Speculation: Pittsburgh Penguins - All Time Team?

[Waffle Fries]

Here's a suggestion: maybe switch it up to make it interesting and require some thought.

Pens all time team BUT YOU CAN ONLY USE ACTUAL LINES COMBOS THAT WERE USED. So none of this Malkin would play with Lemiuex and/or Jagr.

For instance, the Line of Kunitz-Malkin-Neal should be up there in discussion.

Poor Sid.

 

[clefty]

Stevens-Lemieux-Jagr
Recchi-Crosby-Malkin
Straka-Lang-Kovalev
MacDonald-Apps-Pronovost

 

[billybudd]

To my recollection, the only time Stevens-Lemieux-Jagr was ever a thing was shortly after Artie was arrested for smoking crack with a prostitute at age 35.

 

[clefty]

Both Badger and Scotty Bowman line juggled a lot. They definitely played together back then, though.

 

[Jjbuck]

Letang on there so someone can turn over a ton of pucks and keep things interesting for the O?

 

[Owtahear]

Line A: Mario, Jags and Stevens
Line B: Sid, Tocchet, Recchi
Line C: Francis, Malkin, Kehoe

My bangin' 4th line: Staal, Errey, Dupuis

XTra: Mullen, Larouche, Pronovost, Big Jay Caulfield for Flyer games

D1 Pairing: Murphy, Ulf
D2 Pairing: Coffey, Orpik
D3 Pairing: Zubov, Burrows

XTra Letang, Scuderi

Goal: Barrasso, Flower and Michel Dion

 

[Owtahear]

Both Badger and Scotty Bowman line juggled a lot. They definitely played together back then, though.

That video was just friggin frightening. How awesome were they? My god, the only team I have seen who could match them talent was the Gretzky Oilers teams.

 

[Owtahear]

To my recollection, the only time Stevens-Lemieux-Jagr was ever a thing was shortly after Artie was arrested for smoking crack with a prostitute at age 35.

Nah, it was a pretty consistent line in 1992.

 

[Bishop7979]

Ok.

Stevens - Francis - Jagr
Kunitz - Malkin - Neal
Mario-Sid-Palffy
Straka - Lang - Kovalev

If going with the actual lines that have been used rule this gets Francis on the team and give Sid real line mates from his rookie year.

 

[Eye of Ra]

With the way Hörnqvist been playing these years should he not be a lock for this all-time team? He would look sweet on the 4th line.

And where is the love for Sandström? The guy was a dirty powerforward who was 1.00 PPG with this team. Don Cherry listed him and Samuelsson as the 2 dirtiest players in the history of NHL.

Lemiuex - Malkin - Jagr
Stevens - Crosby - Tocchet
Kessel - Francis - Recchi
Hörnqvist - J.Staal - Sandström

Coffey - Murhpy
Letang - Samuelsson
Conchar - Orpik

Barrasso
Fleury

 

[JimmyTwoTimes]

4 years wasnt enough to spell Gonchar's name correctly?

 

[PenguinSpeed]

Line 1

Crosby-Lemieux-Jagr

Line 2

Robitaille-Malkin-Recchi

Line 3

Nasland-Trottier-Iginia

Line 4

Stevens-Francis-Kessel

Reserves

Nedved
Hossa
Pronovost
Mullen
Kovalev
Staal
Neal
Tocchet

-This offense averages 10 goal per game

 

[ColePens]

I'll only use players based on their skill level when they were a Penguin. So that leaves some obvious choices out such as Iginla because he was a shell of himself here and Luc Robitaille/Trots because they obviously had better days elsewhere. So switching a tad from the original.

Francis centering Lemieux/Jagr (one of the most dominant lines i've ever seen in hockey)
Sid centering Hossa/Tocchet (took Tocchet over Hornqvist and Stevens)
Geno centering Kessel/Kunitz (I'll take shit for this but I picked Kunitz in prime 2009 over Recchi)
KLS - Kovalev, Lang, Straka Put that "energy" line as your 4th and watch their chemistry win games for the Pens.

Coffey/Murphy
Letang/Ulf (omg.... that would be awesome)
Gonchar/Orpik

Murray
Fleury

HC: Badger Bob with Sully as the assistant


Man oh man how time changes. Leaving names like Kevin Stevens, James Neal, Hornqvist, etc. all off the list. Insanity. I tried to stick with pairings that were really unstoppable together. That's why i chose the 4th line I did. I think I could easily create a group of guys that play differently like a Jordan Staal/Cullen tandem that would shut every damn team down. But i wanted to stick with lines that just were unstoppable for the Pens.

L1 - is just too obvious. I don't have to explain.
L2 - I wanted Hossa/Sid together for multiple reasons. I think they could actually shut teams down and be a great offensive threat. Throw a bull like Tocc on that line and he protects the goods.
L3 - Geno/Kessel ... come on. 2009 Kunitz would be perfect for them. Flying around crushing people all night.
L4 - I could have gone 10 different ways here. I went with a line I watched as a kid just have insane chemistry. I figured if that is our 4th line, we are in good shape.

Oh also our goalie issue turned into an insanely good tandem. How crazy is that to say?

 

[ncm7772]

Strong bump.

Stevens - Lemieux - Jagr
Straka - Crosby - Mullen
Robitaille - Malkin - Tocchet
Trottier - Francis - Kessel

Coffey - Murphy
Samuelson - Zubov
Gonchar - Letang

Barrasso
Fleury

 

[HandshakeLine]

4 years wasnt enough to spell Gonchar's name correctly?

What are you talking about? Surge Grochnar will live on in the annals of Puttsbrugh Pongins hocket for eternity!

 

[HandshakeLine]

And I feel like I post this every few years when one of these threads pop up, but the Stevens-Lemieux-Tocchet line from 1992-1993 was one of the most entertaining lines I've ever seen.

 

[RizzleMcRib]

And I feel like I post this every few years when one of these threads pop up, but the Stevens-Lemieux-Tocchet line from 1992-1993 was one of the most entertaining lines I've ever seen.

I remember watching the post game interviews after the Pens won the cup in 92. By the time they got to Stevens and Tocchet they both seemed to be a bit inebriated.

 

[HandshakeLine]

I remember watching the post game interviews after the Pens won the cup in 92. By the time they got to Stevens and Tocchet they both seemed to be a bit inebriated.

I mean, talk about a line with some off-ice demons. But for my money, that line was the perfect hockey line. Big, skilled, tough, and finese all at the same time. Other Pens lines have been statistically better (E.g. Lemieux - Francis - Jagr), but I don't think I've seen any line be quite that complete ever. It's still crazy to me that it existed at all.

 

[AverageJoeFan]

Kovalev was so tremendously talented. He was also very uninterested at times.

So Necro'd threads are okay here?...Neat

 

[SEALBound]

This is so tough because we've had so many great players over the years and the game has changed so much. Pronovost was a great player in his day...but overall skill wise, is he better than Recchi or Tocchet? I have no idea.

Centers: Mario, Sid, Malkin, Francis. I don't think we can argue that.

Wings: Jagr, Stevens, Kessel, Robs, Straka, Kovalev, Mullen, Tocchet, Recchi, Trots...

Others: Iginla, Neal, Nasland, Hossa...but do you include them on the all time team?

Defense: Coffey, Murphy, Gonch, Zubov, Letang, Ulf.

Goalies: MAF, Murray.

Stevens-Lemieux-Jagr
Robitaille-Crosby-Iginla
Naslund-Malkin-Kovalev
Trots-Francis-Recchi

Coffey-Murphy
Gonchar-Zubov
Ulf-Letang

MAF/MM

Woof...that's a lot tougher than it should be. So many great names left out...

 

[Tweed]

Ulf out
Carlyle in

 

[Allie Kitsune]

4 years wasnt enough to spell Gonchar's name correctly?

And yet somehow nobody ever noticed "Murhpy"...

 

[Syrinx]

How can people leave out our only Norris trophy winner?

 

[StaalForOne]

How could we do with just using established lines and not just shoehorning the best in?

Straka Lang Kovalev
Cooke - Staal -Kennedy
Kunitz Sid Dupuis or Hossa
Stevens Lemieux Jagr
Fedetenko Malkin Talbot
Whoever Malkin Neal
Hags Bonino Kessel

What was Francis' best line?
Malkins? I'm blanking on who was LW when he and Neal were dominating. He and Sid have both had a lot of spare parts lines.

I'm sure I'm missing a bunch.

 

[BlindWillyMcHurt]

So you would take a hands down better Center and make him a wing to an inferior one? Makes a ton of sense.

Hey why not? You don't have to go back too far where most here thought it wasn't just an OK plan but a terrific, preferable one to play a generational (center) talent on the wing of a third liner.