Foreword by Steve Yzerman

With a Special Foreword by Dani Probert

During a notorious career with the Detroit Red Wings and the Chicago Blackhawks, Bob Probert racked up points, penalty minutes and bar bills, establishing himself as one of the most feared enforcers in the history of the NHL. On the ice, he was a fan favourite. He backed up his teammates one hundred percent, taking on the toughest guys of his era. Off the ice, Probert played hard too. Over his pro career he went through ten stays in rehab, two NHL suspensions, a jail sentence for carrying cocaine across the border and a near fatal motorcycle crash. When he died unexpectedly of a heart attack on July 5, 2010, at the age of forty-five, he was hard at work on his memoir with Kirstie McLellan Day, co-author with Theo Fleury of the blockbuster Playing with Fire. Probert wanted to tell his story in his own words to set the record straight.

Tough Guy is a gripping journey, full of jaw-dropping stories about Bob’s on-ice battles and his reckless off-ice encounters with drugs, alcohol, customs officials, police, courts and the NHL. Probert’s opponents often feared him, but they always respected the man beneath the bloodied jersey. With his unique sense of humour and inside stories, Probert gives us a first-hand account of his adrenalin-fuelled life as the toughest fighter in the NHL.

Bob Probert, born and raised in Windsor, Ontario, was a winger with the Detroit Red Wings and the Chicago Blackhawks between 1985 and 2002. A loving husband to Dani and a dedicated father to their four children, Probert supported many local charities and twice visited the troops in Afghanistan. He died suddenly on July 5, 2010, while boating with his family near Windsor. He was forty-five.

Bob Probert's profile page

RON MACLEAN, host of CBC’s Hockey Night in Canada for 28 years, began his broadcasting career in 1978 as an all-night DJ in Red Deer, Alberta. In 1984, he moved to Calgary to host Calgary Flames telecasts. MacLean joined CBC in 1986, where he hosted the Toronto Maple Leafs’ telecasts on HNIC, before becoming the full-time national host, and popular co-host of "Coach’s Corner" with Don Cherry in 1987. He has also hosted CBC’s coverage of the Olympic and Commonwealth Games, the World Cup of Hockey, the Calgary Stampede and Battle of the Blades. MacLean has been recognized with ten Gemini Awards for excellence on television. The co-author of the bestseller Cornered, he lives with his his wife, Cari, in Oakville, Ontario. Follow him on Twitter @RonMacLeanCBC and @hometownhockey_.

KIRSTIE MCLELLAN DAY ranks among the top hockey book writers in the world thanks to the three national bestsellers: Theo Fleury’s #1 bestselling memoir Playing With Fire, Bob Probert’s Tough Guy and Ron MacLean’s Cornered. She's currently working with Marty McSorley on his upcoming Hellbent. Her other books include Above and Beyond, a comprehensive family and business history of cable magnate J.R. Shaw; Under the Mat, a memoir with Diana Hart of the Hart wrestling family; and No Remorse, a true-crime novel. Kirstie is a mother of five and lives with her husband, television producer Larry Day, in Calgary. Together they own one of Canada’s most successful television companies, Pyramid Productions. Visit her online at www.kirstiemclellanday.com and follow her on Twitter @kmclellanday.

Kirstie McLellan Day's profile page