Joe Kocur grew up in Kelvington SK, a very small farming town that produced some very tough NHL’ers. He played junior hockey for the Saskatoon Blades where he tallied 121 points and 547 penalty minutes in two seasons. He was drafted by the Red Wings in ’83 and only spent one & half seasons in the AHL with Adirondack before finding a regular spot on the Wings. He made an immediate impact with his physical play. Known in Hockey Town as one half of the Bruise Brothers with Bob Probert, not many teams could match a twosome up front as the Wings did. He spent 7 seasons in Detroit before moving to NY Rangers where he won his first Stanley Cup in ’94. Joey would spend 6 seasons in the big apple then a trade to Vancouver for one season. Returning to Detroit based on the suggestion from Steve Yzerman, Kocur would bring back the toughness the Wings needed as he helped them to two Stanley Cups before retiring at the end of the ’99 season. Joey won his fourth Cup as a coach with the Wings in ’02. He amassed 939 total games in the NHL and 2,750 penalty minutes and is beloved in Detroit where still resides with his family.
