Barclay Plager was so bad he almost made brother Bob look good.

Pittsburgh Post-Gazette No team is more despised at Mellon Arena than Philadelphia, although fans who turn up there this afternoon are more likely to boo the Flyers' sweater than any individual wearing it. OK, except maybe Derian Hatcher.

After all, it has to be tough to work up a good hatred for a bunch of guys who haven't competed for anything more meaningful than their position in the draft lottery since late October.

And while Hatcher has been a better-than-average heel since breaking three of Sidney Crosby's teeth with a high stick last season, he's nowhere near claiming a spot on the all-time list of most-detested Penguins' opponents.

The competition for that distinction would be fierce and, if the contenders actually were battling for it head-to-head, quite nasty. They are:

Barclay and Bob Plager: The Penguins' first great rivalry, in the late 1970s and early '80s, was with St. Louis, and the Plager brothers were at the heart of it, along with Penguins such as Battlin' Al Smith, the goalie, and Bryan "Bugsy" Watson.

No game between the teams was complete without at least one major fight -- like a classic between Smith and Barclay Plager at center ice -- and fans shared the ill will between the clubs. Crowds here routinely serenaded Barclay Plager with a sing-song chant of "Bar-kleeee," and his presence was the only thing that prevented fans from directing most of their venom at Bob.

Bobby Clarke: He captained two Stanley Cup champions in Philadelphia, but is best remembered here for handling his stick like a scalpel.

That Clarke's swordsmanship was worthy of d'Artagnan was enough to infuriate fans, but what cemented his place among the ultimate villains here was his penchant for provoking a confrontation, then having teammates Dave Schultz and Bob Kelly deal with the fallout.

That he was talented, hard-working and a consistent winner only compounded the disdain he inspired.

Ron Hextall: Simply pulling on a Flyers sweater does wonders for a player's unpopularity in Pittsburgh, but Hextall would have incurred the fans' wrath even if he'd shown up in a monk's robe. He made no attempt to hide his emotions and, more importantly, was highly combative.

He was willing to trade punches with just about any opponent who crossed him, although his goalie stick -- which he wielded like a broadsword -- was Hextall's weapon of choice.

Hextall probably locked up his spot on this list when he tried to chase down Robbie Brown after Brown scored against him, although it's an indictment of Hextall's foot speed -- or testimony to the power of adrenaline -- that Brown was able to get away.

The best, er, worst of the rest

Wayne Gretzky: Anyone who appreciates the game has to marvel at the instincts and abilities that made Gretzky the most prolific point-producer in NHL history, but the finely honed image Gretzky enjoys in much of North America is missing in Pittsburgh.

The obvious explanation is his rivalry with Mario Lemieux, but Gretzky did his share over the years to alienate Penguins fans. Exhibit A is when he didn't bother to show up for a public practice the day before the 1990 All-Star Game here.

Eric Lindros: He got a good start when he began his career with the Flyers, and moving to New York didn't upgrade his status. Lindros never did all that much damage to the Penguins, aside from a pretty fair showing during the 1997 playoffs, but still receives serious abuse anytime he comes to town. And no one tires of reminding him about being knocked out by that epic Darius Kasparaitis shoulder-to-chin hit.

Phil Esposito: It was impossible to detest Bobby Orr -- he was just too skilled and swift and special -- but someone on the great Boston teams of the early 1970s had to be a lightning rod for opposing fans, and Esposito was a logical choice. He didn't have the flair of some of his teammates, but was among the NHL's top scorers because of his ability to collect "garbage goals" on rebounds and deflections. What made Esposito particularly unpopular here was that he seemed to get two or three of those every time Boston came to town.

Dino Ciccarelli/Dale Hunter:

Annoying enough on their own, they formed quite a tag team during their time together in Washington. Neither was reluctant to administer a cheap shot when the opportunity presented itself, but Washington's inability to win more than one of seven playoff meetings against the Penguins prevents them from climbing higher on the list.

Adam Graves: He's an unlikely candidate for inclusion on this list -- Graves, a humble man with a long history of charitable work, was universally respected by teammates and opponents -- but breaking Lemieux's hand with a slash in the second round of the 1992 playoffs clinched his place. The boos he faced when he showed up at the Civic Arena for Game 3 of that series still echo.

Dennis Polonich: A nasty, feisty little man who could have given Clarke pointers on the nuances of vicious stick work. He didn't have a particularly high profile or long career, but few who watched him play against the Penguins will soon forget it.

Jaromir Jagr: For more than a decade, he was among the most popular players in Penguins history, but the high-decibel hostility he faces from Mellon Arena fans makes it clear that they have turned on him in a big way. Imagine how he would be treated if Jagr had ended up with Philadelphia.