As a pom ex-9 driver I've loved reading this thread! First flew the DC9 in 1979 as a F/O, coming off BAC111's - that's when I learned that a DC9 on one goes better than a 111 on 2! Years later got my first command back on the deisel '9, I was really lucky to have done so.
And yes, we got up to the same sort of stuff as you boys did. Once had an RAF Tornado pilot on the j/seat in a DC-9-15, we were light and kept 6000fpm up to FL250. His comment was that the DC9 went better than his Tornado.
Descent in icing required power on to satisfy the bleed demand so you had to fly "power against drag" (speedbrakes) which always struck me as inelegant - so in the days before 250kt below 10k we would descend thru' the ice levels at Vne to keep the RAT up above +6, thus keeping the wings & tail clean.
Wonderful, classic point-and-go jet - I also flew the MD80 which was lovely, but not as flexible as the '9 in terms of what you could do with it.
Spent 25 yrs on Donald Douglas' lovely jets before they were all taken away and I had to go on the Peugeot (Airbus) for a frontal lobotomy
Thanks for the memories!