim reaper around there or slightly earlier?

McCarthy usually had his way with Grimson.

[Mr. Pink]

McCarthy is significantly more impressive than Laraque, at the very least

[T800m101]

I enjoyed watching these fights in person when McCarthy was on the Flyers:

‪Sandy McCarthy vs Reid Simpson Round...

‪Krzysztof Oliwa vs Sandy McCarthy 99/00 -...

‪Sandy McCarthy vs Peter Worrell Round...

[Bench Clearer]

I have an incredible anti-McCarthy bias so I wouldn't even rank him in my top 20. In my mind he was never even close to being champion of the league.

Remember his "prime" year in 95-96? That was the first time he and Brashear fought in the NHL, and the fight that caused people to say that Brash "ran away" from him. This was not the case....in fact, McCarthy pulled the old jersey trick because the kid was embarrassing him as far as punch count was concerned and he wanted to gain an unfair advantage. Brashear beat him in Vancouver, then did it again and again once he got traded to Philly. Those were all good, fair fights where neither man had an unfair advantage, and it proved who the better man was.

McCarthy was never in the same league as most of the other heavyweights from that era. He was a chin-tucking wimp who was scared to take a punch. Once he was forced to eat a bunch of lefts from the likes of Brashear and Laraque his days as an enforcer were clearly numbered (not to mention the beating that Eric Cairns put on him in 01-02).

[Trognitz]

lol

[flamesblackace]

If we are talking 'prime' still... Sandy is top 10 no question... He was a total monster of the league at one point

[Trognitz]

i have him round 9-10, occasionally slipping as low as 12.

[brad houghton]

Originally Posted by Bench Clearer

I have an incredible anti-McCarthy bias so I wouldn't even rank him in my top 20. In my mind he was never even close to being champion of the league.

Remember his "prime" year in 95-96? That was the first time he and Brashear fought in the NHL, and the fight that caused people to say that Brash "ran away" from him. This was not the case....in fact, McCarthy pulled the old jersey trick because the kid was embarrassing him as far as punch count was concerned and he wanted to gain an unfair advantage. Brashear beat him in Vancouver, then did it again and again once he got traded to Philly. Those were all good, fair fights where neither man had an unfair advantage, and it proved who the better man was.

McCarthy was never in the same league as most of the other heavyweights from that era. He was a chin-tucking wimp who was scared to take a punch. Once he was forced to eat a bunch of lefts from the likes of Brashear and Laraque his days as an enforcer were clearly numbered (not to mention the beating that Eric Cairns put on him in 01-02).

Bench clearer I am going to have to respectfully disagree with you on the bolded part above. if you refer to merlin's excellent thread "lineage of a heavyweigh champion" you will see the following recap of Sandman's two years as champ:

1994-1995:

1) Sandy McCarthy, CAL
2) Chris Simon, QBC
3) Stu Grimson, ANA/DET
4) Gino Odjick, VAN
5) Tie Domi, WIN/TOR
6) Tony Twist, STL
7) Joey Kocur, NYR
8) Rob Ray, BUF
9) Craig Berube, WAS
10) Marty McSorley, LA

Notable Fights:
* Chris Simon defeats Dave Brown, bloodying him as part of a dominating second season
* Sandy McCarthy adds Cam Russell and Shane Churla to his TKO victim list
* Sandy McCarthy also does well again with Louis Debrusk
* Tony Twist defeats Stu Grimson
* Tie Domi earns a victory over Sandy McCarthy

1993-1994:

1) Sandy McCarthy, CLG
2) Bob Probert, DET
3) Joe Kocur, NYR
4) Craig Berube, WAS
5) Gino Odjick, VAN
6) Ken Baumgartner, TOR
7) Marty McSorley, PIT/LA
8) Chris Simon, QBC
9) Tony Twist, QBC
10) Tie Domi, WIN

Notable Fights:
* Sandy McCarthy delivers a statement win over Bob Probert to close his great first season
* Sandy McCarthy also decisions Baumgartner, McKenzie, Huard, Domi, etc
* Tony Twist delivers a brutal KO of Mike Peluso
* Marty McSorley edges out Gino Odjick in a tremendous late-season battle
* Bob Probert thoroughly beats a young Donald Brashear
* Joey Kocur has a nice rebound year, beating Berube, Grimson and McCarty
* Tie Domi KOs Steve Smith (and drops Peluso)

[JKidd]

I have him in my top 10, off the top of my head...

1. Bob Probert
2. Dave Brown
3. Donald Brashear
4. Behn Wilson
5. Sandy McCarthy
6. Jim McKenzie
7. Joey Kocur
8. Ken Baumgartner
9. John Kordic
10. Larry Playfair

1-4 are as set in stone as it gets, the rest really is a floating fill out.

[T800m101]

He's in my top-10:

1. Bob Probert
2. Dave Brown
3. Behn Wilson
4. Joey Kocur
5. Tony Twist
6. Donald Brashear
7. Marty McSorley
8. Larry Playfair
9. Georges Laraque
10. Sandy McCarthy

Also, I don't know how you can have guys like Baumgartner and John Kordic ahread of Twist.

[Black Flag]

McCarthy was never in the same league as most of the other heavyweights from that era

Ridiculous statement, the guy has wins over Probet, McKenzie, Grimson etc. His wars with McSorley are epic. In my mind he fought all of his contemporaries,sure he lost some but most of his fights were highly entertaining and he came out on top in many of them.

A chin tucking coward, well then there a bunch of guys that should be dismissed when we do our rankings. He didn't fight scared when he took on two off the most devastating punchers the nhl have ever seen in Ray and Twist.

I understand your dislike for the guy. He sometimes had a real cocky a-hole attitude but that shouldn't hold any weight when you rank the guy. I hate Brashear with a passion but his body of work speaks for itself and therefore I begrudgingly have to rank him as the no. 3 guy on my alltime lst.

[Cat Smasher]

Question to Probert, who had the hardest punch?
Answer: Sandy McCarthy

[Blues 34]

I would have the Sandman just outside the top 10

[NameyMD]

Originally Posted by BENNETTWOLF

I wonder if sandy had been in a bigger media market in his salad days if it wouldn't have helped his cause.

I want to echo these sentiments, I always felt his general renown amongst fight 'aficionados' might well have suffered from this in the long run.

But the thing that bothers me about McCarthy is his suspiciously quick decline during his last season with Boston.. like he had some issue at play there.. and I might've read something about that in an article somewhere but can't quite recall.. was it that he had another career apart from hockey already coming up?