Lemieux And Avery Are NHL's Top "Bad Boys"

Now that Claude Lemieux has returned to the NHL from the China Sharks and Sean Avery is returning to the NHL from anger management, who will be the NHL's No. 1 bad boy now?

It's like The Big Bad Wolf, from The Three Little Pigs, versus Captain Hook, from Peter Pan; Frollo, from The Hunchback of Notre Dame, versus Gaston, from Beauty and the Beast; or Cruella de Vil from 101 Dalmatians, versus Hades, from Hercules.

In 1197 games over 21 NHL seasons, Lemieux has 785 points and earned 1756 penalty minutes. He has been called the No. 1 villain in the history of the NHL.

In 369 games over eight seasons, Avery has 170 points and 1067 penalty minutes. He was voted "most hated" in the NHL—and one of the sexiest men alive by People magazine.

Today’s anti-fighting rules restrict Avery, Darcy Tucker, and other contemporary villains from being very dirty.

Lemieux had more of a free hand.

The most notorious incidents on Lemieux’s resume include biting Calgary Flames winger Jim Peplinski during the 1989 playoffs and sending Detroit’s Kris Draper into the boards from behind in the 1996 playoffs. Draper suffered a concussion and and had to have facial reconstruction surgery.

The most notorious incidents on Avery's resume including waving his stick in the face of New Jersey Devils goaltender Martin Brodeur, which resulted in The Avery Rule for unsportsmanlike behaviour, and saying nasty things about Dion Phaneuf of the Calgary Flames for dating his former girlfriend.

When the Dallas Stars banished Avery, they deprived the NHL of something it desperately needs—a villain.

Lemieux's comeback provides the NHL a true villain. He is now old, by NHL standards, and Avery is now a graduate of anger management.

Does that mean Darcy Tucker is the No.1 villain in the NHL?