Kyle Freadrich, who played left-wing, was a pure enforcer.  Checking in at a massive 6'7”, 250 pounds, his mere appearance is intimidating.  Freadrich was originally drafted by the Vancouver Canucks in 1997, but two years later signed with the NHL’s Tampa Bay Lightning.  In his playing days, he also racked up penalty minutes with the Louisiana Ice Gators and the Detroit Vipers.  Freadrich's NHL debut was quiet, but he made a lasting impression during his second recall to the Lightning.  That night, the Lightning played the Chicago Blackhawks, and Freadrich found himself on the ice with Blackhawks enforcer Ryan Vandenbussche.  Soon, the inevitable fight ensued.  By the time the bloody bout was over, Freadrich had clearly arrived as a feared fighter in the National Hockey League.  However, he couldn't hold on to Tampa's tough guy job because he lacked the other skills that would have helped him survive in the NHL.  Freadrich played in 23 games over two years with the Lightning.  But, in the summer of 2001, the Lightning dealt Freadrich and Nils Ekman to the New York Rangers.  The trade back-fired badly for the Rangers when Ekman decided to return to Sweden to play and Freadrich suffered a concussion that ended his entire career.

On March 13th 2000, Freadrich made his mark on the NHL -- in an unforgettably long and non-stop fight -- against Ryan Vandenbussche of the Chicago Blackhawks.  Chicago's head coach was quoted after the game as saying, "That was probably the best fight I've seen in the game of hockey."  Players and fans unanimously declared it the best and bloodiest fight of the season.  Freadrich was ready to battle with any willing competitor every time he stepped on the ice! Watch Freadrich's fight! (Note: this video has no audio) Real Media (897 KB) (Right mouse click on the link above and "Save Target As..." to download to your computer) Click here to read more about Freadrich's remarkable NHL fight!

Freadrich's stats!