2010-11 Kimble Award: Most Exciting Fighter

[JKidd]

This award is given to the fighter that gives us the most bang for our viewing buck when his mitts hit the ice. Could be a guy that cares little for defense, a marathon fighter, or a good ole fashion knock out artist.

Nominees

Colton Orr - Toronto Maple Leafs
The all action, nuts to defense fighter makes yet another appearance on this list. Its highly entertaining to see a guy with the power of Colton Orr open up the defense and do nothing but throw fists, and this year it led to highly entertaining fights with Deryk Engelland, Krys Barch, Chris Neil, Zack Storini, George Parros, and Eric Boulton. As is the case with the style, and the great fight card of Orr, he did take a couple TKO losses in entertaining bouts with Engelland and Parros.

Cam Janssen - St. Louis Blues
Cam is the epitome of an endurance fighter. While many find his style boring or uneventful, it can make for some long, grueling wars when the opponent is still with him late in the fight, endurance wise. This past year saw Cam engage a few guys in marathon style punch in the face contests, most notably with Krys Barch, Jared Boll, John Scott, George Parros, and Jim Vandermeer.

Shawn Thornton - Boston Bruins
Shawn makes his debut for this award in very stylish fashion. Thornton has really found a home with Bruins in the past few years, dropping the mitts with all comers, fighting for his teammates and being in there with many of the Bruins rival teams like the Flyers, Canadians and Rangers. Not normally an all action kind of fighter, but this year saw Thornton in a few all out wars. On that list this past year... Eric Boulton, Matt Carkner, Kyle Clifford, Krys Barch, and an all out war with Darcy Hordichuk.

Darcy Hordichuk - Florida Panthers
Hordi returned to Florida for a second tour of duty, and it was like he never left the sunshine state. This past year, we got to see the Hordi of old, after a couple lack luster years in the Northwest with Vancouver. On the card this year, great fights with Matt Carkner, Jared Boll, and two all out punch in the face contests with Shawn Thornton and a guy, like Hordi, known from yester-years of all action fights, Francis Lessard. It was great to see Hordi return to his old ways of Hordicuk'in.

Eric Boulton - Atlanta Thrashers
Often over looked because he plays for Atlanta, Bolts turned in a heck of a year this past year, which is just more of the same for him. This year, only a few of his 9 fights were NOT fun or spectacular. Of the fun sorts, Matt Carkner, Brandon Prust and Darcy Hordichuk. Of the spectacular fashion, Colton Orr and Shawn Thornton a couple times. And of the amazing-it hurts me through the computer screen-variety, an all action war with John Erskine.

My pick
For this year, I'd like to hand the award off to Eric Boulton. Boulton started the year off with a great, all action fight with Matt Carkner, then turned in a fight of the year candidate the next time the mitts came off with John Erskine, and just kept it going almost all season long.

Past winners

2003-04: Darcy Hordichuk
2005-06: Brian McGrattan
2006-07: Derek Boogaard
2007-08: Riley Cote
2008-09: Colton Orr
2009-10: Rick Rypien

[kam]

Orr all the way out of this group.

[ROZZY]

No Clifford the kid fought 18 times and never used defense in a fight besides his chin a few times ha!

Pretty dang entertaining to me to slug it out and not hold on

[29th_Candidate]

Michael Haley

[Isles4life]

I agree with jkidd on this one. Boulton for the past few years has been very easily overlooked playing in Atlanta, but he annually seems to give us a few incredible bouts. He did that once again this season. Without one guy running away with this honor based on their performance this year, I think Boulton is the most deserving candidate.

[diablo]

Colton Orr

[OneilltheGiant]

Orr..

[ThrowdownSJ408]

take out thornton add clifford.

my vote went to boulton, boy was he fun!

[Fil]

Cam Janssen for his heart and endurance.

[JeanLaRose]

Where is Engelland? Two KO's, revenge fights, getting involved in feuds (though the refs ruined it), every time the guy drops the gloves people pay attention. Whether you think he's the second coming of Joe Kocur or criminally overrated, there is no denying that he's fun to watch.

[jp4202003]

John Scott or Michael Haley IMO

[Bostonslugfest]

HELL NO!! to Colton " 1 punch down " Orr... cant be that exciting when your seeing Stars.... Thornton all the way. as he has been for the past 10 years

[Mr. America]

Boulton will be considered top 3 material next year just because he will be playing on a canadian team.

[devils29]

Orr wins this for me, shame about the losses though.

Bolts makes a HM for me.

[Big_Fat_Dan]

I enjoyed watching all of these guys. Tough decesion.

Going with Boulton, just wished he dropped them a little more