So anyways, here's my (slightly partial
) take on this:
Coach:
I feel I have the distinct edge in terms of coaching. Tommy Ivan engineered a dynasty in Detroit, and has much more success than Bob Johnson at the pro level. I have Ivan rated somewhere between 5-7 in terms of the top coaches in league history, which is a clear step up from Badger Bob. I feel Ivan's balanced style and subtly authoritative manner are also perfect fits for my squad. Ivan was a master of line-juggling, and because of this I've created a versatile 4th line that can be shuffled throughout the rest of the lineup if need be.
Goaltending:
What always seems to be the most important position come playoff time? Goaltending. I feel I have not only the better starter, but the better backup as well. I have Tretiak rated in the second tier of goaltenders with your Parent, Broda, etc. I have Worsely rated much later than that. He's a solid #1, but I wouldn't rate him in the top half of this draft like I do Tretiak.
Line 1:
I believe Barrie has the better top line, although it's close. Bentley-Jackson is an excellent combo. Clapper brings a lot of size and while he's an alltime great player, I'm not sure he was an alltime great RW. He was a better defenceman, from what I gather. I feel Bobrov is the best pure goalscorer here, but Lafontaine is a definite step down from Bentley as a playmaking centre. Balderis is somewhat of an enigma, even for me. He was one of the highest scoring Soviet players of his era, and performed well when given the chance against the world's best, but never got a whole lot of exposure in North America.
Line 2:
Although I consider my top 2 lines to be 1A and 1B, I guess this is my second. I feel this is my team's biggest advantage in this series. While both lines have a duo with proven chemistry, only one of those duo's excelled at the NHL level. Hedberg and Nilsson dominated the freewheeling WHA, but were not the same players when they entered the NHL still in their prime (28 and 29 years old, respectively). Hedberg's play dropped to under a PPG in the highest scoring era in NHL history. Nilsson fared a bit better, but was missing 20+ games a year due to injury. By contrast, the Lindros-Leclair duo dominated the NHL for a number of years. Lindros was the total package and among the best in the world during the 90's, and from 1995-2000 only Jagr scored more goals than Leclair (1 more, to be exact). I like my chances with Roenick vs. Simmer as well, as I feel JR is the more versatile player, and has the speed to really make this line dangerous. Am I a homer? Perhaps. But I feel that if these two lines were matched up together, mine would absolutely tee off on Barrie's.
Line 3:
As someone mentioned before, both lines have a couple of defensive aces with a two-way capable offensive player. While Hlinka may be the best offensive player, Barrie's trio may bring more offense as a whole. I feel Barrie's line brings more physical play, while mine brings more speed. From my perspective, I think Backstrom and Ellis's exceptional speed will be key in containing shifty little Max Bentley.
Line 4:
These lines bring different elements to the table. Barrie's line is very solid and versatile, and would probably excell more than mine would playing regular minutes. All 3 guys bring grit, respectable offense, and winning pedigrees. I saw my 4th line as an opportunity to build a "spark" line. While they won't get a ton of minutes, they're the type of players who can turn a game around. I feel that just having Probert dressed adds a dimension of accountability to my squad that many lack. As a player, I feel he's good enough not to hurt me in a limited role. Unlike most players in his weight class, he could skate and actually had a decent scoring touch. Nolan is a prototypical power-forward, who can cause havoc in the corners and in front of the net. I like Nolan also as a spare part, who could move onto either of the top-2 lines if needed. I feel Linseman is the key to this line. He's arguably the biggest sh*t disturber in NHL history, and has the ability to take opposing players off their games. On top of that, he was a very respectable playmaking centre who lead his team in scoring on a couple of occaisions. The playoffs were where he really shone though. He's over a PPG in his playoff career, and he lead his teams in playoff scoring 5 times, with very impressive totals of 25, 22, and 20. The big concern with my 4th line is penalty trouble, which is why they'll be given limited minutes on most nights.
Defence Pairing 1:
I took Bourque with my first pick, and seeing how fast defensemen flew off the board, I'm really happy with how that worked out. I would imagine Pappyline is equally happy with Harvey. I feel that having a big stud on the blueline gives you a lot of options in terms of building a defense corps. Harvey-Flaman is a GREAT first pairing who bring a ton of toughness and offence. I rate Harvey ahead of Bourque, but the gap is small. Harvey's 7 Norris's in 8 years can't be ignored. While Bourque "only" won it 5 times, he was a finalist on 9 other occaisions. Both were just simply the defining rearguards of their era. Sologubov and Flaman are both good foils for their respective partners. Bourque's ridiculously steady play allows Sologubov to rush the puck and throw his weight around, while Flaman's defensive prowess allows Harvey to quarterback the offence.
Defence Pairing 2:
I give myself the edge on the second pairing. I feel Goodfellow is the best of the four, while Coulter is at the very least on par with the Vasko and Colville (he has as many allstar selections as the two of them combined). My pairing has a Hart trophy, as well as 6 allstar team selections to Barrie's 3, for what it's worth. I feel Coulter's bruising defensive style is the perfect match for Goodfellow, who was among the leagues higher scoring forwards early in his career prior to moving to the backend.
Defence Pairing 3:
The 3rd pairing IMO just needed to be solid, which is what mine is. Ramage brings some nice size and grit, and Numminen is just a solid, solid player. Both have good size (6'2), can play special teams, and bring offense to the table as well. Barrie's is much the same. While Sjoberg was tiny, he wasn't a total pushover physically, and was very good offensively. Neilson is an excellent partner for him, bringing size and a bit of offence as well. I feel his 3rd pairing will creat more offense, while mine will be better in their own zone.
While some matchups would have been disastrous for my team, I feel this is one I can win. Both teams are very evenly matched, but I feel I have the bigger edge in certain departments than can make up for the smaller edges Barrie has in others.
I'm sure that many have heard my thoughts on Tretiak .... if aurora had taken Billy Smith, or especially Bernie Parent, he'd be in great shape.
