Dave Schultz

He was really tough, never backed down, and between fights, could play the game.

Fearless and really stupid, although reputed to be a soft-spoken pussycat off the ice. Not the toughest guy on the old Broad Street Bullies Flyers, but the best showman, mostly because he didn't know when to quit. Frequently needed his pals to come off the bench and bail his ass out.

The Hammer actually had a 20 goal season once I seem to recall, but that wasn't what they hired him for.  In fairness, most of those goals were probably scored while he was beating up the goalie.

Dave escalated the cold war thats for sure.

Did plenty of damage to opponent's faces (and in some cases, their careers) yet the Hammer might have done the most damage to the game itself.

OVERRATED. This guy would get killed by modern fighters.

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No one person, just as no one team has been the catalyst for the demise of any sport in recent history. Even the 1919 Black Sox couldnt kill the National Pastime. It was down but not out. Just as the likes of Sosa, McGuire and Palmeiro may give it a large and shiny but temporary black eye; they cant knock out baseball. However, the Philadelphia Flyers of the 1970s may have come closest. If you remember, hockey in the early seventies was on the rise. The league had just doubled in size going from six teams to 12. There was a national TV contract with CBS and hockey was actually outdrawing basketball in the ratings on televisionThen came the Philadelphia Flyers. The Broad Street Bullies were the marquee franchise of the 67 expansion. Philadelphia was hungry for hockey and for a city of sports franchise also-rans they were even hungrier for a winner. After a few lean years the Flyers management put together a team of misfits, buffoons, baboons and thugs who played a brand of hockey whi... Read more

Schultzie was fearless (and a little nuts) ...no one's mentioned Gillies...Nystrom...O'Reilly...Behn Wilson...what about Stan Jonathan, that guy was 5 foot 6 and tough as nails.

Shultz was the greatest hockey fighter of the 1970's.

I have to say that growing up with players like that made a hockey fan out of me... Helmets optional!

He was the most feared member of those great Broad Street Bullies Flyers teams of the 70s. I recall many of his fight and he was a demolition crew on ice. I remember him totally destroying Ron Stackhouse and beating the tar out of the Rangers Dale Rolfe in the Stanley Cub playoffs [Schultz might have been taking some vengeance out on Rolfe, who ended the late Barry Ashbee's career with a slapshot into his eye in an earlier game]. Some say teammates Bob Hound Dog Kelly and Don Bird Saleski were his equal but I can't recall ever seeing Schultz getting beat. Unlike some of your more legendary goons, Schultz could play a bit. He once had a 20-goal season.