Darius Kasparaitis - Best Hitting Penguins Defenseman Ever?

Photo taken October 14, 2001

Kaspar is one of the all-time favorites of yours truly. I hated him when he played for the Islanders -

- but was thrilled when the Penguins acquired him (November 17th, 1996 for Bryan Smolinski). Of course we all know the epic hit he laid out on Lindros, and while that was what he’s most famous for, don’t forget that he also had that series winning overtime goal against Buffalo and one Mr. Dominik Hasek:

Kaspar brought his famous hip check and crankiness towards the opponent every game. Yes, he sometimes took himself out of position to take a hit, but Coffey would do the same to start a rush - you have to take the bad with the good.

I think another great thing about him was his name: Kasparaitis. It sounds like some kind of infectious disease. But if that means more Orpik hits and others following suit, I hope all the Pens catch it.

Great story on his final days in the NHL: NY Mag