My All-Time Tough (‘n’ Good) Team

Left Wing: Clark Gillies (6’3” 215 lbs., 958 games, 319 goals, 378 assists, 697 points, 1025 PIM)

The prototype modern power forward, “Jethro” was at heart a gentle giant who didn’t go looking for fights. In fact, he never topped 100 penalty minutes in a single season. But rile him or worse…mess with a teammate…and watch out. Gillies nearly kayoed then-heavyweight champ Schultz early in his career and famously broke antagonist Ed Hospodar’s face with a devastating right. Skating on the Islanders’ top line with Bryan Trottier and Mike Bossy, Gillies topped 30 goals six times, was a First-Team All-Star twice and served as captain while riding shotgun on four Stanley Cup winners.

Center: Mel Bridgman (6’0” 190 lbs., 977 games, 252 goals, 449 assists, 701 points, 1625 PIM)

Probably my most challenging pick. Eric Lindros might have been a more obvious choice, but Bridgman gets my nod. A first-round pick of the Flyers (who else), Bridgman was a snarling center who took on all comers. Sporting a bristling mustache and a nasty demeanor to boot, he oozed on-ice menace. His fight with the Islanders Bob Nystrom (my right wing) in 1978 was a classic in terms of furious, back-and-forth, hard-punching action (check it out on YouTube). Although not a star, Bridgman was a consistent 50-60 point producer who notched 20+ plus goals six times, including a high of 33 in ’81-82.

Right Wing (tie): Bob Nystrom (6’1” 200 lbs., 900 games, 235 goals, 278 assists, 513 points, 1248 PIM)

Hailing from Stockholm, Robert Thore Nystrom was a blonde Nordic hammer who rarely lost a fight. His punches were fast, hard and accurate and he possessed a granite chin to boot. Maybe it was the way his hair flew when he fought, but his battles always seemed to have an extra edge and intensity to them. Nystrom’s pummeling of Boston’s John Wensink, himself one tough hombre, during the 1980 playoffs typified his ferocious fighting style. An integral cog on the great Islanders dynasty, “Knuckles” scaled the 20-goal plateau seven times, including a career-best 30 in ’77-78. He scored the overtime winner in Game Six of the 1980 Final to clinch the first of four consecutive Cups for the Isles.

Right Wing (tie): Terry O’Reilly (6’1” 200 lbs., 891 games, 204 goals, 402 assists, 606 points, 2095 PIM)

In my opinion, the Don Cherry Bruins of the late ‘70s were the roughest, toughest team I’ve ever seen. They boasted such notable scrappers as Wayne Cashman, Stan Jonathan, Mike Milbury, Al Secord and Wensink. The ring leader was Terry O’Reilly (pictured above). Nicknamed “Taz” (for Tasmanian Devil), the fast swinging lefty was an absolutely relentless fighter who didn’t back up an inch. O’Reilly famously fought the aforementioned Gillies, who most players feared and avoided, four times during the 1980 playoffs. Like Rick Tocchet and Tom Wilson later on, O’Reilly began his career as a pure fighter but evolved into a top-flight power forward, tallying 90 points (and 211 PIM) in ’77-78.

Defense: Larry Robinson (6’4” 225 lbs., 1384 games, 208 goals, 750 assists, 958 points, 793 PIM)

Every season, Montreal defenseman Larry Robinson would target some poor unfortunate miscreant and beat the daylights out of him, as if to serve notice to the rest of the league to lay off his teammates. “Big Bird” almost single-handedly shattered the myth of Flyers physical superiority by beating Schultz handily in a fight and nearly pile-driving tough winger Gary Dornhoefer through the boards. Like Gillies a prototype, Robinson was among the first defensemen to combine size, mobility and physicality with a high degree of skill. A Hall-of-Famer and linchpin on the incomparable Canadiens’ Cup winners of the ‘70s.

Defense (tie): Behn Wilson (6’3” 210 lbs., 601 games, 98 goals, 261 assists, 359 points, 1480 PIM)

During an era when meanness ruled, there weren’t many meaner or more ornery than big Behn Wilson. Unlike Gillies and Robinson, the trash-talking Wilson seemed to relish fighting and his heavyweight role. In a pair of signature fights against minor-league legend Archie Henderson, Wilson battered his towering foe with vicious uppercuts. He also beat Gillies rather handily…a rare occurrence. A sixth overall pick (a pick that ironically came from the Pens via trade), the Toronto native could play, too, notching double-figure goals in six of his nine NHL seasons.

Defense (tie): Barry Beck (6’3” 216 lbs., 615 games, 104 goals, 251 assists, 355 points, 1016 PIM)

Known for his Promethean strength, Beck in his prime was a devastating body checker. He hit with the force of a runaway freight train, often launching his burly frame headlong into unsuspecting opponents. “Bubba” nearly killed future Pen Joey Mullen with a thunderous open-ice shoulder check. Not a classic fighter in a stand-back-and-chuck-‘em sense, Beck won nearly all his battles simply by overpowering foes. Got the better of Brown in both of their fights, something that almost never happened. Beck tallied double-figure goals five times, including a career-best 22 as a rookie. Shoulder injuries, likely a result of his seismic hits, prematurely ended his career.

Goal: Ron Hextall (6’3” 192 lbs., 608 games, 2.98 goals against average, 23 shutouts, .895 save percentage, 569 PIM)

Watching Hextall guide the Pens with an almost measured steadiness and calm, it’s inconceivable to think he routinely went berserk during his playing days. You might say battling was in his blood. His dad Bryan and uncle Dennis were frequent fighters and, as the old saying goes, the acorn never falls far from the tree. Famously fought fellow netminder Felix Potvin and Chris Chelios and sent black-and-gold sniper Robbie Brown running for his life during the 1989 playoffs. Twice topped 100 PIM in a season.

Goal: Billy Smith (5’10” 185 lbs., 679 games, 3.18 goals against average, 22 shutouts, .895 save percentage, 475 PIM)

He wasn’t nicknamed “Battlin’ Billy” for nothing. Smith whacked and hacked his way to 475 penalty minutes over the course of his career. The hot-tempered goalie also backstopped the Islanders to four Stanley Cups on his way to the Hall-of-Fame.