Warriors don’t always need to use their sword, but they’d better have one.

For most of their history, the Edmonton Oilers have iced a fast-skating, skilled lineup. However, their players either needed to be tough or be bolstered by toughness, but that doesn’t always mean fighting. It does mean playing through checks and not being intimidated. Just because someone racks up a lot of penalty minutes doesn’t mean they’re tough either; look at Matthew Tkachuk or Nick Cousins. Now, the game has changed, and fighting isn’t as common anymore. If the rulebook were called, would it even exist? Whether it should even be in the game is a question for another day. In the meantime, let’s look further back in history to find Oilers teams filled with toughness.

#6 1983-84 Oilers

Edmonton’s first championship team didn’t just score goals; they went into the trenches. Dave Semenko was the heavyweight champ of the NHL, and few would challenge him. Kevin McClelland, Don Jackson, Mark Messier, and Lee Fogolin wouldn’t back down to anyone. If anyone touched Gretzky, you knew they were in for a long night.

Dave Semenko                   118 PIM

Kevin McClelland              127 PIM

Don Jackson                       120 PIM

Mark Messier                     165 PIM

Lee Fogolin                         125 PIM

Secondary toughness: Dave Hunter, Dave Lumley, Kevin Lowe, Paul Coffey, Ken Linseman

#5 2016-17 Oilers

It’s hard to imagine that Milan Lucic, Pat Maroon, and Zach Kassian were on the same team. That’s quite the trio of tough guys and three big personalities in the........

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