Step into the WABAC machine with me one last time to the early 1970s. In response to the body-bending tactics of hit squads like the Big, Bad Bruins and St. Louis Blues of Plager brothers fame (or infamy), other clubs began to seek out aggressive players in order to protect their stars.
The Pens were no exception. Boasting toughies like Tracy Pratt, Glen “Slats” Sather, hard-rock defenseman Dunc McCallum and the Bryans, Hextall and Watson, the “Pesky Pens” had been one of the NHL’s more aggressive teams in 1969-70, finishing third in team penalty minutes and battling their way to the Stanley Cup Semi-Finals.