Name the name Dave Schultz For an old Penguins fan and you can draw anything but a favorable reaction. You can even generate a few choice of expressives. ‘The Hammer’ and his fellow -philly squaders finally hit our pens without grace in the early 1970s.
Some may remember that the NHL penalty king for a while the Schaatspenguin logo acts.
In the summer of 1977, popular enforcement Bob “Battleship” Kelly Signed a free-agent deal with Chicago and left the pens without a protector. Although General Manager Baz Bastien a trio of robust players imported, Brian “Spinner” Spencer and former pens Colin Campbell And Bob ParadiseTo help a tough guy Russon Anderson With the police jobs, the pens quickly fell prey to the imposition of clubs such as Boston and Philadelphia.
Despised by the bad show of his team, owner Al Savill sought the advice of the former Bruins support pillar Derek Sanderson At a party.
“You don’t have a real big, cool guy,” Sanderson offered. “You should get Dave Schultz.”
Schultz had indeed hit the sport for or since then as few players. The prototypic ‘Broad Street Bully’, he had piled up an astronomical 1,618 penalty minutes for five seasons, including a competition record 472 in 1974-75, while he rose as the dean of NHL enforcers. Good, charismatic and completely not repentant, his name became synonymous with hockey violence.
Ironically it was Schultz who had helped to establish Kelly’s reputation. The two fought twice during a pre-season match with Blues-Flyers in 1973. “Battleship” postponed “The Hammer” to achieve a few fast victories.
In a representation of the almost manic determination and fearlessness that became a characteristic, Schultz Kelly challenged a third Go. The Rangy Blues Battler refused and answered: “I don’t waste my knuckles on your cement head.”
Yet the fighting style of “The Hammer” was simple and brutally effective.
“First I grab the man by his collar,” he explained Maury Levy in an article for Philadelphia Magazine. “That keeps him in one place. And if I grab him so high with my left hand, it makes it difficult for him to throw his right side. And then I just start beating and holding him. “
On his arrival in the steel city, Schultz embraced his role with guts and tenacity. On November 2, 1977 he came up for the team through rugged terraces Reed Larson During a fight with Detroit. Months later he jumped over the shelves and beat St. Louis Pest Gary HoltThat some of his less combative teammates roughened. In the course of the season, the rugged left wing dropped the mittens no less than 21 times and raised 405 penalty minutes (378 with the pens) to reclaim the punishment of the competition.
Schultz also had an underrated scores and also produced in other ways. On January 9, he collected the ongoing challenges of turbulent Nick Fotiu And scored a goal to speed up the pens to a 5-3 victory over the Rangers. “Schultz contributed vigorously to the victory without a blow,” chimed the Pittsburgh Press.
He then went nine goals and 36 points in 66 games, considerable songs for a police officer, to earn the Unsung Hero Award from the team.
Encouraged by the acquisition of former Philly teammates Tom Bladon, Oorest Childrachuk And Ross LonsberrySchultz was ready for a strong season in 1978-79. However, the hammer soon became excess baggage in an improving team. Later in the campaign he was traded to Buffalo for fast winger Gary “Wheels” McadamBut not for a final eruption of fighting spirit.
In the night of November 25, 1978, he competed his former partner in Crime André “Moose” Dupont and the new Philadelphia enforcer Behn Wilson In a rough and tumbling match against the flyers in the Civic Arena. A shipping fits the old Gunslinger.
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