He fought with some of the toughest brawlers in the NHL and became a highlight reel for dirty hits.
Still, with head shots and fighting now dominating debate in the NHL, Mike Eagles has had some time to reflect on the tough-guy approach that kept him in the big leagues for 16 years.
“I was an abrasive type player,” said STU’s athletics director and former men’s hockey coach. “Some people didn’t like me very much and some players took exception to the way I was playing. Part of my personality… was if I was going to play an aggressive kind of game, I had to be willing to answer the bell.”
Eagles was never a star player. He didn’t score many points, earn large contracts or stand in the spotlight. He bounced between several teams, becoming a gritty fourth-liner for all of them.
But when Eagles came off the bench, he made an impact.
“I was always fighting for my life.”
And this fight was common for the Sussex native. He dropped gloves with the toughest players of his time, including Scott Walker and Joey Kocur.
“I’d put my category as a scrappy kind of guy. There’s a difference between being a tough player and necessarily known as a fighter.”
Part of the local legend that surrounds Eagles is his fights.
“Obviously it’s a very physical game and there are a lot of times emotions are really high and sometimes that is sorted out by a fight,” he said.
Eagles remembers his fight with Walker.
“I think that was one of my best fights,” he said.
Standing at just five foot 10 and weighing less than 200 pounds, Eagles was usually outmatched in size. But it never stopped him.
“Fighting was not something I thought I was overly good at and [I] wasn’t overly confident in my ability, so I was trying to survive.”
During fights, Eagles’ philosophy was that offense is the best defense. But not all fights went as smooth as his one with Walker.
“A lot of times when someone challenged me to a fight, I was willing to oblige.”
This led him to face the best of the best.
Eagles met his match when he fought Kocur, known as one of the Bruise Brothers on the Detroit Red Wings of the late 1980s. Within seconds, Eagles was on the ground.
While reflecting on the video of the fight, Eagles said it looked like he suffered a concussion, but this wasn’t the case.
“I don’t think I’ve ever suffered a concussion in a fight,” he said. “My concussion issues were more just normal hockey plays.”
Now 48, Eagles finds himself healthy and not suffering from any long-term health problems.
The former Tommies’ coach has had his fair share of injuries, but has also given his fair share. One of his most infamous career moments came when he went full tilt into perennial all-star Rob Blake, hitting him directly in the head with his elbow.
“I know that’s a pretty popular video, but that’s not something I’m looking back on. That was a very dirty play on my part and in today’s game it would have warranted a very large suspension.”
Even still, Eagles said he has no regrets about the way he played, but that hits like the Blake one are the kind that need to be taken out of hockey.
His belief is that fighting has no place in the CIS.
“These guys are for the most part not going to be making a living from hockey,” he said. “It’s about the rest of their lives and we want them to be healthy.”
Fighting remains a huge part of the NHL today. But Eagles is very supportive about the direction the NHL is going now.
“I think they are on the right path by trying to eliminate head shots.”
The next generation of hockey players need to be trained to protect themselves and Eagles thinks this crackdown can also be a “double-edged sword.”
“If I don’t pay attention to my surroundings because I’m not supposed to get hit, then that’s when I could get hurt the most,” said Eagles.
“There still has to be accountability if you do something by accident.”
Eagles said the new rules are just part of the natural progression of sports.
“I think great players in every era would probably be great players because they would figure out a way to be great.”
