OldTimeHockey said:
Is it a case of the Blue Jackets being dirty or the Lightning being dirty? Or is it a case of hockey being dirty and most winning teams play a little dirty. The Bruins do it. The Flyers do it. So do the Islanders and the Capitals. It seems to me that the teams winning, are the ones that aren't afraid to push the limits.
It's the frequency which certain teams are involved in questionable plays, dangerous hits, etc., that pushes a team into being more dirty than simply pushing the limits. Lots of teams do the latter - you have to find whatever competitive edge you can without crossing the line. However, some teams have multiple guys who don't seem afraid to cross that line, but, for whatever reason, barely get called on it - Boston is the prime example of that, but Columbus has been pretty close in this post season. Teams like Tampa play so close to the line that they cross it on a regular basis. Others are perceived as dirty more by reputation or because of the actions of a few members of the team (Washington, for instance, is mostly Wilson that does the dirty work; for the Islanders, it's their whole 4th line, basically).
