In their
latest 30-in-30 feature, NHL.com talks a lot about the extreme changes made in the offseason by Montreal GM Bob Gainey.
Extreme is a good word to describe Montreal's dirtiest player of all time. Chris "Knuckles" Nilan holds the record for the most penalty minutes per game. Over 16 seasons, Nilan averaged 4.42 penalty minutes per game. That's just shy of a fighting major in every NHL game he ever played in.
Nilan knows how to get everything out of a game. He holds the NHL record for penalties in a game with 10. He holds the team record for most penalty minutes in a game for both the Montreal Canadiens (39 PIM) and the New York Rangers (35 PIM).
I know, I know, broken record. Penalty minutes don't equal dirty play. But come on. 4 and a half minutes per game over his entire career? Sure, lots of fighting majors and misconducts make up that number, but you have to think that a lot of those minutes are from dirty plays like
butt-ending,
suckerpunching and puck throwing.
Puck throwing?
