Feb 19, 2012; St. Paul, MN, USA; Boston Bruins forward Shawn Thornton (22) fights Minnesota Wild forward Matt Kassian (28) during the third period at the Xcel Energy Center. The Wild defeated the Bruins 2-0. Mandatory Credit: Brace Hemmelgarn-US PRESSWIRE
On this last, glorious day of September, an afternoon where the Pats put on a second quarter whooping of the Bills, the NHL and the NHLPA are still miles apart and a shortened season is all but guaranteed. In (dis)honor of the current state of negotiations, here are ten Bruins whose enforcer skills could be called upon to get a tough job like this one done.
Terry O’Reilly: “Taz” racked up an un-official franchise record 154 fights in his years with the Bruins. The South-paw had a wild and feverish fighting style, dropping the gloves with any and all comers… including fans!
Stan Jonathan: The pint-sized pugilist, Jonathan went toe-to-toe with some of the toughest guys in the league… sometimes standing on his toes! He stood only 5′ 8″.
Shawn Thornton: The B’s current tough guy, Thorty makes guys think twice for dropping the gloves with him. Right, left, it doesn’t matter, both those hands are made from stone.
P.J. Stock: Fists of Fury, Stock was another under-sized tough guy who’d go toe-to-toe with anyone willing, no questions asked. No one got the Fleet Center crowds more pumped up in those days.
Cam Neely: Wam-Bam-Cam. Neely didn’t always have to drop em, but when he did, everyone in the building knew it.
Lyndon Byers: Before taking a job on the radio, L.B.’s resume included taking names and kicking…. But let’s not forget, he wasn’t a goon(start at about 1:36).
Jay Miller: 87 Fighting majors for the B’s, including an astonishing 33 in 1987-88 alone! All said and done, not a single mustache hair out of place.
Andrei Nazarov: Not a very memorable stint, but the big Russian did manage to rack up 48 majors in just a season and a half. A for Effort.
Mike Milbury: Before taking to the airwaves and bullying, Kathryn Tappen, among others, Milbury had an even hotter temper on the ice, dropping the gloves at least 65 times over his career. He also beat a man in the stands at Madison Square Garden with his own shoe.
Eddie Shore: There aren’t any videos to prove it, but for a guy who refused anesthesia so he could watch a doctor sew his ear back on through a mirror, Shore surely could tangle with the best of them, in any generation.