The penguins of the early 1980s were not very good. Vree is in fact a better way to describe them. The ’82 -83 and ’83 -84 ‘Boys of Winter’ squadrons were the Absolute Putten, which compile a combined record of 34-111-15.
One of their few awards? They belonged to the more difficult squadrons to exercise black and gold.
Sick from watching his teams, people like the Flyers and Ultra-Tough Bruins, GM Baz Bastien Decided to fight fire with fire. The Feisty ’81 -82 Club that came in a hair that had the double cup champion islanders, had tough with tough, such as penalty king king Paul Baxter” Pat -price And Russon Anderson in defense, reinforced by Giant Paul Mulvey and scrappers Pat boutette” Andre St. Laurent And Gary Rissing In the front.
While players came in the coming seasons and went like pawns on an icy chessboard, the physical character of the club remained. By ’83 -84, the most important protectors of the team were two sons of Scotland, ahead Kevin McClelland and defender Marty McSorley.
A pick from the fourth Tour of Hartford in 1980, McClelland was taken over on June 29, 1981, amidst a lot of fanfare as part of the compensation package for Free-agent just like that Greg Millen.
His admission to the deal was seen as a real coup. The Rawboned 6’2 ”, 205-Ponder had the previous season in Junior 36 goals and 104 points in the year in June.
After taking a few games to be acclimatized during a cameo in the late season, Kevin dedicated a Points-Streak of five games, including a goal and four assists. During the boiler of the Playoff series of Spirited ’82 against the islanders, the 19-year-old acquitted himself extremely well and dropped the gloves with Brent Sutter In Game 1 and a momentum swinging, game-typing goal early in the decisive game 5 that has yielded a pen rally.
It seemed that Bastien had excavated a real diamond in the rough … an unpolished jewel. Unfortunately it did not quite work that way, at least not in the ‘Burgh. Hand, due to shoulder injuries, McClelland managed only seven goals in 62 games spread over two seasons, far below expectations.
Never to show a lot of patience with children, new GM Eddie Johnston sent McClelland to Edmonton in December 1983 for Tom RoulstonA fairly skilled but passive ahead that could be trusted to skate an entire game with a box of eggs that are safely stored in its uniform.
While the pens struggled for a competitive team to ice cream, the fast -swinging Lefty would win four Stanley Cups with the oilers while he stood up like a strong depth forward. In the process gradually the mantle of Wayne Gretzky’s Chief Bodyguard of Legendary Heavyweight Dave Semenko.
With McClelland disappeared, the police jobs fell from the pens on the fresh McSorley. What the free-agent defender was missing skill and polishing, he made more than good at guts and pure godeness.
Is still grown into a 6’1 ”frame that would eventually fill in with an impressive 235 pound, McSorley accepted all newcomers. During a gloomy loss of 13-4 for the flyers on March 22, 1984, the 21-year-old Rookie shook an ambush of an ambush Dave Brown And held in their own against the huge, Hamer -based Lefty. Marty then fought the equally robust Daryl Stanley In the third period. After he was the worst of the beginning, McSorley came to an exhibition of the incredible endurance and determination that would suppress many of his fighting.
However, Johnston’s itchy trigger finger popped up again. After sending Marty to the minors in ’84 -85 when he could have protected the phenomenon Mario LemieuxEJ has assigned McSorley to the Oilers as part of a fateful swap for veteran goalkeeper Gilles Meloche.
While the pens turned around in a rotating door of travel companions, including Warren Young” Terry Ruskowski (Very heavy but small), Wally Weir And Dwight Schofield To offer protection to No. 66, “The Mighty Macs” would go hunting, and quite effective, for Gretzky and the Oilers in the coming seasons.
When “The Great One” was put to the kings in a seismic trade in the summer of 1988, he insisted that McSorley accompanied him.
Marty has gradually become a really frightening hunter and gradually evolved into a capable defender who also contributed to the score sheet. In the next five seasons he scored 54 goals for the kings. For a good measure, he led the NHL in Plus -Minus in ’90 -91 (Plus -49) and Punishment minutes (399) in ’92 -93.
The feeling that his club was turned over by a brutal, young islanders team the previous spring, GM Craig Patrick brought out all stops and acquired the heavyweight defender in a direct deal for Speedy Forward Shawn McEACHERN. With McSorley and Rick Tocchet On board the black and gold came in the season ’93 -94 with a physical 1-2 punch could match little or no teams.
However, it did not succeed as the team or the player had hoped during Marty’s second steel city tint. By many considered as the certain missing piece of the Stanley Cup puzzle of the pens, McSorley struggled instead of finding his niche. Used as a swingman during his career, he preferred to play defense. New/old coach Johnston thought that Marty was more effective in advance.
In a deal just as surprising as the original exchange, McSorley was sent back to the kings on 16 February as part of a trade in four players McEachern. But not before “The Hamilton Hammer” Involved red wings heavyweight Bob ProBert In an epic battle of 93 seconds for the centuries. A tilt considered by many as the greatest fight in the NHL history.
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