When the Edmonton Oilers made the biggest trade in hockey, the transaction that sent Wayne Gretzky to Los Angeles, the “Great One” insisted that Marty McSorley would be part of the deal.  It was a necessary request, and McSorely was not just his friend but his enforcer and the man who cleared the ice for McSorley's magic.

McSorley was one of hockey’s best pugilists, and he amassed a whopping 1,864 Penalty Minutes in his 472 Games as a King.  Gretzky continued to flourish with McSorley watching his back, but McSorely was a decent hockey player in his own right.  McSorley averaged .50 Points per Game with Los Angeles and was better at the defensive side than he got credit for.  He even led the NHL in Plus/Minus (+48) in 1990-91. 

McSorley had two runs in L.A., as he was traded to Pittsburgh in the 1993/94 Season, but was dealt back to the Kings before the next season began.  His Kings career ended for good when he was traded to the Rangers in March of 1996.

Sadly, McSorley is best known for swinging his hockey stick at Donald Brashear's head in a game in 2000.  Brashear fell and hit his head on the ice, rendering him unconscious.  McSorely was suspended for the rest of the year and the full year after that and never played again.