Our Tough Guy

2014
6.1| 0h10m| en
Details

The December 1, 1977, game between the Minnesota North Stars and Boston Bruins started out as just another typical NHL game in the ’70s — no helmets and lots of brawls. One showdown that never actually happened turned this game into one of hockey legend. Shortly after Boston’s John Wensink and Minnesota’s Alex Pirus got untangled from their fight, Wensink famously skated over to the North Stars bench and motioned for the whole team to take him on. They didn’t. Through Wensink’s own words and anecdotes from die-hard fans, family, and fellow NHL players, this film takes us into the mind-set of the Bruins’ most legendary enforcer — and the journey one takes when that life is left behind.

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ESPN Films

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Reviews

HeadlinesExotic Boring
Dotbankey A lot of fun.
Peereddi I was totally surprised at how great this film.You could feel your paranoia rise as the film went on and as you gradually learned the details of the real situation.
Myron Clemons A film of deceptively outspoken contemporary relevance, this is cinema at its most alert, alarming and alive.
Michael_Elliott 30 for 30 Shorts: Our Tough Guy (2014) This ESPN short starts off with some Boston Bruins fans talking about how on the morning of December 2, 1977 they had found a new idol. We then flashback to the previous day when Bruins player John Wensink got into a fight on the ice but what everyone loved was the fact that he then skated over to the Minnesota bench and challenged anyone on the team to a fight. This here is another highly-entertaining episode in the series. I'm not a major hockey fan so I had never heard of this incident or even seen the video footage. I must admit, it was quite impressive and you can see why the actions would lead people to remember Wensink and this moment in history. We get interviews with fans of the Bruins, other players but the most interesting stuff comes from Wensink as he discusses that incident and the rest of his hockey career. He opens up about his first fight and what it meant to him when he got the role of the enforcer. Fans of hockey and especially those in Boston are going to love this entertaining short.Episode: A