Pest Gallery

With news that Claude Lemieux is making an unheard of comeback with the San Jose Sharks after 5 years on the sidelines, it behooves us to celebrate the legendary "rats" that have made the game so much fun over the years.

We all love the goal scorers, the lightning quick goalies, the rugged hard hitting defenseman and the heavyweight enforcers. But sometimes you need that layer of dirt and scum to make things a little more interesting

They're the Russ Meyers' and the John Waters' of the NHL. And here's a few of the best all-time doing their thing.

Claude Lemieux

Here's Lemieux, sitting on the bench, getting in a few cheap shots on Eric's brother Brett Lindros. Watch him take a look around to see if the refs are looking before plowing his fist into Brett's face.



Dave "Tiger" Williams VS Ken "The Rat" Linseman

In this clip, Williams just cold cocks Linseman in the face. The rest of the NHL probably cheered. Watch closely for a Gary Galley appearance.



Ken "The Rat" Linseman Hat Trick.

Before Scott Mellanby killed a rat in the Florida dressing and then went out and scored two goals (dubbed the "Rat Trick"), Ken Linseman invented his own brand of hat trick. After they show a decent hit on Pat Verbeek, watch Linseman slash one NJ Devil in the ankle, viciously spear another one in the groin and then literally slap him in the face before he skates away. This is a perfect example of what Linseman was all about. Pure unadulterated shit-disturbing.



Jarkko Ruutu

You know him well by now in Ottawa. This guy will go down as one of the most famous agitators of all time. The very meaning of "gong show". But you gotta love him.




Esa Tikkanen

The master of the complex language forever known as "Tikkanese", Esa was a huge part of several Oiler Stanley Cup wins in the 80's and joined his buddy Mark Messier in New York for an encore in 1994. This clip is hilarious. The Montreal players just can't help themselves as they get worked up into a fury by Esa's constant yapping. This was Tikkanen at his best. Not necessarily taking physical cheap shots but just using his mouth to get opponents off their game.