Few Penguins players past or present created more of a stir on the ice than defenseman Paul Gordon Baxter. A born-again Christian who embraced the spiritual principle that it’s better to give than receive, the Winnipeg native meted out enough punishment to merit an astronomical 2526 minutes in the sin bin over the course of his 13-year-pro-career.
Baxter’s rough-and-tumble style often overshadowed his skill. Possessing a hard shot and good offensive instincts, he notched 10 goals and 40 points (along with 384 penalty minutes) during his only season in junior hockey. Hungry for talent, the Cleveland Crusaders of the World Hockey Association inked the 19-year-old defenseman to a deal.
The 5’11” 200-pounder caught the Penguins’ eye in 1974 when he tangled with Steve Durbano during a brawl-filled preseason contest with the Crusaders. Intrigued by Baxter’s blend of toughness and talent, the Pens selected the rugged youngster with their third choice in the 1975 Amateur Draft. Baxter, however, was reluctant to jump ship. He would play four full seasons in the WHA and earn considerable notoriety as the circuit’s all-time penalty king.
Already a battle-hardened veteran at age 25, Baxter finally joined the Pens as a free agent during the summer of 1980. His stint with the black and gold had scarcely begun when he suffered a potential career-threatening injury. On November 5, 1980, linesman Bob Hodges accidentally skated over Baxter’s hand while breaking up a fight between the rugged defender and Toronto’s Rick Vaive, severing four tendons in Paul’s right wrist.
“I don’t feel any pain,” Baxter said from his bed at St. Francis Hospital. “I’m sure I’ll be OK. The Big Fella’s taking care of me.”
Proving to be prophetic, No. 4 returned to the lineup after the holidays and emerged as one of the Pens’ top defenders. Displaying his trademark toughness, the fast-swinging southpaw served 204 minutes in the slammer in only 51 games.
Baxter was just warming up. Paired with equally pugnacious partner, Pat Price, the bellicose blue-liner rang up a league-leading 409 penalty minutes in 1981-82, the second highest single-season total in NHL history. Remarkably, “Baxie” found time to tally nine goals and 43 points.
Soft spoken away from the rink, the hard-nosed defender displayed a special knack for inflaming the opposition. On October 29, 1981, he sucker-punched Philadelphia’s Behn Wilson, momentarily separating the Flyers’ baddie from his senses and inciting a wild five-on-five brawl. Three weeks later Montreal tough guy Chris Nilan heaved a puck at him. On December 14, Rangers behemoth Barry Beck left the bench to engage the peppery Pens defender, in the process earning a six-game suspension.
Even fans got into the act. During the emotionally charged playoff series against the Islanders in the spring of 1982, Baxter’s ultra-physical play drew death threats from a crazed New York partisan.
Asked to reconcile his hell-for-leather style with his faith, he responded, “People think being a Christian means being meek and mild, but they don’t realize the courage and toughness Jesus displayed in his life.”
Baxter remained productive in ‘82-83, potting a highly respectable 11 goals. However, he plummeted to a minus-49. Determined to clean house, GM Eddie Johnston released the veteran defender.
Paul spent the next four seasons with Calgary, where he was a chief antagonist in the notorious Flames-Oilers “Battle of Alberta” feud. Redeeming his reputation as a solid NHL defender, Baxter was a sparkling plus-39 in ‘84-85. He helped Calgary reach the Stanley Cup Final the next season before retiring.
Considered a top coaching candidate, Baxter served as an assistant for several NHL clubs throughout the 1990s and early 2000s. However, a coveted head coaching job remained a step away and his star gradually waned.
Deadly Force
During the ‘81-82 season Penguins defensemen Paul Baxter and Pat Price were regarded by opposing teams as latter day versions of the famous outlaws Frank and Jesse James.
Arguably the NHL’s most despised player, Baxter piled up a league-leading 409 minutes in the slammer—the highest single-season total in club history—including 21 fighting majors. Price was no Caspar Milquetoast, either. The bellicose 6’2” 200-pounder served 322 minutes in the sin bin while dropping the mitts 19 times, including a spirited go with Devils toughie John Wensink.
No opponent was spared the duo’s wrath, not even the two-time Stanley Cup champion New York Islanders. During the late stages of a wild 7-2 Penguins victory in the season finale, Baxter bloodied the nose of big Dave Langevin with a flurry of lefts.
The rough treatment continued as the two teams squared off in the Patrick Division Semi-Finals. Staying true to form, Baxter and Price combined for 42 penalty minutes during the hard fought five-game set. Baxter was a particular thorn to the defending champs, pounding the Islanders’ forwards with hard body checks.
Afterward it was revealed that the pugnacious pair had been the target of not one, but two death threats. The first threat was received at the Civic Arena switchboard on April 12, 1982. The second was phoned in the following day, two hours before the deciding Game 5 on Long Island. Both incidents were immediately reported to the NHL Security Office, which contacted Detective Joseph Clark of the Nassau County Police. A 22-person detail was promptly dispatched to the Nassau County Coliseum.
“They did a great job of protecting our players without letting them know of the threats,” said Penguins general manager Baz Bastien. “Fortunately, nothing happened.”
“We were wondering who those guys were hanging around us all day,” Price said. “Do you believe that? Welcome to New York.”
In addition to the trade deadline, now less than 48 hours away, there’s a weightier…
Every once in a while life prevents me from doing a full recap of a…
I was reading some articles about the Penguins’ possible approach to the looming trade deadline…
When the Golden Knights got the jump on our Penguins this afternoon at PPG Paints…
I have a confession to make. I didn’t watch today’s nationally televised matinee matchup with…
I just read that hockey insider Jeff Marek has proposed a trade involving our Penguins…
View Comments
Hey Rick,
As I wrote before, Baxter was a favorite Penguin of mine. He was tough and could play. I am not sure how much his +/- was a factor of his play or the Goaltending (sort of like this past season). When Michel Dion's Sv% was highest on the team at 0.868% and Denis Herron's Sv% was 0.838, it really does make a person wonder if those guys could stop a puck. Dion's Career Sv% was only 0.870% and Herron's (as much as I would like to defend him) was only 0.889%. Add in to the equation the inept offense of that team that only managed 257 Goals (2nd worst in the league that season), 81 of which came while on the Power Play (about 1/3 of their Goals) - That is not a recipe that would yield a whole lot of plus opportunities.
That team was bad enough, but the reason Baxter may have been removed from that team was so that the team could get even worse and through the fans suffering, earn the right to draft Mario.