Tough Guy Tracker
The Islanders may have pounded the Rangers 6-2 on the scoreboard last Thursday, but the Blueshirts didn't go down without a fight, winning two of the three scraps that the division rivals took part in that night at the Coliseum.
In a Pacific Division clash on April 4 in San Jose, the Kings and the Sharks dropped the gloves three times, with LA's Kyle Clifford taking part in two of the bouts. Clifford started off his night by knocking knuckles with Jamal Mayers in the first period and wrapped things up by going toe-to-toe with Douglas Murray in the third.
Last Wednesday at The Rock, New Jersey's David Clarkson rocked the Islanders' Zenon Konopka in the opening minutes. Clarkson took out the NHL's penalty minutes leader by landing a series of punishing rights in the one-sided scrap.
With his team down 1-0 late in the first period to the Capitals, the Blue Jackets' Jared Boll tried to jumpstart his team by taking on Washington tough guy John Erskine. Unfortunately, Boll took a beating from Erkine at center ice in the Caps' hard-fought 4-3 victory.
On Mar. 31 in Florida, Darcy Hordichuk worked the Panthers crowd into a frenzy early when he bloodied Ottawa's Francis Lessard two minutes into the first period.
WAM! BAM! Thank you, man!
An NHL tough guy isn't necessarily someone who goes out and beats the snot out of an opponent every night. Sure, goons like that still exist in the league, but an NHL tough guy is more than that. He is a player who will not only stand up for himself and/or his teammates, but will also play through and dish out pain or a game-changing check whenever his team needs him to do so.
Each Wednesday, FOXSports.com's NHL Tough Guy Tracker will spotlight those players and some of the best scraps from around the league.
Boston's Milan Lucic and Toronto's Jay Rosehill gave Bruins' fans their money's worth last Thursday night at the TD Garden in Massachusetts, with the tough guys going toe-to-toe in a spirited second-period bout that ended in Lucic's favor.
In an entertaining game against Nashville last week, Detroit's Todd Bertuzzi decided to drop the gloves for the first time all season when he took on the Predators' Shane O'Brien in the first period. The seasoned Red Wings veteran enjoyed his scrap against O'Brien so much that he decided to do it again in the second period.
With his team down 2-0 at home to the Oilers on April 2, Vancouver's Tanner Glass tried to get his team going by dropping the gloves in the second period with Edmonton's Jean-Francois Jacques.
With his team down 2-0 at home to the Oilers on April 2, Vancouver's Tanner Glass tried to get his team going by dropping the gloves in the second period with Edmonton's Jean-Francois Jacques.
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