He is according to his fellow players.

SI.com did a poll of over 300 NHL players and Steve Ott and Chris Pronger were named the dirtiest players in the league, with each getting 13% of the total vote. Jarkko Ruutu (12%) and Sean Avery (10%) were close behind.

Now it's only 13% overall, so it's not like the majority of NHL players think Ott is the worst. In fact, I'm guessing nearly every player on the Ducks and Sharks named Ott which would add up to about 7-8% alone.

It's still surprising though to think of Ott as a dirty player (whatever it is exactly which consitutes "dirty"). I've never thought of him as such, but while talking to fellow hockey bloggers around SB Nation, it's apparent he certainly has carved for himself a very unsavory reputation among fans.

Yet it's the players that have spoken. Perhaps my view of Ott is skewed. I still want him on my team.

Hat tip to DBD regular Fehr and Balanced for the link.