The NHL’s Most Hated Players And Exactly Why Everyone Despised Them

by Spencer Toth - 1/26/2026

NHL most hated players and why people despised them Brad Marchand

The NHL has thrived for more than 100 years thanks to its unique blend of skill, strength, speed, and utter chaos. Few other sports allow the kind of all-out violence seen in the NHL, which has created some of the most intense rivalries that can last for decades. While team vs. team rivalries can be fun to watch, the best rivalries are when players get involved. Over the years, the NHL has produced some of the biggest villains in the world of sports. These are the guys that don’t have a single rival but will be booed in nearly every building across the league. NHL fans love to have someone to hate, and this list is full of the dirtiest, big-headed, most smug NHLers from over the years. These are the types of players you hate to play against but love to have on your team, but there is no denying the NHL is louder, angrier, and more entertaining thanks to their antics. Here are the seven most hated players in NHL history.

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#1 Brad Marchand (Boston Bruins, Florida Panthers)
This could be an entire column dedicated to how much Brad Marchand is hated around the league. The big bad Boston Bruins tormented the Eastern Conference for years, and Marchand was always front and center. While his antics stole the headlines, the reality is that Marchand was also a very productive forward. He’s scored 20+ goals with 40+ points in 13 straight seasons, including 36 goals and 100 points in 2018-19.

Marchand’s wide variety of antics has him firmly on top of this list. Slewfooting and cheap shots are two of his favorite strategies, as well as post-whistle jabs and constant chirping from the bench. The highlight of his antics came when he licked multiple players in the playoffs, which really got under the skin of his opponents. Marchand has been fined and suspended more than any other player, and he continues to treat the NHL like his own personal playground.

What makes Marchand the most hated NHL player of all time is the fact that he backs up his tomfoolery with wins. He scores clutch goals, he kills penalties, and has been an incredible two-way player for nearly two decades. He has a pair of Stanley Cups, will be on Canada’s Olympic team in 2026, and hasn’t slowed at 37 years old. Maple Leafs, Canadiens, and Canucks fans will struggle to cheer for him at the Olympics, as Marchand is unequivocally the most hated NHL player of all-time.

#2 Sean Avery (New York Rangers/Dallas Stars)

Sean Avery wasn’t just hated; his antics forced the NHL to create new rules to slow him down. He finished his career with 247 points and 1,533 penalty minutes in 280 games across 11 seasons in the NHL. He tried to turn the NHL into WWE at times, and seemingly cared more about frustrating opponents than scoring goals.

The peak of his career came in 2008 against the legendary Martin Brodeur. Avery stood directly in front of the Devils' goaltender with his back to the play to fully screen Brodeur. He wildly waved his stick and hands in front of Brodeur’s face, in one of the most iconic NHL moments of all-time. The following day, the league created the ‘Avery Rule’ banning that exact behavior. While this moment will define the career of Sean Avery, his hatred went deeper than one incident. He wasn’t especially skilled, and instead focused on trash talking opponent both on and off the ice, publicly feuding with coaches, and acting like a celebrity who happened to be in the NHL. Sean Avery was one of a kind and one of the most hated NHL players.

#3 Matt Cooke (Vancouver Canucks/Pittsburgh Penguins)
Matt Cooke was on another level of hatred, as he consistently went over the line with dangerous plays. While Marchand and Avery looked to frustrate their opponents, Cooke looked to end their night early with dangerous plays. He ended Marc Savard’s career with a dirty blindside hit and took out Erik Karlsson’s Achilles when the electric defenseman was at the peak of his career. Cooke became the face of dirty hockey in the 2000s, and crowds would celebrate when his suspension prevented him from injuring their stars. Cooke wasn’t just hated; he was genuinely feared, and not in a good way.

#4 Chris Pronger (St. Louis Blues, Anaheim Ducks)

Chris Pronger wouldn’t go out of his way to injure or frustrate opponents, but he was hated nevertheless. The 6’6 defenseman was a menace on both ends of the ice and was one of the first truly massive players to storm the league. He could quarterback the power play, he could get his hands dirty down low, and he did it all just like it was another day at the office. He treated each game like war, and from a 6’6 defenseman, it isn’t surprising that he was hated across the league.
While Pronger didn’t physically hurt his opponents after the whistle, his mouth would never stop moving. Few players could stand up to the towering Pronger, and the defenseman elected to trash-talk anyone in front of him as a result. Pronger was a different level of infuriating for his opponents, and was hated for the right reasons in the tail end of his career.

#5 Ken Linseman (Philadelphia Flyers, Edmonton Oilers, Boston Bruins)

Ken Linseman played in an era before drawing penalties and annoying opponents was applauded. In the 1980s, the entire league thought Linseman was cheating due to his constant flopping, followed by devious grins as his victim went to the penalty box. Long before the modern-day enforcers would happily be called “a Rat” that was Linseman’s nickname as the original Rat on the ice. He drew more penalties than anyone in the league, and the NHL didn’t know how to handle someone who prioritized irritation over skill. He finished his career with more penalty minutes than games played and points combined, and will always be the most hated NHL player of that era.

#6 Todd Bertuzzi (Vancouver Canucks, Detroit Red Wings)
Todd Bertuzzi was not only one of the most hated NHL players of all time, but he was also responsible for one of the darkest moments in league history. In 2004, Bertuzzi sucker punched Steve Moore from behind, drove him into the ice, and fractured his neck. Bertuzzi went from a promising forward to the face of dirty hockey overnight and started the real crackdown on player safety. There was national media outrage, an indefinite suspension by the NHL, and criminal charges filed against Bertuzzi. Every time Bertuzzi touched the puck for the next year, he was booed, not just by the Avalanche fans, but by the entire league. He remained in the NHL for another decade, but never came close to his point totals from before the incident. Moore never played another NHL game after the injury, and Bertuzzi finished his career with nearly double the total penalty minutes compared to points.

#7 Tie Domi (Toronto Maple Leafs)

Tie Domi amassed more than 3,000 penalty minutes in his career, while scoring only 104 goals in 1,020 games. We will never see a player like Domi in the league again, and he was hated everywhere except Toronto. The pinnacle of his career was in Philadelphia, when a Flyers fan fell into the penalty box after getting into a verbal exchange with Domi. To be fair, Domi was squirting water over the glass at the fans, but he did not hold back when the unfortunate fan fell into the box. Domi started mercilessly beating him up, creating an iconic clip that is still circling social media today.

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Start:	January 26, 2026 @ 7:00 PM
Expert:	Tony George
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The NHL’s Most Hated Players And Exactly Why Everyone Despised Them

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