Running With The Devils - The Most Devilish Devils
| 13
|
I had said that I was going to do my next beat article on current Devils commentator and former goalie Glenn "Chico" Resch. While I still intend to write that article, I have decided to change focus. Every team has at least one player whose job it is to drop the gloves. I am not talking about power-forwards who fight in addition to playing the game of hockey. I am talking about the guys who would not be in the league but for their pugilistic skills.
The early years of the Devils distinguish well between the players who drop the gloves as part of their game, and the players who drop the gloves as their game. Take for example Pat Verbeek. From 1983 to 1989, Verbeek was one of the Devils top offensive players. At the same time in 5 of those 6 seasons, Verbeek exceeded 100 penalty minutes and exceeded 150 in 4 of those 6 seasons. As the following clip shows, he was not afraid to drop the gloves.
Ken Daneyko had his #3 jersey retired last year. A true defensive defenseman, Daneyko was one of the toughest defensemen to play the game. Although he limited the number of times he would drop the gloves in his later years, from 1986-1994 Daneyko defined a defenseman who wasn't afraid to drop the gloves. During that time period Daneyko hit his career high for points in a season with 21, while he racked up over 200 penalty minutes 5 times. Its not so often that a guy who does this for a living
will ever get this in his career
While Verbeek and Daneyko are examples of guys whose grittyness was just one aspect of their game, Troy Crowder is an example of a guy whose fists kept him in the league. Crowder's one and a half seasons in New Jersey were notable because during that time, Crowder was the undisputed heavyweight of the entire NHL. Crowder one that title by dominating then champ, Bob Probert
Randy McKay led the Devils in fighting over the next few years. While his fists initially got him into the league, he actually developed into a talented power forward. During the Devils first run to the Stanley Cup, McKay teamed up with Bobby Holik and Mike Peluso to form the famed Crash Line. Peluso did most of the fighting.
Don't be fooled, with the Devils on the brink of clinching the Stanley Cup in 4 games against the Red Wings, Peluso couldn't take his regular shift because he was crying.
The next true Devils' pugilist was a Polish punching machine, Krzystof Oliwa. besides having one of the worst consonant to vowel ratios in his name, Oliwa also packed quite a right. He was always willing, he wasn't always good.
The next few years were owned by Jim McKenzie. Like Oliwa, McKenzie was a willing fighter, although he was wasn't necessarily good. Recently, Devils fans have been excited by a true middle weight, Cam Janssen. Janssen became a quick favorite around the league for his lengthy and entertaining bouts.
When guys like Janssen get injured, others have to step up. Last year that guy was Mike Rupp. Rupp doubled his prior season high with 8 fights. He proved he was actually quite good at the job. Not to Braydon Coburn. Protect yourself.
