Being an old Boston Garden denizen, I remember Nilan all too well. We hated him cuz he played for Montreal and was a thug, but we also kind of liked him too cuz we knew deep down he'd prefer to have been playing for us.
But you're right, the game has totally changed from those years. All the Europeans have turned it into a figure skating league
The old Garden WAS like the Thunderdome, it was an absolute cauldron of hate. I remember the adrenaline rush as we all made the walk up the ramp to get to our seats, smoke of various types everywhere, people already drunk, police more interested in watching the game...it was a great time. Now the new building and the new league is just corporate, sanitized hockey-lite. The skill level is better, and the fighting is all but gone and maybe it's all for the best. But for me what made the NHL so compelling was it's wildness. Now it's tame. I consider myself lucky to have grown up in the 80's when it was at it's peak. The perfect blend of highly skilled players and brawlers. Back when division rivalries meant something, and when the Bruins had a team full of actual kids from Massachusetts.