The 25 Most Brutal Hits of the 2012 NHL Season (Video)

The NHL is full of bone-crushing hits, and there was no shortage of them during the 2011-12 regular season.

With players being stronger, faster and more physical than ever, we saw some amazing hits throughout the season that elevated the excitement of the game.

Let's look at the 25 best hits of the season, with a special bonus at the end.

Orpik Sends Paille Flying

Penguins defenseman Brooks Orpik literally sends Bruins forward Daniel Paille flying with a massive hit, but Paille gets right back up, to his credit.

Vitale Crushes Briere

Penguins forward Joe Vitale crushes Danny Briere in the neutral zone and chaos ensues thereafter.

Beaucheimin Drills Pavelski

Ducks defenseman Francois Beaucheimin gives Sharks forward Joe Pavelski a huge shoulder hit.

Rinaldo Levels McBain

Flyers forward Zack Rinaldo levels Hurricanes defenseman Jamie McBain with a huge hit.

Hall Nails Gionta

Sophomore Oilers forward Taylor Hall nails veteran Canadiens forward Brian Gionta.

Pronger Drills Backes

Flyers defenseman Chris Pronger drills Blues forward David Backes after a scoring chance.

Phaneuf Lowers the Boom on Kelly

Maple leafs captain Dion Phaneuf drills Bruins forward Chris Kelly. The Leafs probably wish Phaneuf did this more during the year.

Berglund Crushes Kulikov

Patrick Berglund gives a mean shoulder to Dmitry Kulikov of the Florida Panthers.

Slater Drills Myers

Jets forward Jim Slater just crushes Sabres defenseman Tyler Myers.

Neil Demolishes Stoner

Senators forward Chris Neil demolishes Wild defenseman Clayton Stoner.

Phaneuf Drills Da Costa

Leafs defenseman Dion Phaneuf runs over Senators forward Stephane Da Costa.

Lucic Drills Miller

The Sabres weren't the same team after Bruins forward Milan Lucic drilled Buffalo goaltender Ryan Miller with an open-ice hit.

Neil Drills Boychuk

Senators forward Chris Neil drills Bruins defenseman Johnny Boychuk and then fights Boston captain Zdeno Chara later on.

Kulemin Hits Kaleta

Leafs forward Nikolai Kulemin crushes Sabres forward Patrick Kaleta with a huge hit.

Ryder Crushes Voracek

Stars forward Michael Ryder isn't much of a hitter, but he drilled Flyers forward Jakub Voracek right here.

Voracek Gets Kronwall'd

Flyers forward Jakub Voracek was drilled by Red Wings defenseman Nicklas Kronwall, but the Detroit star wasn't suspended.

Brown Crushes Campoli

Mike Brown of the Leafs crushes Canadiens defenseman Chris Campoli along the boards.

Benn Breaks the Glass

Stars forward Jamie Benn breaks the glass as a result of his huge hit on Blackhawks defenseman Niklas Hjalmarsson.

Marchand Drilled by Campbell

A perfect hit by Florida Panthers defenseman Brian Campbell sends Bruins forward Brad Marchand to the ice.

Emelin Delivers Huge Hit on Cole

Canadiens defenseman Alexei Emelin flips his own teammate Erik Cole in open ice.

Phaneuf Hits Sauer Hard

A huge hit from Leafs defenseman Dion Phaneuf rocks Rangers defenseman Michael Sauer.

Hemsky Is Kronwall'd

Red Wings defenseman Nicklas Kronwall drills Oilers forward Ales Hemsky with a massive hit.

Kaleta Drills Chara

It's not easy to knock Bruins defenseman Zdeno Chara to the ice, but Sabres forward Patrick Kaleta does so here.

Ovechkin Drills Phaneuf

Capitals forward Alexander Ovechkin drills Leafs defenseman Dion Phaneuf.

Chara Breaks the Glass

Bruins defenseman Zdeno Chara breaks the glass as a result of his hit on Capitals forward Marcus Johansson.

Bonus Hit: Best Hit of Playoffs Thus Far

Bruins defenseman Dennis Seidenberg and Capitals forward Alexander Ovechkin collide in a huge hit in Game 1 of their playoff series last Thursday.