1974-75 was record setting but not for goals, assists, points or wins. Dave Schultz sat 472 minutes in the penalty box for the Philadelphia Flyers. That total remains a National Hockey League record today. The Hammer sat 196 more minutes in the sin bin than the second place finisher, teammate Andre Dupont.
Of course, Schultz and Dupont were members of the Broad Street Bullies, a Flyers team that won two consecutive Stanley Cup championships with one part skill and two parts intimidation.
The usual disclaimer: The following hockey cards of the top 5 in penalty minutes are from 1975-76. The cards are used because the stats on the back celebrate the previous year.
Dave Schultz played in the NHL from 1971-72 (1 game) to 1979-80 with the Flyers, Los Angeles Kings, Pittsburgh Penguins and Buffalo Sabres. From 1969-70 to 1973-74, he led in PIM for whatever league he was playing in. He made a comeback as champ in 1977-78.
- 1969-70 – EHL – Salem Rebels – 356 (also scored 32 and had 69 pts. in 67 gms.)
- 1970-71 – AHL – Quebec Aces – 382 (nearly double the number 2 contender)
- 1971-72 – AHL – Richmond Robins – 392
- 1972-73 – NHL – Philadelphia Flyers – 259
- 1973-74 – NHL – Philadelphia Flyers – 348 (also scored 20 goals)
- 1974-75 – NHL – Philadelphia Flyers – 472
- 1977-78 – NHL – Los Angeles Kings / Pittsburgh Penguins – 405
Schultz played 535 regular season games during his NHL career and sat 2,294 minutes. In 73 playoff games, he added 412 PIM.
Andre Dupont finished second in 1974-75 with 276 PIM. Dupont was originally the eight overall pick at the 1969 NHL Amateur Draft by the New York Rangers. He played just seven games in New York during the 1970-71 season.
The Moose’s NHL career lasted until the end of the 1982-83 season and besides the Rangers and Flyers, he also played for the St. Louis Blues and Quebec Nordiques. He finished his career with 1,986 PIM in 810 regular season games.
The only league Andre led in PIM was the Central Hockey League in 1970-71. As a member of the Omaha Knights, Dupont collected 308 PIM in just 54 games. He also added 46 points.
Phil Russell of the Chicago Black Hawks came third with 260 PIM. Russell was the thirteenth overall pick by Chicago at the 1972 NHL Amateur Draft after leading the WCHL with 331 penalty minutes in 1971-72 with the Edmonton Oil Kings.
Phil played in the NHL from 1972-73 to 1986-87 with the Black Hawks, Atlanta/Calgary Flames, New Jersey Devils and Buffalo Sabres. He totalled 2,038 PIM in 1,016 regular season NHL games.
Bryan Watson of the Detroit Red Wings came fourth with 238 PIM. Bugsy was long into his NHL career by 1974-75. He played from 1963-64 to 1978-79 with the Montreal Canadiens, Detroit, Oakland Seals, Pittsburgh Penguins, St. Louis Blues, and Washington Capitals.
Over 878 NHL regular season games, Watson sat 2,212 minutes and scored just 17 goals. In 1967-68, he led the CPHL with 293 PIM in just 50 games with the Houston Apollos.
Bob Gassoff, in just his first full season in the NHL with the St. Louis Blues, finished fifth with 222 PIM while playing just 60 games. Gassoff played with the Blues from 1973-74 (28 games) until the end of the 1976-77 season. Soon after, he was killed in a tragic motorcycle accident.
Bob led the WCHL with 388 PIM as a member of the Medicine Hat Tigers in 1972-73. Playing just 45 games with the Denver Spurs in 1973-74, he led the WHL with 301 PIM.