Schultz hammers teammates in frustrated tirade

He’d only been with the team for two months, but former Stanley Cup winner Dave Schultz only needed that long to see that the Penguins were not in the same class as his former Flyers club or the other elite teams in the NHL. In an interview just after the Pens had squeaked out a tie versus rival Los Angeles at home, The Hammer let loose to Post-Gazette writer Bob Whitley in an emotional rant that called into question the heart and desire of his teammates.

“Face it, we’re a third or fourth-place team,” he said, adding later, “We have guys on this team who don’t give it everything all the time.”

Caps coach: Pens not physical

You’d think the last worry a team with Dave “The Hammer” Schultz on it would have was being tough enough, but that is exactly what troubled the Penguins as they began 1978. This article breaks down the Pens’ lack of grit, with some harsh words from Washington Capitals coach  Tommy McVie, who years later would later battle the Penguins again as coach of the New Jersey Devils.

Schultz hammers Wings in his Pens debut

Dave Schultz makes his Penguins debut and wastes no time living up to his nickname of "The Hammer", taking six penalties, including a fighting major in the second period. The tough tactics, however, don't change things where it matters - on the scoreboard - and the Pens go down to their third consecutive defeat of the young 1977-78 season, 3-1 to the Red Wings in Detroit.

Savill lays down the Hammer

Our look at the Pens' 1977-78 season continues...

The two early-season embarrassments the Penguins suffered at the hands of the Philadelphia Flyers (8-2 at home October 15 followed by an 11-0 lambasting five nights later at the Spectrum) did not sit well with Penguins Chairman of the Board Al Savill. One third of the team's ownership group, a frustrated Savill impulsively decided to toughen the Pens up by engineering a trade for the poster boy of '70s goon hockey, Dave "The Hammer" Schultz.

By this point, Schultz's days as the Broad Street Bullies' head haymaker were far behind him, having been dealt by the Flyers to the L.A. Kings in September 1976 before coming to Pittsburgh. The trade that brought him to the Pens saw the popular Syl Apps Jr. along with Hartland Monahan going west in exchange for Schultz, speedy forward Gene Carr and a draft pick.

Read the report of the trade that appeared in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, containing Savill's rationale for the trade.