Just watched the Colton Orr fight and it wasn't that one. Lucic started the fight, and Orr definitely won, but Lucic didn't call the refs in. And based on the fact that he not only fought Orr, but started the fight, helps excuse him from being a spot picker and also disputed your comment about him not fighting some of the better fighters. Orr was one of the toughest guys in the league and also one of the hardest punchers. Lucic's fight card is littered with some of the tougher guys of that era.
I never said anything about Bieksa being a heavyweight, all I said was that he was a spot picker, and you can't dispute that. He was 6'1" and around 200lbs which isn't big, and yet he often found himself fighting smaller guys or non fighters. Even his peers called him out about that. I remember Ryane Clowe trying to fight Bieksa several times, and Bieksa always declined, and Clowe mentioned it. Clowe wasn't that much bigger than Bieksa, and he was a good player as well, so it's not like Bieks would've been fighting a heavyweight or some fourth line plug.
McCarty would NOT whoop everyone except for Lucic and Chara. The guys I mentioned would all hammer McCarty, and I could add other guys to that list too. McCarty was more brave and fearless than he was a good fighter. Buchberger was of the same ilk. You say that Reaves wouldn't make it back then, but he's tougher than McCarty was. He definitely wouldn't be the bully like he his in todays NHL, but he'd still have a role as a secondary type of guy.
I agree about the league being softer and not seeing those exciting smaller fighters that you mentioned.