The 5 Most FEARED Players in the NHL
Hockey is a game of speed, skill, and precision… but beneath all that finesse lies a darker edge. It’s the fear factor. The guys you don’t want to line up against. The ones who make opponents think twice before crossing the blue line.
For decades, the NHL has had players who weren’t just tough — they were terrifying. And in today’s league, where skill dominates highlight reels, a few names still carry that aura of intimidation. They’re not just fighters, they’re enforcers, protectors, and nightmares for anyone foolish enough to take liberties.
But who tops the list right now? Who’s the single most feared player heading into the 2025–26 NHL season? We’ll count down five names, each bringing their own brand of menace. Some are veterans with reputations carved out over years. Others are younger, already building a legacy of destruction.
We’ll start with number five… and when we finally reach number one, you might be surprised by how quickly he climbed to the top of the food chain.
50 Comments
Olivier
Jackeye
Deslaurier
Reeves
Lucic if he makes the blues
Wilson
Rempe is a punching bag. That poor kid will have to retire early from all the shots he takes. Give me Xhekaj, Olivier, or Deslaurier any day before Rempe.
Number 1 Olivier number 2 arber and number 3 Deslauriers
Rempe is a – 2 waiting to happen
Rempe lose every fights🤣
Mathieu Olivier top 3
You xhekaj right but get deslauriers wrong?
Rempe is down that list, maybe not even on it. Olivier is number 1, Arber 2
Rempe? lol he is the punching bag to most heavy weights. As a matter fact I am going to say it on your post , that Rempe will commit suicide from too many blows to the head already,
Reeves is done in the NHL
Missing Olivier
I speak french, and the way you prononced Deslauriers is so bad, you should try to learn how to prononce names of the players. I speak 4 languages, and I understand you speak only one 😉
BS list without Mathieu Olivier as number one.
Next four nations , we bringing rempe and Arber Xhekaj, America thinks they r tough, but during olllympics , they placing 5th .
Whoever said olivier took out arbor is an exageration..it was a draw and because arbor lost balance at the end he seemingly loses but not one punch connected
Mathieu Olivier from. Columbus has all beaten them , should be no. 1 and not even on your list
This list is a joke rempe and arber 🤡🤣🤣🤣
Matt Olivier/nick deslaurier/xhkaij/Tom Wilson/Marcu Foligno
X is tougher than Rempe but Olivier is the toughest dude in the league. Vincent Desharnais is no slouch either.
Olivier💪????…😂👍👋✌️
Olivier 1st, Xhekaj 2nd, Deslauriers 3rd
Rempe #1? You can’t be serious. He’s not even in the top 5.
Xhekaj is number 1
Umm didn’t Xhekaj beat Rempe???
Olivier, Xhekaj, Deslauriers are top 3
Umm .. REMPE got his ass BEAT by Xhekaj, and why is Olivier not on this list?? This is askew. I remember when Matt Rempe jumped on Xhekaj and failed miserably to take him down – Arber's like ' let me get my other glove off at least' and the Rempire State Building came crashing down ceremoniously. Bad list.
Mathieu Olivier is the only guy who can beat Arber Xhekaj in the league
Matt Rempe? He's a freaking plug.
Big goof can't fight for shit. Xhekaj knocked the shit out of him last year. He even went as far as to get fighting "lessons" from legendary enforcer Georges Laraque. He didn't learn a damn thing. He STILL can't fight. Any enforcer can take him. Nobody is scared of him
Every one of those guys beat up REMPE lol
mathieu olivier is the real number one rampe s maybe in the top 10
I don’t really like arber is that scary because I meat him n real life and he was really nice but I think he just loves to fight people
Rempe the big joke
Top feared players in the NHL Amber and Florian Xhekaj don't mess with them.
Olivier best fighter by far.
Rempe is still just a young thug, a punching bag to fill a role. He's tough but nowhere near #1 or even top 5. Definitely a menace until he catches another suspension, or one of the seasoned guys around the league put him out for the season, which I could see happening if he keeps rolling with his cheap shots and dirty hits. Olivier seems to be the #1 right now. The rest of the list I pretty much agree with, you could argue some of them could slide #/position wise, but they are all legit mentions. One not mentioned, but has definitely been earning his stripes is Gadjovich. Watching some of his fights from last year (think back to back nights with NJ) he's working his way up that ladder, and he's always out to make a big hit when on the ice and never backs down.
Having rempe on the list is a joke, yet you have my number one, proves that you don't know anything about enforcers in hockey,
Lol Rempe
Didn't wifi beat the crap out of wimpy
Wifi is #1
Some of these guys are scary because they are huge men. Put them at 6'2" or so and they wouldn't be so dominating. Of course they are huge and dominating.
Probert, Gillies, Behn Wilson, Wendel Clark, and other men from that era were among the toughest to ever play and I think they could handle most of the guys here. I wonder how many have taken on Chara?
Habs fan here Olivier 1st, Xhekaj 2nd and Deslauriers 3rd
No rempe is not the best look at rempe and the canadien defender abert
Rempe is not respected. He a PoS.
I can’t believe Zedorov didn’t make this list. The man is 6”6 and 250 lbs and can really fight. He’s the guy I’d want on my team
Cest Mathieu Olivier the first one!
These are the only 5 guys that do this,a list is a waste,and besides these 5 guys wouldnt even be on the list if they played when the old guard were around!!!!
Flying your shoulder pad into the guy's jaw when the guy is looking the other way is not "scary." It is just "cheap". What is scary is their mental illness.
Olivier, Deslauries, Xhekaj, Reaves, Rempe, Johnston
Probert
Twist
McSorley
Kocur
Tim Hunter
Oh sorry, wrong decade….
Habs fan here, at this time I would agree that Oliviers is #1, Arbour Xhekaj #2 and Delauriers #3. Rempe is a big lug that they alll can and will paste at wikl.