Who are some of the dirtiest players you can think of?

[J0e Th0rnton]

@fanaticV3.0@JR Ewing

Efff That. Samuelsson deserved worse.

A guy who intentionally tried to blow peoples knees out(And often did). A guy who intentionally high sticked people in the eyes. Cross check people in the neck as hard as he can. Spear people in the nuts. Butt ending people in the face.

He was always intentionally trying to knock people out of the game. Everytime you played him, you knew you had to keep an eye out for the cheap shots. This is a guy who players agreed almost unanimously as most hated in the NHL for YEARS.

He wore ridiculous sized hard armor for pads to maximize damage done by hits(His Nickname Robocop was not an affectionate one). He refused to answer the bell after the cheap shots.

In Todays NHL, Ulf would have been banned long ago. How often does a sucker punch like that invite praise from so many other NHLers? There was a reason for that.

[peter puck]

Dirty Dee The dirtiest player in the game!

[JR Ewing]

@fanaticV3.0@JR Ewing

Efff That. Samuelsson deserved worse.

A guy who intentionally tried to blow peoples knees out(And often did). A guy who intentionally high sticked people in the eyes. Cross check people in the neck as hard as he can. Spear people in the nuts. Butt ending people in the face.

He was always intentionally trying to knock people out of the game. Everytime you played him, you knew you had to keep an eye out for the cheap shots. This is a guy who players agreed almost unanimously as most hated in the NHL for YEARS.

He wore ridiculous sized hard armor for pads to maximize damage done by hits(His Nickname Robocop was not an affectionate one). He refused to answer the bell after the cheap shots.

In Todays NHL, Ulf would have been banned long ago. How often does a sucker punch like that invite praise from so many other NHLers? There was a reason for that.

Many of the same things could be said about Domi, and I wouldn't want somebody to crush him in the face with a cheapshot either.

JR

[J0e Th0rnton]

Many of the same things could be said about Domi, and I wouldn't want somebody to crush him in the face with a cheapshot either.

JR

Definitely. I am incredibly biased obviously since Neely was my favorite player growing up and Ulf effectively ruined him and his career.

I just hate Ulf for being the supreme hit and hide player. Since I started watching hockey, I have never seen a dirtier player.

Edit: How many other players have 2453 penalty minutes with as few fights as Ulf? I am pretty sure he is like top 30 all time for Penalty minutes and that every guy above him was a noted fighter who had more penalties for fighting than other infractions

Edited July 31, 2013 by J0e Th0rnton

[fanaticV3.0]

@fanaticV3.0@JR Ewing

Efff That. Samuelsson deserved worse.

A guy who intentionally tried to blow peoples knees out(And often did). A guy who intentionally high sticked people in the eyes. Cross check people in the neck as hard as he can. Spear people in the nuts. Butt ending people in the face.

He was always intentionally trying to knock people out of the game. Everytime you played him, you knew you had to keep an eye out for the cheap shots. This is a guy who players agreed almost unanimously as most hated in the NHL for YEARS.

He wore ridiculous sized hard armor for pads to maximize damage done by hits(His Nickname Robocop was not an affectionate one). He refused to answer the bell after the cheap shots.

In Todays NHL, Ulf would have been banned long ago. How often does a sucker punch like that invite praise from so many other NHLers? There was a reason for that.

Domi's a *****. If you can - and he easily could have - beat someone's ass than do that. You want to send a message? Level him. Beat him in a fight. But when he did there was no better - and in fact much worse - than what Ulf actually did to him in that very game. He's one of those guys who got weird at the end of his career too, running from goons, fighting fans, just cowardly stuff.

Edited July 31, 2013 by fanaticV3.0

[jammer2]

@J0e Th0rnton Yep, Ulf is 25th all time and rarely fought. He has literally hundreds of 5 minute majors for intent to injure, knee on knee hits, cross checks to the face, slew footing...it goes on and on. I hate cheap shots like the one Domi pulled here, but in Ulf's case, I'll make an exception to the rule. IMHO, what Domi did was a statement, pre-planned and approved by almost all his piers, and I'm not talking his Leaf teammates, I'm talking piers as in the whole league. He wanted to send a message, if you are gonna head hunt and give out spineless hits that end careers, there is a price to pay. It was intended to shame Ulf, and I believe he accomplished that goal.

It was street justice in it's purest form. Ulf ended so many great careers, he deserved that in spades. I hated Ulf so much, I would have been fine if Domi picked up his limp body and gave him a few more for good measure. The thing is, Ulf victims never saw it coming, so it was poetic justice that Ulf was dropped like that. I was watching that game live with a room full of buddies, we all stood up and cheered, high fiving each other. My one buddy Mike is a huge Bruins fan, and he had so much anger built up in him from Ulf ending Neely's career early that he actually had tears of joy when that punch was delivered by Domi.

[blocker]

Samuelson was goading Domi just before the punch, calling him Ty Dummy. If you're going to mouth off, you better be ready for a poke. I don't remember her exact words, but Samuelson said that his wife told him that he should have been prepared.

Samuelson got what he deserved.

[JR Ewing]

Samuelson was goading Domi just before the punch, calling him Ty Dummy. If you're going to mouth off, you better be ready for a poke. I don't remember her exact words, but Samuelson said that his wife told him that he should have been prepared.

Samuelson got what he deserved.

Kinda like when Sean Avery got Ladislav Smid with a cheapshot:

It was absolutely a cheap move by Avery, but Smid should have been ready for it. Lesson learned, I suppose.

JR

[J0e Th0rnton]

Domi's a *****. If you can - and he easily could have - beat someone's ass than do that. You want to send a message? Level him. Beat him in a fight. But when he did there was no better - and in fact much worse - than what Ulf actually did to him in that very game. He's one of those guys who got weird at the end of his career too, running from goons, fighting fans, just cowardly stuff.

Domi is a jerk. I have no doubts about that. However in this case, I think the player on the recieving end deserved what he got as karma for all the star players he intentionally tried to take out over the years(And yes, Ulf was looking to take them out). A lot of players, coaches and analysts felt so too.

Domi definitely got his cheap shots in as well, and I never agreed with them other than this one. Not sure about the fighting fans thing. The only time I remember that was when a drunk fan got sprayed with a bit of water. And then he did something stupid, trying to jump over the glass into the penalty box, actually breaking the glass down and then trying to get shots in at Domi. In this case, if Domi threw a few shots at the rabid drunk fan who was obviously trying to atack him, I would find it perfectly acceptable.

@J0e Th0rnton Yep, Ulf is 25th all time and rarely fought. He has literally hundreds of 5 minute majors for intent to injure, knee on knee hits, cross checks to the face, slew footing...it goes on and on. I hate cheap shots like the one Domi pulled here, but in Ulf's case, I'll make an exception to the rule. IMHO, what Domi did was a statement, pre-planned and approved by almost all his piers, and I'm not talking his Leaf teammates, I'm talking piers as in the whole league. He wanted to send a message, if you are gonna head hunt and give out spineless hits that end careers, there is a price to pay. It was intended to shame Ulf, and I believe he accomplished that goal.

It was street justice in it's purest form. Ulf ended so many great careers, he deserved that in spades. I hated Ulf so much, I would have been fine if Domi picked up his limp body and gave him a few more for good measure. The thing is, Ulf victims never saw it coming, so it was poetic justice that Ulf was dropped like that. I was watching that game live with a room full of buddies, we all stood up and cheered, high fiving each other. My one buddy Mike is a huge Bruins fan, and he had so much anger built up in him from Ulf ending Neely's career early that he actually had tears of joy when that punch was delivered by Domi.

The funny thing is, I do not remember a single one of Ulf's teammates rushing to his defense either.

I did not watch the gam when it happened, but a friend called me and I watched highlights of it all night

Samuelson was goading Domi just before the punch, calling him Ty Dummy. If you're going to mouth off, you better be ready for a poke. I don't remember her exact words, but Samuelson said that his wife told him that he should have been prepared.

Samuelson got what he deserved.

[flyercanuck]

@J0e Th0rnton

I'm with you on the Domi vs fan thing. If I'm in the box and some fat jerk is pretending he wants a piece of me, then breaks through the barrier, I'm taking a few liberties on his head. The guy was acting like a complete idiot.

[fanaticV3.0]

Domi is a jerk. I have no doubts about that. However in this case, I think the player on the recieving end deserved what he got as karma for all the star players he intentionally tried to take out over the years(And yes, Ulf was looking to take them out). A lot of players, coaches and analysts felt so too.

Domi definitely got his cheap shots in as well, and I never agreed with them other than this one. Not sure about the fighting fans thing. The only time I remember that was when a drunk fan got sprayed with a bit of water. And then he did something stupid, trying to jump over the glass into the penalty box, actually breaking the glass down and then trying to get shots in at Domi. In this case, if Domi threw a few shots at the rabid drunk fan who was obviously trying to atack him, I would find it perfectly acceptable.

The funny thing is, I do not remember a single one of Ulf's teammates rushing to his defense either.

I did not watch the gam when it happened, but a friend called me and I watched highlights of it all night

He's a little more than a jerk boss. He's a f-cking disgrace. Suckering punching people, running from real fighters (and hiding behind officials while doing it), double-teaming against a single opponent (huge ***** move), has literally done it all in the cheap/dirty department. As far as the thing with the fan goes, Domi started that when he started spraying water on fans. You don't ever pull that minor league crap. Defending yourself is one thing, but Domi started that entire situation. Hell, he was the only one who threw a punch. The fat ass fan fell into the box, his shirt was over his head and Domi starts teeing off on him. He's a b!tch on every level.

Edited August 1, 2013 by fanaticV3.0

[jammer2]

@fanaticV3.0 He's actually a really nice guy off the ice. Totally opposite of his on the ice persona, if you can believe that. I've stayed at his Mom's house many times, know his brother and sister really well. I actually told him he just didn't want to fight Brash and he laughed. He would not go in depth with the on the ice stuff, but just stated there is more than meets the eye there, a lot of stuff people don't know and he just left it at that. My best friends Mom is Tie's Mom's sister. I tell ya, that guy would give the shirt off his back to anyone that needed help, he's a quality person. I do agree with you though, if Domi was not spraying water at fans like a 5 year old, that penaltly box fiasco would have never taken place. For my money, what Rob Ray did was much more violent, both the fans were in places that they should not have been, but Ray landed like 10 SOLID right hands to that guys noggin, he got a major beat down for his troubles!

The Ulf punch, let's just say Tie was pretty close with Cam and leave it at that....lol.

[flyercanuck]

@fanaticV3.0 He's actually a really nice guy off the ice. Totally opposite of his on the ice persona, if you can believe that. I've stayed at his Mom's house many times, know his brother and sister really well. I actually told him he just didn't want to fight Brash and he laughed. He would not go in depth with the on the ice stuff, but just stated there is more than meets the eye there, a lot of stuff people don't know and he just left it at that. My best friends Mom is Tie's Mom's sister. I tell ya, that guy would give the shirt off his back to anyone that needed help, he's a quality person. I do agree with you though, if Domi was not spraying water at fans like a 5 year old, that penaltly box fiasco would have never taken place. For my money, what Rob Ray did was much more violent, both the fans were in places that they should not have been, but Ray landed like 10 SOLID right hands to that guys noggin, he got a major beat down for his troubles!

The Ulf punch, let's just say Tie was pretty close with Cam and leave it at that....lol.

Ya, but first he'd call in the media for a photo op. And make sure they promise it's either on the front page or page 1 of the sports section. The guy is so full of himself its sad.

[fanaticV3.0]

@fanaticV3.0 He's actually a really nice guy off the ice. Totally opposite of his on the ice persona, if you can believe that. I've stayed at his Mom's house many times, know his brother and sister really well. I actually told him he just didn't want to fight Brash and he laughed. He would not go in depth with the on the ice stuff, but just stated there is more than meets the eye there, a lot of stuff people don't know and he just left it at that. My best friends Mom is Tie's Mom's sister. I tell ya, that guy would give the shirt off his back to anyone that needed help, he's a quality person. I do agree with you though, if Domi was not spraying water at fans like a 5 year old, that penaltly box fiasco would have never taken place. For my money, what Rob Ray did was much more violent, both the fans were in places that they should not have been, but Ray landed like 10 SOLID right hands to that guys noggin, he got a major beat down for his troubles!

The Ulf punch, let's just say Tie was pretty close with Cam and leave it at that....lol.

If he had one incident I disagreed with, I could cut him some slack and give him a second chance. Chris Gratton - like Riley Cooper - supposedly said the N-word. Everyone slips up. It happens. But Domi has such a wrap sheet, I can't stand him. He ran from Brash, McCarthy (and double-teamed Adam Burt of all people in the same game), gets into a fight with a fan after he started it, sucker punches people. I find guys who do this kind of stuff not only to be cowardly, but odd. Who can actually kick someone's ass, but chooses not to (Brash and McCarthy) or to go the cheap route (Ulf)? That's just puzzling to me.

[flyercanuck]

@fanaticV3.0

Anyone who punches Ulf Samuelsson did the right thing...even if it was a suckerpunch. It was the one time I liked Domi.

[fanaticV3.0]

@fanaticV3.0

Anyone who punches Ulf Samuelsson did the right thing...even if it was a suckerpunch. It was the one time I liked Domi.

Suckerpunching someone in sports is a b!tch move. It's just a game. Play hard, but play like a man. It's up there with dirty stick work, kneeing, or other dirty **** that could really f-ck someone up. That's the kind of sh!t you should only if you think you are in legitimate danger. Like this one time when I was 15. This older guy was starting some sh!t with me. He grabbed me by the shirt, pins me against a wall, and was acting all threatening. He was like 4 years older than me, had some size on me, and was generally a "man" compared to me. So I put my head down as if I'm scared/embarrassed to look at him. He takes the bait and lets go of me, as if to say he won the pissing contest. The second he lets go and just starts to back up, but hasn't quite turned around, I hit him right in the mouth. He didn't see it coming at all. So, it turned him around, then I jump on his back and start punching him in the face before people broke it up.

[flyercanuck]

@fanaticV3.0

How many players did Samuelsson hurt with dirty gutless cheapshots? He had that coming to him, no matter who it was from. Practically the entire hockey world cheered that suckerpunch.

[J0e Th0rnton]

@fanaticV3.0

How many players did Samuelsson hurt with dirty gutless cheapshots? He had that coming to him, no matter who it was from. Practically the entire hockey world cheered that suckerpunch.

Exactly.

When many players around the league are suggesting Domi get a raise instead of a suspension, it should raise a few eyebrows.

Ulf deliberately took players out with far worse cheapshots and ended careers. At worst, Ulf got a punch and a nap. Ulf was a guy who would fight and give little punches back, axehandle you with his stick, but keep his visor on so your punches did no good. if you managed to get his helmet off, he would turtle. He never paid the price for thingsbecause he wore armor and hid.

All Domi did was throw a punch just about every player in the NHL wanted to throw, but feared the consequences.

ill put it to you this way. If a news report came in that a group of fans had pinned Ulf down and crushed his knee with a cynderblock, I would have cheered.

I would not wish that on any hockey player ever except Ulf. he is THE dirtiest player ever

[jammer2]

@fanaticV3.0 `` It's just a game``

It`s a game yes, but guys have families to support, bills to pay, Ulfie took that away from at least 3 players that I know of. When you end a guy`s career from a pre-planned cheap shot, there are repercussions. These guys have friends and one thing leads to another. The little nap he took was not nearly severe enough punishment. It`s one thing to cheap shot somebody, but at *least* man up and fight afterwards, Ulfie would never do that, so something had to be done. If Domi had tried to fight him, he would have butt ended him, or turtled....Ulf was a true coward.

[fanaticV3.0]

@fanaticV3.0@JR Ewing

Efff That. Samuelsson deserved worse.

A guy who intentionally tried to blow peoples knees out(And often did). A guy who intentionally high sticked people in the eyes. Cross check people in the neck as hard as he can. Spear people in the nuts. Butt ending people in the face.

He was always intentionally trying to knock people out of the game. Everytime you played him, you knew you had to keep an eye out for the cheap shots. This is a guy who players agreed almost unanimously as most hated in the NHL for YEARS.

He wore ridiculous sized hard armor for pads to maximize damage done by hits(His Nickname Robocop was not an affectionate one). He refused to answer the bell after the cheap shots.

In Todays NHL, Ulf would have been banned long ago. How often does a sucker punch like that invite praise from so many other NHLers? There was a reason for that.

You keep making this about Ulf. It's not about who the recipient is. We're discussing the offenders. The conversation isn't "who is the most deserving of a dirty hit" it's "who are some of the dirtiest guys around".

[fanaticV3.0]

@fanaticV3.0 `` It's just a game``

It`s a game yes, but guys have families to support, bills to pay, Ulfie took that away from at least 3 players that I know of. When you end a guy`s career from a pre-planned cheap shot, there are repercussions. These guys have friends and one thing leads to another. The little nap he took was not nearly severe enough punishment. It`s one thing to cheap shot somebody, but at *least* man up and fight afterwards, Ulfie would never do that, so something had to be done. If Domi had tried to fight him, he would have butt ended him, or turtled....Ulf was a true coward.

The topic is dirty players, not most deserving recipients. You might not like the recipient, but you still have to separate that when judging the offenders actions. Who is on the receiving end is irrelevant. Domi ran from many of our fighters and then gets involved in a 2-on-1 with Adam Burt!?! A 2-on-1 is a ***** move no matter who is involved, but when it's a non-fighter, the level of pussification that takes is immeasurable.

[Commander Clueless]

Obviously as a Leafs fan I'm biased, but I thought the fight between Domi and that fan was hilarious. They guy probably got what he deserved after freaking out like that, but Tie definitely goaded him on. It was unprofessional but really, really funny.

Domi was a great enforcer and always fun to watch fight due to his (usually) severe height disadvantage. However, he pulled more than his fair share of crap that I can't say I approve of. Most notably for me was the ridiculous cheap shot on Scott Niedermayer. At the time I hated Niedermayer as much as the next Leafer and because of that I can't say I was devastated....but that was inexcusable and ultimately cost the Leafs dearly.

Another mention for "not dirtiest I can think of but definitely dirty at times" goes to Jarome Iginla. In the not so distant past, Iggy's "power forward" game could quickly turn to a "spear everybody in frustration" game when his team struggled.

[jammer2]

@fanaticV3.0 Well, the topic evolved a bit, but I get your point. There are a lot of things Domi did that I don't agree with, especially not fighting guys who are willing to drop the mitts. When you are employed as a goon, it's your job to take on all comers (game circumstances obvisouly effect this), punch first and ask questions later. The whole "he's not worth fighting" crap with McCarthy was uber lame.

[Polaris922]

I loved Ulf... he was no different than lots of other enforcers. HIs teammates defended him with zeal... and he was thought of as reckless, not intentionally hurting players. BY most anyway. I find it ironic so many Flyers fans hate him so passionately... it's all about the uniform. He's another one of those guys you love on your team, hate him on any other.

"He's got a junkyard-dog mentality, he's tougher than nails, and he's got a terrifically high threshold of pain," says Bill Clement, a member of the Philadelphia Flyers' Broad Street Bullies who now does television commentary on Flyer games and for ESPN. "He would have fit right in with the Flyers of the '70s, beside guys like Eddie Van Impe and Moose Dupont. He's crude, but Dick Butkus was crude, and he's in the pro football Hall of Fame. To me, Samuelsson is like a linebacker on skates."

"He's a throwback to the old-time defensemen," says Scotty Bowman. "He stays back, he's not afraid to take a check, and he's not afraid to give a check. He's always there; he never backs off. He asks no quarter, and he gives no quarter."

"Number one, I don't like him," says Oiler coach Ted Green. "Number two, I'd love to have him on my club."

Rick Tocchet was no fan of Samuelsson's, until he was traded to the Penguins by the Flyers last season. "No, I didn't like him," says Tocchet, a forward with a seemingly permanent four-stitch cut across the bridge of his nose. "In fact, like most people who don't know him, I hated him. But now he's probably one of my best friends on the team. I'd do anything for the guy."

LOL just some examples of how the professionals felt... and he was effective too...

"At week's end the Penguins had scored 30 more goals when Samuelsson was on the ice than they had allowed."

So hate him... I'll always love him. LOL

[J0e Th0rnton]

I loved Ulf... he was no different than lots of other enforcers. HIs teammates defended him with zeal... and he was thought of as reckless, not intentionally hurting players. BY most anyway. I find it ironic so many Flyers fans hate him so passionately... it's all about the uniform. He's another one of those guys you love on your team, hate him on any other.

"He's got a junkyard-dog mentality, he's tougher than nails, and he's got a terrifically high threshold of pain," says Bill Clement, a member of the Philadelphia Flyers' Broad Street Bullies who now does television commentary on Flyer games and for ESPN. "He would have fit right in with the Flyers of the '70s, beside guys like Eddie Van Impe and Moose Dupont. He's crude, but Dick Butkus was crude, and he's in the pro football Hall of Fame. To me, Samuelsson is like a linebacker on skates."

"He's a throwback to the old-time defensemen," says Scotty Bowman. "He stays back, he's not afraid to take a check, and he's not afraid to give a check. He's always there; he never backs off. He asks no quarter, and he gives no quarter."

"Number one, I don't like him," says Oiler coach Ted Green. "Number two, I'd love to have him on my club."

Rick Tocchet was no fan of Samuelsson's, until he was traded to the Penguins by the Flyers last season. "No, I didn't like him," says Tocchet, a forward with a seemingly permanent four-stitch cut across the bridge of his nose. "In fact, like most people who don't know him, I hated him. But now he's probably one of my best friends on the team. I'd do anything for the guy."

LOL just some examples of how the professionals felt... and he was effective too...

"At week's end the Penguins had scored 30 more goals when Samuelsson was on the ice than they had allowed."

So hate him... I'll always love him. LOL

Well, if he ended, say, Mark Howe's career with a dirty hit I bet you would feel differently

When Domi hit him, I recall Richter giving a shoulder shrug "WTF", and I do not recall Ulf's teammates exactly rushing at Domi in his defense. But maybe I just missed it in the highlights. The rest of the league was elated haha. it was a carnival of schadenfreude

Those quotes of him are nice, but there are others from that same article.

"His job is to hurt people," said Minnesota North Star center Mike Modano during the 1991 Stanley Cup finals. "He goes for the knees a lot. He takes runs at you, and really all he's trying to do is hurt you and knock you out of the game."

A few examples. During the 1984-85 season, while he was playing for the Whalers, Samuelsson apparently flicked his stick into the eye of Montreal Canadien forward Pierre Mondou, causing permanent damage that brought Mondou's career to a premature end. Samuelsson said that it was an accident and that he wasn't sure whether his stick or someone else's struck Mondou. In 1991 Samuelsson's hits caused knee injuries to Minnesota's Brian Bellows and Montreal's Brian Skrudland. His most infamous run-in came during the Wales Conference finals that year when he collided with Cam Neely of the Boston Bruins. The resulting thigh and knee trauma has kept Neely, one of the league's best players, out of action for nearly two seasons.

When Samuelsson was with Hartford, Neely went after him on several occasions. The fights were always one-sided, with Neely throwing most of the punches, but Samuelsson, beaten but unbowed, stubbornly refused to modify his style. "Here's a guy who's not afraid to crosscheck you, use his stick or whatever," Neely says. "When you play the way he does, you've got to be willing and able to back yourself up."

"Let's put it this way: He has a zest for life," says center Ron Francis, who, along with defenseman Grant Jennings, was traded with Samuelsson from Hartford to Pittsburgh for center John Cullen, defenseman Zarley Zalapski and right wing Jeff Parker in what turned out to be a steal for the Penguins. "I've been playing with him nine-plus years, and I still shake my head at the things he does. He's as crazy as ever."

And other articles lol.

Big hits like those, though, only provide a hint of why he is so hated around the National Hockey League -- after all, collisions along the boards are a staple of North American hockey. But with Samuelsson, there always seems to be the question of whether the elbow came up too high, whether the knee was thrust out deliberately, whether the stick somehow gravitated faceward at the last possible second -- any of which would make the check illegal and raise the ultimate question: is the player writhing on the ice because of a hard but legal check or because Ulf Samuelsson gave him a cheap shot?

This October, in his third game with the Rangers, Samuelsson was standing in front of the Ranger net, alongside Toronto's maniacal goon, Tie Domi. When the other players moved up the ice, Domi whirled around, shed a glove and his stick and drilled his left fist into Samuelsson's mouth. The Ranger dropped like an anvil, out cold even before he hit the ice, where he lay for about five minutes before being helped off the ice. When asked what action the league should take against Domi, Mathieu Schneider, the Islanders' defenseman, replied, "For hitting Ulf? A bonus." In fact, the league suspended Domi for eight games.

Last month at Madison Square Garden, for example, he rammed his stick between the legs of an Ottawa Senators forward, Trent McCleary, sending the rookie into a rage. In the ensuing action, McCleary was nailed with a five-minute major penalty for apparently blind-siding an unsuspecting Samuelsson with an illegal, open-ice check that left the defenseman sprawled on the ice, to all appearances in agony and seriously injured. But the slow-motion replay showed that, far from being caught unawares, Samuelsson had glimpsed McCleary preparing to level him and surreptitiously braced himself for the impact. Sure enough, after chewing the scenery for a minute or so -- while the penalty was assessed -- Samuelsson skated off to the bench, where he snickered with teammates before returning minutes later for his regular shift on the ice.

As a Penguin in the 1991 Stanley Cup finals, Samuelsson collided knee to knee with Minnesota's top scorer, Brian Bellows, away from the play, slowing down Bellows for the rest of the series. Early the next season, he submarined Montreal's Brian Skrudland, tearing Skrudland's knee ligaments and sidelining him for almost two months. One night in 1992, he worked over the Rangers' Mike Gartner so badly that linesmen had to restrain the normally mild-mannered Gartner from bashing Samuelsson's head with his stick. In 1993, Samuelsson ran the Rangers' captain, Mark Messier, just returned from a rib injury, into the boards at Madison Square Garden. Messier responded by dropping Samuelsson with one punch, which started a brief stick fight between the two players.

In his five months since joining the Rangers, Samuelsson has already been involved in a number of dust-ups. During a scrimmage on the first day of training camp, he retaliated against the rookie forward Rick Willis, who had just cut another rookie with a high stick, by cross-checking Willis in the face and slamming him into the boards. "Like a shark, I saw blood on the ice," Samuelsson told The Times's Joe Lapointe, conceding that maybe "it's a little early for stuff like that." In a preseason game he speared New Jersey's Stephane Richer, and early in the season he brought down the Hartford star Brendan Shanahan from behind with a flying football tackle, tearing a ligament in Shanahan's wrist.