Bob Probert faces assault charges

Former NHL enforcer Bob Probert was released Monday on bail after being charged with assault and intent to resist arrest.

Probert, 40, was arrested last Friday when Ontario Provincial Police responded to a call to his home in Lakeshore, Ont., east of Windsor, where he allegedly grew enraged and began damaging property at approximately 9 a.m. ET.

"I anticipate he will be pleading not guilty and going to trial," said Patrick Ducharme, Probert's lawyer, who confirmed that his client's next court appearance is Aug. 4.

Probert previously scuffled with police in Delray Beach, Fla., on June 4, 2004.

Although Delray police had to subdue him with a Taser gun and a stun gun, he was acquitted of all charges in February.

Probert was a productive winger in the NHL yet gained notoriety as one of its most feared fighters.

He had 163 goals and 221 assists for 384 points, as well as a whopping 3,300 penalty minutes in 935 games over 16 NHL seasons with the Detroit Red Wings and Chicago Blackhawks.

Probert struggled with alcohol and cocaine abuse, though, and served three months in prison in 1989 for attempting to smuggle cocaine into the United States from Canada.

He was banned by the NHL for the better part of a year and later was placed on inactive status during the 1994-95 campaign to deal with substance-abuse problems.

Probert was drafted in the third round – 46th Overall – in 1983, the same year that Detroit chose Steve Yzerman and Joey Kocur, who, with Probert, became known as the "Bruise Brothers."

with files from CP Online