Were Odgers and Cummins gluttons for punishment?
 

Given the # of horrendous beat downs these two were part of makes one think that either they:

• Had super-human pain thresholds
• Had a screw loose
• Actually in a macabre way enjoyed getting beat up

I think some of b), which could be also defined as bravery.. depends where you draw the line. I think a strong desire to keep playing in the big-time, no matter what the price, also played a factor.

Both were able against the right opponents - the 'b' and 'c' tier fighters - and were guys that non-fighters had no business going after, it's just that they quite often ended up tangling with quarries that were too much for them to handle in the 'a' tier..

Put it this way, I'd dearly love a couple of characters like them to be playing in the game today. Heart to the point of recklessness..

Neither was a top 10 candidate but i think they were very different players.

Cummins bounced around constantly, was really just a rent a goon.

Odgers, by all accounts was a heart and sole type player. He was very respected both for his heart and leadership abilities, a guy every team in the league should want on there roster.

I remember Odgers saying in an interview in Boston back in the day that when he left the house in the morning his hands would hurt him so bad that he couldn't grip the steering wheel.
That dude was a warrior.

I agree with what's been said. Odgers was a captain or alternate on a few teams so he brought more to the table than Cummins.

My easiest assessment is that they played in an era of great, great fighters and simply were not as good as their contemporaries so they had a lot of losses.

When fighting guys of the same caliber, they'd do fine but putting Odgers up against Eric Cairns is just a horrible mismatch and the blood left on the ice proves that.

Cummins was a real gamer, he'd fight anyone but just didn't have the size, strength, or power of many of the guys he fought, that's all. He did his job and stayed in the league for a decent amount of time, surprisingly, because he wasn't much of a player other than being a team player who'd go up and down his wing and throw some hits and fight.

And yes, you have to have a screw loose to be a hockey player that fights for a living. Not everyone can do it, that's for sure!

Barnaby liked to take a good beating now he did have a screw lose

Hats off two both of these warriors. These are the guys I want with me in the fox hole because you know that you know they will die for you.

Vandenbussche (sp?), to an extent and Lambert (who i loved because he was a terrier, don't care i'll fight you anyway)!

Maybe the differrence is, i'll fight you for me (personal), and i'll fight you because i'll have to (captain or leader = ie Odgers)!!