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The most irritating players in the NHL
Bill Smith/Getty Images

The most irritating players in the NHL

Every sport has them—athletes that are just downright irritating.

You know, the guys who really know how to get under the skin other players. Being a bruiser and knowing how to throw a few punches isn’t enough. This breed is a trash-talker, an instigator, a troll whome you expect to spark trouble on the ice without even having to drop his gloves.

To be clear, 'irritating' is not the same 'disliked'. The internet is flush with list-type articles of the “NHL’s Most Hated Players,” although they mostly consist of players who are beloved by the fan base they serve while being despised outside of that bubble. Outside the Penguins’ fan community, Sidney Crosby is widely seen a whiner. Outside of Montreal, P.K. Subban has been accused of “disrespecting the game.” Raffi Torres has been labeled as a “head hunter” by just about every corner of the continent. Alex Ovechkin is seen as, well, a jerk.

This is a bit different from those lists.

Here, we take a gander at a group of players whose behavior makes them a bit more widely dislikable, whether it is because of annoying childish acts, an inability to accept blame, or simply not being able to curtail their bad behavior.

Here is a look, in no particular order, at eight of the most irritating players in the NHL.

Corey Perry

A favorite description of the Ducks’ forward pinned him as “that kid on the playground who pulls your ponytail then laughs at your anger.” It’s true—he isn’t so much of an agitator as he is a schoolyard bully. He goes out of his way to irk the opposition, but his tactics are a little immature. Perfect example: Grabbing Alex Semin’s stick as if he were a high school senior shoving a freshman into an open locker.



Alexander Semin

There is no denying Semin’s hockey skill. But his habit of playing down and exuding a sense of laziness is annoying to watch. Plus his apathy has aided in branding him as what CBS Sports called  a “coach-killer.” If he doesn’t up his game in this one season with the Montreal Canadiens, he is going to be branded as “lazy” for the rest of his days in the league.

Max Lapierre

It doesn’t matter what team he’s playing on, Lapierre is a sneaky player with a has a habit of getting into trouble and and playing the victim. Faking an injury in order to draw a penalty during last year’s playoffs is only the tip of the iceberg with the defenseman, who has a long history of irking the  opposition.



Dustin Brown

Brown is a thorn in the side mostly because he gets away with so many questionable hits. The NHL Department of Player Safety doesn’t seem to notice when he headbutts opposing players in the face. As long as he isn’t getting so much as a slap on this wrist, the Kings’ captain is probably going to keep injuring other players without any repercussions.



Milan Lucic

Another guy with a laundry list of questionable behavior. In his first contest with the LA Kings, he charged at Sharks forward Logan Couture during a line change, making a bee-line for the visitor’s bench. The move earned him a match penalty, to which he later told the LA Times  he didn’t this he deserved and “if my intentions were to hurt him, I would have hurt him.” Just own up to your mistakes, already.

Cody McLeod

It’s an understatement to that the Avs winger has a rep for being a major trash talker. He is arguably one of the most mic’d up players out there, particularly because smack talk is a blood sport for him. It’s at the point where his jawing is tiresome.

Phil Kessel

There’s nothing more agitating than a gifted athlete with an attitude problem. It didn’t help that there was constantly a microphone in his face at the tail end of his time with the beat-up Toronto Maple Leafs, catching every ungraceful comment he ever made. The jury is still out on whether he’ll still be “that guy” now that he is with the Penguins.

Brad Marchand

There is arguably nobody that plays the villain better than Marchand, and he’s good at it. Heck, he started a fight during practice with his own team. The Bruins have spent years having to acknowledge that they don’t like his antics, and he probably isn’t curtailing his behavior any time soon. Love him or hate him, there is no denying that Marchand is a entertaining, if not irritating, character.

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