Jimmy Thomson was the flashier of the “Gold Dust Twins,” but along with his partner Gus Mortson, he provided the defensive backbone for the Toronto Maple Leafs for many years.  Like Mortson, Thomson was a very rugged player, but he was a better passer than his defensive partner, and he would have five seasons of 20 or more Assists.  He would anchor the Leafs to four Stanley Cups, and individually he was a two-time Second Team All Star and was a three-time leader in Defensive Point Shares.

In terms of the history of the Pittsburgh Penguins, Jean Pronovost would make franchise history as the first player to score 100 Points and 50 Goals in a season.

Before Tiger Woods jumped upon the golf world, the most famous sports feline was that of Dave “Tiger” Williams. The rugged enforcer set the career mark for most penalty minutes of all time, and chances are if you saw a game with Tiger in it, he would be watching the game too from the confines of the penalty box. Williams was not juts a thug, he was actually a capable scorer who netted 35 goals one year and finished with 513 points in his career. Not bad for someone who was barely on the ice.

It might seem a little laughable now, but there was a time when all Russian players were considered soft. Vladimir Konstantinov may have been part of the 1980s Soviet Red Army team, but he was a man who seemed to be bred for the NHL, as he was anything but “soft.” Konstantinov had an instant impact on the pros with the Red Wings. He was literally a pest who made it exceptionally difficult for opponents to score. This was reflected by his high plus/minus tallies. Konstantinov’s last season saw him as the Norris Trophy runner-up and hoist the Stanley Cup. Less than a week after that triumph, Konstantinov was in a horrible limousine accident that put him in a coma and literally put him in the fight of his life. Needless to say, Vladimir never played again, though if he had, it can be argued that he might be a much stronger candidate for induction than he is now.