Enforcers were always special. They were hated by the opponent’s fans but loved by their own. Enforcers were also loved by their teammates, and it’s not so strange, given what they did for them. Enforcers did everything for their teammates, on and off the ice.
But they also had each other’s back.
Enforcers like Gino Odjick have said that he always did what he could to land a fellow enforcer a new job, and for an example, he shared a story of when he beat Wayne Gretzky just to get Marty McSorley back on the Kings to protect Gretzky. But if they were friends off the ice, they could even share information on common enemies.
In the book ”If These Walls Could Talk: Philadelphia Flyers,” longtime public address announcer for the Flyers, Lou Nolan, shares a story on Rob Ray and how he helped Matthew Barnaby.
”I remember one time Rob Ray was absolutely cleaned up in a fight by the Fridge, Todd Fedoruk. He came in and asked if anybody had a cell phone he could borrow,” Nolan said.
”Cell Phone? Why do you need a cell phone?” he asked.
”I want to call Matt Barnaby,” Ray Said.
”Why’s that?”
”I want to tell him that the Fridge is left-handed so he has a better chance against him,” Ray responded.