Standing only five feet, six inches, and while playing for the Flin Flon Bombers of the Western Canadian Hockey League, Polonich attracted attention of scouts by being a pest, antagonizing opposing players while scoring occasional goals. During the 1972–73 season Polonich was known for his relentless trash-talking, and racked up 222 penalty minutes along with 83 points. Polonich was drafted 118th by the Detroit Red Wings in 1973. However, the Wings wanted to see if Polonich could be as effective in a higher-level league, and sent him play a season with the London Lions in Britain. He impressed and was brought back for the 1974–75 season.
Professional hockey
In the 1974–75 season, Polonich joined the Virginia Wings of the American Hockey League. He led the Wings in penalty minutes, and his 34 points helped them reach the playoffs, where he was the team's leading scorer in their short playoff appearance. Towards the end of the regular season, Polonich joined the Red Wings for his first four NHL games, recording no points or penalty minutes. After a quick stint with the Kalamazoo Wings of the International Hockey League, Polonich became a full-time Red Wing in the 1975–76 NHL season. The Red Wings were retooling, adding toughness and grit to their roster after a few disappointing seasons and Polonich fit the bill. Although small, Polonich brought an instant force to the team. Polonich set a club record on March 24, 1976 by sitting out eight penalties – five minors, a major and a misconduct.
"If I had stayed out of the box a little more, I might have scored 20 or 25 goals, you have to have a mighty long stick to score from the penalty box."
In the 1976–77 NHL season Polonich had a short tenure as captain of the Detroit Red Wings while Danny Grant was injured. He finished second in team scoring with 46 points and led the team in penalty minutes with 274. He again led the team in penalty minutes the following season. On October 25, 1978, Polonich got under the skin of the Colorado Rockies'Wilf Paiement. In what has been termed as the worst-ever case of brutality in the NHL, Paiement smashed the diminutive Polonich across the face with his stick, leaving Polonich with a concussion, severe facial lacerations, and a broken nose requiring reconstructive surgery. Polonich sued, and was rewarded with a settlement of $850,000, in 1982. Polonich suffered from breathing problems for the remainder of his career. After five and a half seasons with the Red Wings, Polonich was sent down to the AHL after the 1980–81 season and, besides 11 games in 1982, remained there. He helped the Adirondack Red Wings reach the playoffs twice in the following four years before jumping to the Muskegon Lumberjacks of the IHL. Polonich retired in 1987.
Records
Red Wings club record: Sitting out eight penalties in one game - five minors, a major and a misconduct.
