Standing at an even 6 feet and weighing in at a powerful 205 pounds, Basil McRae tormented NHL tough guys for 16 seasons.
McRae, now retired, is remembered primarily as a 'heavy bag with eyes' but some remember McRae as a 'heavy bag with heart'.
During the '88-'89 campaign, McRae registered 31 points and 365 penalty minutes with the Minnesota North Stars. This was followed by an astonishing playoffs where he managed to pick up 58 penalty minutes in a mere 5 games!(six fighting majors, two-ten minute misconducts, and two double minors for holding when he tried to drown Sergio Momesso and Cliff Ronning in a puddle left by the Zamboni).
According to legend, McRae's head was so large and square that he had to commission CCM to create a specially designed helmet to his personal specifications. The original model was simply a milk crate with a chin strap which he wore while playing with the London Knights during the '78-'79 OHA season.
In this fight with the late John Kordic, the Leaf defenseman makes the mistake of taking of McRae's helmet in the late stages of the bout. Kordic's hand was broken in six places after hitting the corner McRae's head, when asked after the game what it was like, Kordic responded, "Have you ever punched the corner of a fridge as hard as you could, just because you were out of bolony? No? Well that's what happens on a cocaine high!"
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