All-Time Team Lineup Challenge

[Hockey Outsider]

New York Islanders
* I'm not an expert on the NYI, so comments are welcome.

Gillies (#9 - 1978) - Trottier (#19 - 1980) - Bossy (#22 - 1982)
Sutter (#21 - 1985) - Turgeon (#77 - 1993) - Lafontaine (#16 - 1990)
Nystrom (#23 - 1976) - Goring (#91 - 1981) - Ferraro (#20 - 1992)
Blake (#55 - 2007) - Peca (#27 - 2002) - Westfall (#18 - 1975)

Potvin (#5 - 1979) - Morrow (#6 - 1984)
Kasparitus (#11 - 1994) - Jonsson (#29 - 1998)
Hamrlik (#4 - 2001) - Schneider (#72 - 1996)

Smith (#31 - 1983)
DiPietro (#39 - 2004)

General comments:
- I like this team overall. There's a lot of skill and creativity among the top six forwards, while the bottom six provides size, grit and toughness (and a decent scoring touch, too). The top two defense pairs are quite good, though there's a lack of depth on the blueline. Smith, of course, is a star playoff performer and DiPietro would be a capable backup.
- Generally, I tried to pick players during a year with a major award (Conn Smythe, Hart, Norris, Art Ross, Selke), and I filled things in from there.
- I tried to build the best team (as opposed to the best collection of individual talents), so that's why Brent Sutter is here and Mariusz Czerkawski isn't.

Notable omissions:
- John Tonelli. He was with the team from 1979 to 1986; it seems like there was always somebody better than him in any given year. I strongly considered him for 1985 (his 100-point season) but that would mean no Sutter (his best year by far was '85) and no Peca (they both wore #27).
- Ziggy Palffy was a great talent but Lafontaine (#16) was even more skilled and productive.
- Zdeno Chara wasn't a great player while with the Islanders.
- Vladmir Malakhov (#23) would improve the Islanders' depth on the blueline, but it's not worth taking out Nystrom.
- Steve Thomas (#32) is available, but for which of his four seasons does he belong? I need to keep toughness on the bluelines (Kasparitus - 1994) and a fantastic offensive year (Turgeon - 1993). Thomas had an off year in 1995. Therefore the only other choice is 1992; is Thomas's grit and veteran leadership worth Ray Ferraro's extra productivity?

 

[Bruins4Lifer]

Boston Bruins

Woody Dumart #14 (39/40) - Milt Schmidt #15 (50/51) - Bobby Bauer #17 (46/47)
Johnny Bucyk #9 (70/71) - Phil Esposito #7 (73/74) - Terry O'Reilly #24 (78/79)
Jean Ratelle #19 (76/77) - Barry Pederson #10 (83/84) - Rick Middleton #16 (82/83)
Ken Linseman #13 (87/88) - Adam Oates #12 (92/93) - Cam Neely #8 (93/94)
Craig Janney #23 (90/91), Marc Savard #91 (06/07)


Bobby Orr #4 (74/75) - Eddie Shore #2 (32/33)
Raymond Bourque #77 (89/90) - Brad Park #22 (77/78)
Ted Green #6 (68/69) - Dit Clapper #5 (38/39)
Leo Boivin #20 (63/64)

Cecil "Tiny" Thompson #1 (28/29)
Gerry Cheevers #30 (76/77)

Head Coach: Harry Sinden (69/70)

Captains: Bourque (C), Schmidt (A), Bucyk (A)

I'm sure someone else could do better as I probably missed someone but it was pretty tough to make. Not being allowed to use the same number multiple times sucked as guys like Wayne Cashman (#12) , Ken Hodge (#8), Bill Cowley (#10), Fred Stanfield (#17), Peter McNab (#8), and Fern Flaman (#14) might have made it over others. I tried to keep the players that actually played together with each other on the list like the Kraut line, Pederson-Middleton, and Oates-Neely. Those top-4 dmen have to be the best out of any team.

 

[Know Your Enemy]

New York Islanders
* I'm not an expert on the NYI, so comments are welcome.

Gillies (#9 - 1978) - Trottier (#19 - 1980) - Bossy (#22 - 1982)
Sutter (#21 - 1985) - Turgeon (#77 - 1993) - Lafontaine (#16 - 1990)
Nystrom (#23 - 1976) - Goring (#91 - 1981) - Ferraro (#20 - 1992)
Blake (#55 - 2007) - Peca (#27 - 2002) - Westfall (#18 - 1975)

Potvin (#5 - 1979) - Morrow (#6 - 1984)
Kasparitus (#11 - 1994) - Jonsson (#29 - 1998)
Hamrlik (#4 - 2001) - Schneider (#72 - 1996)

Smith (#31 - 1983)
DiPietro (#39 - 2004)

General comments:
- I like this team overall. There's a lot of skill and creativity among the top six forwards, while the bottom six provides size, grit and toughness (and a decent scoring touch, too). The top two defense pairs are quite good, though there's a lack of depth on the blueline. Smith, of course, is a star playoff performer and DiPietro would be a capable backup.
- Generally, I tried to pick players during a year with a major award (Conn Smythe, Hart, Norris, Art Ross, Selke), and I filled things in from there.
- I tried to build the best team (as opposed to the best collection of individual talents), so that's why Brent Sutter is here and Mariusz Czerkawski isn't.

Notable omissions:
- John Tonelli. He was with the team from 1979 to 1986; it seems like there was always somebody better than him in any given year. I strongly considered him for 1985 (his 100-point season) but that would mean no Sutter (his best year by far was '85) and no Peca (they both wore #27).
- Ziggy Palffy was a great talent but Lafontaine (#16) was even more skilled and productive.
- Zdeno Chara wasn't a great player while with the Islanders.
- Vladmir Malakhov (#23) would improve the Islanders' depth on the blueline, but it's not worth taking out Nystrom.
- Steve Thomas (#32) is available, but for which of his four seasons does he belong? I need to keep toughness on the bluelines (Kasparitus - 1994) and a fantastic offensive year (Turgeon - 1993). Thomas had an off year in 1995. Therefore the only other choice is 1992; is Thomas's grit and veteran leadership worth Ray Ferraro's extra productivity?

Stefan Persson over Hamrlik any day of the week. I'd also rather have Dave Langevin on my team than Kasparaitus.

 

[Hockey Outsider]

Stefan Persson over Hamrlik any day of the week. I'd also rather have Dave Langevin on my team than Kasparaitus.

Persson is definitely much better than Hamrlik, but he was with the Islanders from 1978-1986. Every year he's up against Hart, Art Ross, Conn Smythe and Norris winners. I possibly could have included him for 1986, but he only played 50ish games that year (none in the playoffs) and it was the lowest-scoring year of his career.

Same problem for Langevin (he was with the Islanders from 1980-85).

 

[12# Peter Bondra]

true, but you didnt use 97-98 either.

I did forget about that, thats true.

 

[King Koopa]

For the LA Kings
#20 Luc Robitaille (92-93) #99 Wayne Gretzky (90-91) #18 Dave Taylor (80-81)
#11 Charlie Simmer (83-84) #16 Marcel Dionne (79-80) #9 Bernie Nicholls (88-89)
#12 Jimmy Carson (87-88) #19 Butch Goring (78-79) #17 Jari Kurri (93-94)
#32 Adam Deadmarsh (01-02) #13 Mike Cammaleri (06-07) #33 Ziggy Palffy (00-01)

#4 Rob Blake (97-98) #5 Larry Murphy (82-83)
# 14 Mattias Norstrom (96-97) #21 Jay Wells (85-86)
#10 Bob Murdoch (75-76) #33 Marty Mcsorley (89-90)

#30 Rogie Vachon (76-77)

This was definitely a challenge.

 

[reckoning]

Buffalo Sabres

#7 Rick Martin (`74) #11 Gil Perreault (`76)) #14 Rene Robert (`75)
#89 Alexander Mogilny (`94) #16 Pat Lafontaine (`93) #81 Miroslav Satan (`99)
#10 Craig Ramsay (`77) #27 Mike Peca (`97) #18 Danny Gare (`80)
#8 Dave Andreychuk (`88) #23 Chris Drury (`07) #17 Mike Foligno (`86)

#6 Phil Housely (`90) #5 Mike Ramsey (`83)
#74 Jay McKee (`06) #24 Bill Hajt (`78)
#4 Jerry Korab (`79) #2 Tim Horton (`73)

#39 Dominik Hasek (`98)
#30 Tom Barrasso (`84)

Notable omissions: It was hard to leave Daniel Briere and Don Luce off this team, but the centre position was just too deep and it would've been even harder to leave out any of the four centres that made the team. Jim Schoenfeld is definitely one of the top Sabres defencemen ever, but he also had the same jersey number as Housely. I considered giving the backup goalie spot to Ryan Miller, but I think I'll wait at least another year. I have no doubts that he will eventually make it.

This was a lot harder to do than it looked at first. Kudos to the thread starter for an interesting idea.

 

[SGY19]

To all the posters that quoted any of my posts please delete it from this thread.

 

[Zetterberg4Captain*]

To all the posters that quoted any of my posts please delete it from this thread.

Why?

 

[Nalyd Psycho]

Why?

Because he doesn't want a record of his trolling idiocy.

 

[Blades of Glory]

San Jose Sharks:

# 39 Jeff Freisen (1997-98) # 19 Joe Thornton (2006-07) #11 Owen Nolan (1999-00)
#10 Johan Garpenlov (1992-93) #12 Patrick Marleau (2005-06) #17 Pat Falloon (1991-92)
#28 Nils Ekman (2003-04) # 25 Vincent Damphousse (2000-01) # 8 Teemu Selanne (2001-02)

Wow I'm tired I'm going to finish this later.

 

[SGY19]

Why?

I just want all my posts gone. I'm leaving because I'm sick and tired of everyone calling me a troll. I'm not a troll. I spent alot of time putting this team together. It wasn't easy to do. I obviously wasted my time and now I just want it deleted.

Besides nik jr's team is far better than mine.

 

[norrisnick]

my version:

#7 lindsay (53) #19 yzerman (89) #9 howe (55)
#27 frank mahovlich (69) #91 fedorov (94) #14 shanahan (97)
#10 delvecchio (59) #12 abel (50) #20 redmond (73)
#11 pavelich (56) #33 draper (03) #6 aurie (37)
#22 ciccarelli (93) #17 foligno (80)

#5 lidstrom (01) #4 kelly (54)
#77 coffey (95) #16 konstantinov (96)
#3 quackenbush (49) #2 stewart (43)
#24 chelios (00)

#1 sawchuk (52)
#39 hasek (02)

C: abel
A: kelly
A: yzerman

edit:
moving yzerman to 2nd line with fedorov and mahovlich would create a very fast, high-powered, edmonton-like offensive unit with coffey. abel back up to production line, shanahan to 3rd LW.

I'd use '07 Hasek for the sake of being able to use '02 Chelios (Norris runner-up). Dom's seasons (apart from winning the Cup in '02) weren't really that different, but Cheli's were. That would also bump Chelios up into the starting roster. Good thing Nick has 10 amazing seasons to pick from so his '02 Norris/Cup/Conn isn't crucial.

I'd also be very tempted to toss a '06 Zetterberg up on the left side somewhere. I'm looking at Pavelich here. I know you're creating two-way line with the inclusion of Draper, but Z is no slouch in that department.

 

[JaymzB]

Geez, ya think that defense would be strong enough ?

Well...they might have a problem matching up with...uhh...well...okay, so once again I realize just how spoiled us Canadien fans are with our history.

 

[JaymzB]

Coach: Scotty Bowman 1972/73

Toe Blake#6 1938/39 - Jean Beliveau#4 1955/56 - Maurice Richard#9 1944/45
Dickie Moore#12 1958/59 - Howie Morenz#7 1930/31 - Guy Lafleur#10 1977/78
Frank Mahovlich#27 1972/73 - Henri Richard#16 1962/63 - Bernard Geoffrion#5 1956/57
Bob Gainey#23 1978/79 - Jacques Lemaire#25 1974/75 - Mats Naslund#26 1985/6
Steve Shutt#22 1976/7
Pete Mahovlich#20 1975/76

Larry Robinson#19 1979/80 - Doug Harvey#2 1954/55
Serge Savard#18 1968/69 - Emile Bouchard#3 1945/46
Chris Chelios#24 1987/88 - Ken Reardon#17 1946/47
Eric Desjardins#28 1991/92

Jacques Plante#1 1959/60
Patrick Roy#33 1992/93

Nothing against JaymzB team, but mine is just better

Yeah your right. Not having Boom Boom there was tough, but I really wanted Lapointe on the team.

Plus, being a kid in the late 80 early 90's, how could I not have Richer on my list!! He might not have been the model of consistency (putting it mildly), but when he was on, he was sure fun to watch.

 

[Nalyd Psycho]

I just want all my posts gone. I'm leaving because I'm sick and tired of everyone calling me a troll. I'm not a troll. I spent alot of time putting this team together. It wasn't easy to do. I obviously wasted my time and now I just want it deleted.

Besides nik jr's team is far better than mine.

Waaah! Waaah! Waaaah! I told you to drop the act last time, and here you are with the same game.

 

[nik jr]

I'd use '07 Hasek for the sake of being able to use '02 Chelios (Norris runner-up). Dom's seasons (apart from winning the Cup in '02) weren't really that different, but Cheli's were. That would also bump Chelios up into the starting roster. Good thing Nick has 10 amazing seasons to pick from so his '02 Norris/Cup/Conn isn't crucial.

I'd also be very tempted to toss a '06 Zetterberg up on the left side somewhere. I'm looking at Pavelich here. I know you're creating two-way line with the inclusion of Draper, but Z is no slouch in that department.

you may be right about 02. i decided on 02 for hasek because hasek was less prone to injury and because chelios seemed a little less mobile in 02 than in previous years. chelios did OK in norris and all-star voting in 2000, so i think 2000 is good enough.
chelios is probably a better starter than quackenbush. i may have put quackenbush in just because he was stewart's partner and because he was more of a red wing.

i'm not really happy with the 4th line. it's really a shadowing line. i wish it were bigger and more physical. i wanted to include skov, but he was #12.

 

[SniperTom]

Dallas Stars+Minnesota North Stars

26 Jere Lehtinen ('96) 9 Mike Modano ('93) 22 Brett Hull ('01)
23 Brian Bellows ('92) 25 Joe Nieuwendyk ('99) 13 Bill Guerin ('03)
10 Brenden Morrow ('07) 21 Guy Carbonneau ('97) 12 Mike Keane ('00)
17 Basil McRae ('89) 7 Neal Broten ('88) 16 Pat Verbeek ('98)

2 Derian Hatcher ('95) 56 Sergei Zubov ('06)
3 Craig Ludwig ('94) 43 Philippe Boucher ('04)
24 Mark Tinordi ('91) 4 Craig Hartsburg ('87)

20 Ed Belfour ('02)
30 Jon Casey ('90)

Captain: Derian Hatcher
Alternates: Craig Ludwig, Joe Nieuwendyk

The years I chose are mostly arbitrary (Modano's 50 goals in '93, Nieuwendyk's '99 Conn Smythe, Zubov's big year last year notwithstanding), but I didn't have enough to work with to be really choosy.

You might switch Belfour for Turco/Maniago/Worsley just to make room for another #20 in Dino Ciccarelli who could take Keanes place. I would probably add #15/18 Bobby Smith in the lineup. Good work.

 

[pnep]

WAS

#8 Ovechkin Alexander (2005-06) -- #21 Maruk Dennis (1981-82) -- #12 Bondra Peter (1997-98)
#10 Carpenter Bobby (1984-85) -- #77 Oates Adam (2000-01) -- #68 Jagr Jaromir (2001-02)
#9 Walter Ryan (1978-79) -- #15 Charron Guy (1976-77) -- #11 Gartner Mike (1980-81)
#14 Courtnall Geoff (1989-90) -- #20 Lang Robert (2003-04) -- #22 Ciccarelli Dino (1991-92)

#5 Langway Rod (1983-84) -- #3 Stevens Scott (1987-88)
#55 Gonchar Sergei (2002-03) -- #34 Iafrate Al (1992-93)
#4 Hatcher Kevin (1990-91) -- #2 Mohns Doug (1974-75)

#37 Kolzig Olaf (1999-00)
#30 Carey Jim (1995-96)
#33 Beaupre Don (1993-94)

 

[Boom Boom Bear]

Vancouver Canucks

Roster

C
#16 - Trevor Linden (90-91)
#23 - Thomas Gradin (81-82)
#7 - Cliff Ronning (92-93)
#17 - Patrik Sundstrom (83-84)
#18 - Igor Larionov (91-92)

LW
#19 - Markus Naslund (02-03)
#8 - Greg Adams (87-88)
#9 - Don Lever (74-75)
#22 - Tiger Williams (80-81)

RW
#10 - Pavel Bure (93-94)
#12 - Stan Smyl (82-83)
#89 - Alexander Mogilny (95-96)

D
#2 - Mattias Ohlund (03-04)
#55 - Ed Jovanovski (01-02)
#21 - Jyrkki Lumme (96-97)
#3 - Doug Lidster (86-87)
#6 - Sami Salo (05-06)
#27 - Harold Snepsts (78-79)

G
#1 - Roberto Luongo (06-07)
#30 - Garth Snow (98-99)

Reserve
#11 - Mark Messier (97-98)
#26 - Petri Skriko (88-89)
#44 - Dave Babych (94-95)
#35 - Richard Brodeur (85-86)

Captain: Stan Smyl
Alternates: Trevor Linden, Markus Naslund

Coach: Marc Crawford
Assistants: Pat Quinn, Roger Neilson, Glen Hanlon

Lines:

Ronning-Williams-Bure
Linden-Naslund-Smyl
Larionov-Adams-Mogilny
Gradin-Sundstrom-Lever

Ohlund-Lidster
Lumme-Salo
Snepsts-Jovanovski

Power Play:
Ronning-Bure-Mogilny-Lumme-Lidster

Playoff Checking Line:
Linden-Adams-Smyl-Ohlund-Jovanovski



Notes

Ye gads, tough to do with the Canucks. Most of the guys I nabbed 'em at their peaks with the club, but it was often at the expense of someone else. "Where's Bertuzzi?" you ask. Personal prefernce: I never liked him from the day he came here, so he just doesn't make my team. Messier underwhelmed Vancouver fans, for the most part, so he's around on my team in case someone gets injured.

#1 - Kirk McLean got bumped. Tough call, but I would've had to pick McLean 93-94, which would've meant bumping Bure back a year and possibly knocking Ronning off the list. So this wasn't a legacy selection. The goaltending selection was hard because the Canucks have had this peculiar history with goaltenders, as most of the number one guys so far, with the exception of McLean, usually only had one really good year, including guys like Richard Brodeur, remembered for their heroics.

#9 - Took Don Lever over Tony Tanti, mostly because Tanti's best years coincided with those of Sundstrom, Lidster and Adams, and I gave those cats the nod.

#21 - Had to put Lumme on the blueline. Sorry, Cam.

#23 - picked Thomas Gradin (81-82, the year he led the team in regular season and playoff scoring en route to the finals) over sentimental favorite Martin Gelinas and one-time leading defenceman Paul Reinhart.

As for the lines, hard to break up Bure and Ronning, they worked so well together. While Tiger would never be able to keep up with them on the rush, he'd definitely add a factor of intimidation that would keep Ronning protected, and do some good work along the boards. Linden-Naslund-Smyl at their heights is the dream line here, as they could do it all: play well two ways, check, hit, pass, score, lead by example. This is the line you count on in the run to the finals.