NHL Playoffs 2011: Ranking the Philadelphia Flyers and the Toughest Teams Left

The NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs are a whole different monster than the regular season.

The NHL playoffs are arguably one of the best postseasons to watch out of any sport.

Teams crank up the energy, and especially the intensity, for grueling seven game series. A lot of times it is not always the best team that wins the Stanley Cup or advances far in the playoffs.

Take for instance, the Philadelphia Flyers in 2010. As the No. 7 seed last year, the Flyers were not the best team in the Eastern Conference. They advanced, yes because of a great run, but mostly because how they played and how well they matched up against their opponents.

They used their sheer physical strength and swarming defense to advance to the Cup with an average team.

Toughness and grit is what determines how far a team can go into the postseason. It is a long grueling stretch that teams have to be physically and mentally prepared for.

These are the toughest teams left in this year's playoffs.

10. Vancouver Canucks

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CHICAGO, IL - APRIL 19: Referees try to break up a fight between members of the Chicago Blackhawks including Ryan Johnson #17, Chris Campoli #14 and John Scott #32 with members of the Vancouver Canucks including Jannik Hansen #36, Maxim Lapierre #40 and T

When you think of the Vancouver Canucks, you do not think of their physical play or their intense players.

That is because they are not a physical or "tough" team.

When you say Canucks, you think of the Sedin brothers and Ryan Kesler. You think of their outstanding ability to score goals at will and Roberto Luongo in net defending the crease.

Tanner Glass and Raffi Torres are really the only two that have proven that they are willing to fight and stir up the opposing team and the home crowd.

9. Detroit Red Wings

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GLENDALE, AZ - APRIL 20: Shane Doan #19 of the Phoenix Coyotes and Justin Abdelkader #8 of the Detroit Red Wings shake hands following Game Four of the Western Conference Quarterfinals during the 2011 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs at Jobing.com Arena on April

Justin Abdelkader, one of younger Red Wings, is also one of the more physical and enforceable forwards that Detroit has.

The defensive pairing of Brad Stuart and Niklas Kronwall is also a punishing two-some. Both have over 100 hits and 100 blocked shots a piece.

For the most part though, the Red Wings are one of the more disciplined teams in the entire NHL. They were fourth in the league for having the fewest penalty minutes.

Only four of their everyday players had a major penalty this season.

8. Montreal Canadiens

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MONTREAL, CANADA - MARCH 29: Chris Thorburn #27 of the Atlanta Thrashers and Travis Moen #32 of the Montreal Canadiens fight during the NHL game at the Bell Centre on March 29, 2011 in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. (Photo by Richard Wolowicz/Getty Images)

Travis Moen is really the lone enforcer/fighter on this young Montreal Canadiens team.

That does not mean that Montreal does not play physical though. However, that is not their strength. Their strength is team defense and utilizing the speed and finesse of their forwards.

Hal Gill can be an unstoppable force below the blue line. Another big boy, Gill is a poor man's Chris Pronger.

7. Tampa Bay Lightning

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PITTSBURGH, PA - JANUARY 05: Steve Downie #9 of the Tampa Bay Lightning gets in the face of Maxime Talbot #25 of the Pittsburgh Penguins on January 5, 2011 at Consol Energy Center in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Justin K. Aller/Getty Images)

The Tampa Bay Lightning may be one of weakest teams in the playoffs in terms of tough guys go.

However, that does not mean they do not have a few guys that like to throw their weight around.

Steve Downie is one of the top enforcers in the entire league. If you hit Martin St. Louis or Vincent Lacavalier, you better watch your back because chances are Downie is near.

Downie is always among the league leaders in drawing the most penalty minutes. He always is good for a suspension every other year. He has been suspended for illegal hits three different times by the NHL.

6. Washington Capitals

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WASHINGTON, DC - APRIL 13: Michael Sauer #38 of the New York Rangers is taken on by Matt Hendricks #26 and Matt Bradley #10 of the Washington Capitals in Game One of the Eastern Conference Quarterfinals during the 2011 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs at Verizon

The Washington Capitals' fourth line of Matt Hendricks, Boyd Gordon and Matt Bradley is definitely one to be reckoned with.

The three combine to punish opposing teams, both legally and illegally. The line combined to rack up almost 200 penalty minutes in the regular season.

Defence-man John Erskine is also a big force below the blue line. Erskine is second on the team in hits and had 120 blocked shots this season, using his 6'4" frame to his advantage.

One underrated tough guy on Washington is in fact Alex Ovechkin. When you think of him, you think of the great scorer that he is. He also does a lot of the little things for the Caps as well. He leads the team and was 10th in the league with his 241 hits over the course of the season.

5. San Jose Sharks

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SAN JOSE, CA - APRIL 14: Dustin Brown #23 of the Los Angeles Kings flips over Douglas Murray #3 of the San Jose Sharks in Game One of the Western Conference Quarterfinals during the 2011 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs at the HP Pavilion on April 14, 2011 in Sa

That picture is what Douglas Murray of the San Jose Sharks can do to you. Murray laid down over 200 hits for the second straight season this year and is not afraid to take on a fight with an opposing enforcer if it means a boost of morale for his team.

Murray, for being how physical he is, is also a well disciplined player as well. He only had 12 penalties called against him.

Jamal Mayers and Ryan Clowe lead the way for San Jose by dropping their gloves and fighting 12 times each. These are the team's two enforcers that get the crowds always into the action.

4. Nashville Predators

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NASHVILLE, TN - MARCH 22: Shea Weber #6 of the Nashville Predators checks Ryan Jones #28 of the Edmonton Oilers on March 22, 2011 at the Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, Tennessee. (Photo by Frederick Breedon/Getty Images)

Shea Weber is the questioned leader of the Nashville Predators. He is both a leader on and off the ice. The youngest captain in team history is also the team's toughness leader. He led the team in hits with 211 during the regular season. He is also not afraid to defend his teammates and drop the gloves.

Kevin Klein is also a warrior. He continuously gets down on the ice and blocks shot after shot.

The Nashville defense is definitely the strength of this team and where the majority of the toughness comes from.

3. Pittsburgh Penguins

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PITTSBURGH, PA - MARCH 13: Matt Cooke #24 of the Pittsburgh Penguins finishes his check on Jeff Petry #58 of the Edmonton Oilers on March 13, 2011 at CONSOL Energy Center in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Jamie Sabau/Getty Images)

The Pittsburgh Penguins are one of the tougher teams in the NHL. They have multiple players that play a rough physical game in order to get their opponents rattled.

Matt Cooke is a Sean Avery clone. He is always a "pest" to opposing teams and always is trying to get in the heads of their enforcer counterparts. Sometimes, he gets a little too rough and dirty. He was suspended for the fifth time earlier this season and was not allowed to play in the first round against the Lightning.

Cooke's biggest (illegal) hit has to be his recent hit on Marc Savard with a shoulder to the head.

Other Penguins enforcers include Brooks Orpik, Michael Rupp and Kris Letang.

2. Philadelphia Flyers

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NEW YORK - MARCH 06: Brandon Dubinsky #17 of the New York Rangers fights with Mike Richards #18 of the Philadelphia Flyers during their game on March 6, 2011 at Madison Square Garden in New York City, New York. (Photo by Al Bello/Getty Images)

Mike Richards is one of the smallest, yet grittiest captains in the whole league.

The leader of the modern-day Broad Street Bullies, Richards is always willing to lay the big hit on someone along the boards or on the open ice.

The other current "Bullies" include Scott Hartnell, Dan Carcillo, Chris Pronger and Braydon Coburn.

The Flyers have forever been known for their physical style of play since the 70s.

The only reason the Flyers are not No. 1 on this list is because they do not have a 100 percent healthy Chris Pronger.

1. Boston Bruins

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MONTREAL, CANADA - APRIL 21: Zdeno Chara #33 of the Boston Bruins pins Jeff Halpern #15 of the Montreal Canadiens to the end boards in Game Four of the Eastern Conference Quarterfinals during the 2011 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs at the Bell Centre on April

At 6'9" and over 250 pounds, Zdeno Chara may be one of the most scariest players to play against.

It is even more scary when a guy like Chara is teammates with guys like Milan Lucic, Greg Campbell and Shawn Thornton. Campbell and Thornton are never afraid for a classic battle on the ice.

Boston, like Philadelphia, has been known for their physical style of play for awhile now. It is what their team is built around.