The All-Time AAA11 Thread (sign-up, roster post, picks, etc)

[chaosrevolver]

Sorry, guys, working 29 hours in 3 days this weekend and PM'ed VanI saying id make my picks tonight. Looking now..

 

[seventieslord]

So the only one not accounted for is that newbie?

Leafs Forever, you should really do this!

You've proven yourself at the leafs boards ATD. You put together a great, championship-caliber MLD team. You've stepped out of Dreakmur's shadow, from the looks of things.

At least on a custodian basis, you should step in tomorrow and make six picks for this guy. He may come back; if he does, you're back where you are now. If he doesn't, I'm sure you can do every bit as well as you did in the MLD.

 

[VanIslander]

At least on a custodian basis, you should step in tomorrow and make six picks for this guy.

All in. Or no way.

Nobody is playing surrogate GM in this draft!

 

[VanIslander]

Anybody committed to the entire 12 days and ranking/vote submission playoff week that will follow is welcome.

Join today as the 8th team, anybody.

By the end of Day 3 we will have a committed GM or else we'll continue on with 7 teams only.

There will be no ghost ship going into Day 4.

 

[Leafs Forever]

So the only one not accounted for is that newbie?

Leafs Forever, you should really do this!

You've proven yourself at the leafs boards ATD. You put together a great, championship-caliber MLD team. You've stepped out of Dreakmur's shadow, from the looks of things.

At least on a custodian basis, you should step in tomorrow and make six picks for this guy. He may come back; if he does, you're back where you are now. If he doesn't, I'm sure you can do every bit as well as you did in the MLD.

Thanks, but I just lack the motivation this time.

Although it is true that I have stepped out of his shadow so to speak, he still has left a large imprint on our MLD team. Not a fan of stepping in late as well.

I suppose I'd like to sail more familiar waters the first time I sail entirely on my own.

I'll think about it some more overnight, but it seems unlikely.

You will likely see me in AAA12, however.

 

[VanIslander]

You will likely see me in AAA12, however.

there will be no AAA12 in all likelihood

we are on the verge of finalizing plans to hold an ATD12 starting midSept and ATD13 starting midJanuary which leaves no time for a MLD12 and AAA12

but there ought to be a AAA13 in late spring, probably in May or June

 

[Leafs Forever]

there will be no AAA12 in all likelihood

we are on the verge of finalizing plans to hold an ATD12 starting midSept and ATD13 starting midJanuary which leaves no time for a MLD12 and AAA12

but there ought to be a AAA13 in late spring, probably in May or June

Ooh right..yes, AAA13 I mean

 

[chaosrevolver]

C: Thomas Gradin​

Thomas Gradin

Those quotes come from a hockey player and a play-by-play announcer on the following 5-minute sports report hosted by Squire Barnes of BCTV/Global News:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mRyzQApEdDk

593 points in 677 NHL games (excellent 42 pts in 42 NHL playoff games). In all-star game (1985).

Gradin was a Canuck team co-MVP in Vancouver his rookie season, from a two-goal, three-point night his first game through to his 51st point in 76 games his first season, helping return the Canucks to the playoffs for the first time in three years, and, in fact, the team would go on to six consecutive playoff appearances with Gradin as top or second top scorer, Gradin scoring 20+ goals each season despite being more of a playmaker looking for passes. In 1982, as a 26 year old in his fourth year, the slick and sturdy Swede, led the team in scoring once again, with a career high 39 goals and 86 points. He followed that up by leading the team in scoring with 19 points in the 17-game Stanley Cup run in the famous 1982 postseason of Towel Power. He set up the first goal and scored the insurance marker as the Canucks won its first playoff game in franchise history against the Flames in the first round. In the next round he scored the only regulation goal for his team as the Canucks went on to win a 2-1 OT thriller over the Blackhawks in what still stands as the longest game in franchise history. That season Gradin was voted the team's most exciting player, the first time since he was so awarded in his rookie season. He was also deemed the best Swede in the NHL for that year, seven years after he had been labeled Swedish junior player of the year. Gradin played in Canada Cup '81 and was captain of Canada Cup '84, leading his team to the finals against Canada.

listed #2 on 50 Greatest Canucks list at
http://www.canucks.com/subpage.asp?sectionID=27

 

[Leafs Forever]

You just stole the guy I was going to pick on the off chance I decided to join.

 

[chaosrevolver]

C: Tim Young

Tim Young was an offensive wizard, particularly because of his playmaking ability. He was a swift skater and deft puck handler as well as a an accurate shooter, but playmaking was his forte. He was an excellent specialty teams player as he was a good penalty killer and was also often used on the point of the North Stars power play. In fact Tim even played a few shifts here and there on defense while at regular strength when injuries depleted the Stars lineup.

* Finished 3rd in assists once.
* Finished 5th in points once.
* Played in 1977 All-Star Game.
* 5x 20+ Goals.
* 3x 40+ Assists.
* 2x 70+ Points (Including a 95 point season)​

 

[VanIslander]

All you need to know about Gradin is in that 5-minute video profile:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mRyzQApEdDk

The goal at 3:06 against Minnesota
The description of his physicality from 4:11 onward (no soft Swede)

Plus don't forget he captained Team Sweden to a surprise finals appearance in Canada Cup '84.

 

[chaosrevolver]

LW: Carl Liscombe​

LW Carl Liscombe

A pretty good scorer before the war, and obviously a better one during it. Especially in the playoffs. Was twice top-4 in playoff scoring before the war drained the NHL.

- Stanley Cup (1943)
- Stanley Cup Finalist (1941, 1942, 1945)
- Twice top-10 in goals (2nd, 10th) - also made the top-20 two other times
- Had 4 excellent playoffs in 1941, 1942, 1943, and 1945. 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 6th in goals, 2nd, 4th, 9th, 11th in assists, 1st, 3rd, 4th, 10th in points.
- AHL MVP (1948, 1949)

 

[VanIslander]

Liscombe led the Red Wings in goals scored his rookie season of 1937/38, so he ain't just a War Years producer.

 

[chaosrevolver]

F - Tony Gingras

Gingras was a star on the Winnipeg team that challenged for Stanley Cups in the late 1800's and early 1900's, winning the Cup in 1901. Though Dan Bain is a name somewhat well-known to history buffs, Gingras has been long forgotten it seems. But the fiery rover was in all likelihood just as valuable to those Winnipeg teams as Bain was. He was known as one of the games greatest stickhandlers, and scored seven goals in 16 Stanley Cup games.

 

[VanIslander]

Antoine "Tony" Gingras is also the first ever French Canadian to play for a Stanley Cup champion when the St. Boniface, Manitoba star's hometown Winnipeg Victorias defeated the Montréal Shamrocks in 1901.

 

[seventieslord]

You just stole the guy I was going to pick on the off chance I decided to join.

Nice to see the wheels are turning!

 

[seventieslord]

- Good pick on Gingras. He was definitely on my radar for a bottom-6 role.

- Liscombe is a guy I would have considered, too. My forward corps is coming out a little small, so I may have stayed away this time. But there's no denying his skill. As I said before, he was a great scorer during the war, but unlike some others, he was already a very good player before it. And a heck of a wartime playoff scoring record, too.

http://www.hockey-reference.com/pp/...val=&c4stat=&c4comp=gt&c4val=&order_by=points

And... that is the exact same picture of him I bought at the sports memorabilia store this week!

 

[seventieslord]

Yes, but that's because RW is deep in talent.

It's only Day 2 and my list of top RWs has been scorched: Viktor Shalimov, Ran McDonald, Yuri Lebedev, Art Gagne. All more deserving than the AAA draft.

So you like Gagne that much, eh? Nice.

Yeah, I think he slipped through perhaps due to size, I dunno.

He was more skilled than almost any bottom-6 MLD winger, but I think he's more of a "top-6 only" guy - even though I took him last AAA draft for offensive overkill. Glue guys like Koroll, Cully Wilson, Blachford, Gilmour, Babich, and Deadmarsh in top-6 glue guy roles didn't make it any easier for Gagne to be selected, either.

 

[VanIslander]

Halifax selects pivot Alexei Guryshev. The question mark regarding level of competition is the only thing keeping him down in an all-time context.

seventieslord really sold me on him last draft. Here I re-present his research.

- 6'0", 185 lbs
- Olympic Gold (1956)
- World Championship Gold (1954)
- Soviet League Leading Scorer (1949, 1955, 1957, 1958)
- Top-4 in Russian League Scoring seven more times (3rd-1950, 4th-1951, 3rd-1952, 3rd-1953, 2nd-1954, 3rd-1956, 4th-1961)
- Soviet League All-Star (1949, 1955, 1956, 1957)
- 379 goals in 300 league games (1.26/game, Bobrov had 1.80/game but in a shorter career in an easier-to-score-in league)
- 35 goals in 41 international games
- 71 goals in 92 games with the national team
- 11th all-time in Russian goals scored

In Soviet league scoring he finished: 1, 1, 1, 1, 2, 3, 3, 3, 3, 4, 4 whereas his contemporary Bobrov only had seasons of 1, 1, 1, 2, 2, 3.

From Kings Of the Ice, pages 311-312:

...to this day, Guryshev is synonymous with the name Soviet Wings... spearheaded their forward line for 15 years and was the top scorer four times... Tall, well-built and resilient, his superb stickhandling and skating resulted in a style that was both elegant and strategic. A player of exceptional control, he never resorted to battering ram-style charges or frenzied scuffles for the puck. His specialty was cutting through the confusion with split-second timing and sending the puck into the net... An uncanny instinct for goal scoring and a superb finishing shot were his trump cards, but Guryshev may best be remembered for his unusual slapshot.. With no windup, it was a short, quick slap causing the puck to sail straight through midair like a bullet. Guryshev's control of the stick, holding it with a short grip in an almost horizontal position, enabled him to slap the puck on the fly with amazing speed. Guryshev's strength as a forward and leading goal scorer depended on wingers.. who drew opposition defensemen away from Guryshev while feeding passes to him as he positioned hmself near the net. Wings coach.. consciously built the game around Guryshev's exceptional scoring ability, freeing him from defense duties... the opposition's greatest challenge was to neutralize Guryshev... the strongest and most experienced defensemen were assigned the job, but they were rarely successful... even compared to Bobrov's line, Guryshev's troika chalked up impressive scores during the '55 and '57 WCs. During the 1954 WC game against Canada, it was Guryshev who scored the significant first goal... always remained in control of his game, never losing his cool despite constant attempts to neutralize him. His skill lay in being able to size up the goalie's position and stance, the possibility of the enemy's defense line blocking his shot and the precision of his teammates on the ice with instant precision. Then, with split-second accuracy, Guryshev would take advantage of his opponents confusion to fire the puck into the net... even after his former partners had hung up their skates, Guryshev continued to play and score goals. At age 30, he scored 41, then 36, 32, and 40. Even at 36, Guryshev scored an impressive 19 goals during the 1960-61 season.

Bobrov was the first line star in international competition but Guryshev was the second line pivot who produced in bunches.

from The Red Machine

A big centre-man who hogged the slot area and got a lot of heavy traffic goals for his wings club...one of only three players to average more than a goal a game...second on the Russians in 1956 Olympics with 7 goals

According to Coach Bauer

Could play on any team in the NHL.

from 1972summitseries.com site

... Alexei Guryshev is a legend of Russian hockey... Described as the "Phil Esposito of the early decades Russian hockey," Guryshev is the third highest scorer in Soviet hockey history with 379 career goals, trailing only Boris Mikhailov and Vyacheslav Starshinov. He was a scoring machine, adding 35 goals in 41 Olympic/World championship games. Like Esposito, Guryshev often scored on rebounds and in the slot. Guryshev was a member of the Olympic gold medal team in 1956 and WC gold medal in 1954.

Every other of the top-25 all-time Soviet scorers has been drafted:

Top Russian Goalscorers
* Played in Summit Series '72

Rn. | Player | Nat Team | Euro Cups | National Championships | National Clubs | transcontinental | Total
*1 | Boris Mikhailov | 203 | 25 | 428 | 34 | 6 | 696
*2 | Vladimir Petrov | 189 | 32 | 370 | 15 | 4 | 610
*3 | Vyacheslav Starshinov | 149 | 2 | 406 | 28 | - | 585
*4 | Sergey Makarov | 190 | 59 | 322 | 5 | - | 576
*5 | Aleksander Maltsev | 212 | - | 329 | 16 | 1 | 558
*6 | Valery Kharlamov | 193 | 24 | 293 | 21 | 7 | 538
*7 | Aleksander Yakushev | 145 | 2 | 339 | 25 | 2 | 513
*8 | Anatoly Firsov | 134 | 14 | 345 | 12 | 4 | 509
*9 | Veniamin Aleksandrov | 117 | - | 351 | 22 | - | 490
10 | Vladimir Krutov | 152 | 34 | 288 | 6 | - | 480
11 | Aleksandr Guryshev | 70 | - | 379 | 30 | - | 479
12 | Vladimir Vikulov | 109 | 13 | 283 | 39 | 6 | 450
13 | Helmut Balderis | 72 | 3 | 333 | 19 | - | 427
14 | Sergey Kapustin | 118 | 5 | 278 | 12 | - | 413
15 | Vsevolod Bobrov | 94 | - | 254 | 31 | - | 379
16 | Viktor Shalimov | 66 | 3 | 293 | 17 | - | 379
17 | Nikolay Drozdetsky | 64 | 34 | 253 | 11 | - | 362
18 | Andrey Khomutov | 101 | 43 | 197 | 2 | - | 343
19 | Vyacheslav Bykov | 101 | 28 | 195 | 3 | - | 327
20 | Boris Mayorov | 63 | - | 255 | 8 | - | 326
21 | Igor Larionov | 80 | 19 | 204 | 7 | - | 310
22 | Konstantin Loktev | 84 | - | 213 | 8 | - | 305
23 | Aleksander Almetov | 78 | - | 212 | 15 | - | 305
24 | Vladimir Shadrin | 71 | 4 | 214 | 13 | 2 | 304
25 | Viktor Zhluktov | 78 | 13 | 197 | 8 | - | 296

 

[Rzeznik]

With their 5th and 6th picks in the 11th AAA draft, the Cumberland County Cool Blues are pleased to select first, a player with numerous top-15 finishes in both goals and assists, from Toronto, Ontario, center...

Art Jackson

Originally Posted by Legends of Hockey
A slick playmaking centre, Art Jackson had a fine eleven-year NHL tenure in the 1930s and 40s. Statistically his finest years came with the Boston Bruins in the mid-1940s when they lost some of their top skaters to military service. Art was the youngest member of the famous hockey family that included star Harvey "Busher" Jackson.

...In Boston, Jackson became a solid playmaker and checker playing as the third centre behind Bill Cowley and Milt Schmidt. He was on hand when the "black and gold" won their second Stanley Cup in three years in 1941. When the Bruins lost the "Kraut Line" of Schmidt, Dumart, and Bauer to military service, Jackson assumed a key role in keeping the team competitive. He registered consecutive 20-goal seasons in 1942-43 and 1943-44 playing on a line with Cowley and Herb Cain. During the early '40s he also had the opportunity to play with his brother, Harvey.

With our second pick, we are pleased to select the first "Iron Curtain", trained player to play games in the National Hockey league, a hard-nosed player with a tireless work-ethic, from Brunn, Czechoslovakia, left/right winger...

Jaroslav Jirik

Originally Posted by Legends of Hockey
A talented right winger with a natural scoring touch, Jaroslav Jirik was the first player from an Eastern Bloc country to play in the NHL. When he suited up for three games with the St. Louis Blues in 1969-70, Jirik was an experienced international competitor who was granted permission by the Czechoslovakian authorities to sample the NHL.

Originally Posted by pitseleh
Jirik: According to Kings of the Ice, "Jirik was famous for the way he parked himself in front of the net and assumed a pose like a tripod, with his stick out in front of him. It was nearly impossible to get him away from the net, to push him off balance or lift his stick. He provoked almost everybody he encountered - pushing and jabbing at the defensemen and scorers and sometimes flying into a rage. They were afraid of him. He was the terror of all defensemen.

Also, "Jirik had a tendency to get deeply absorbed in the game and very passionate about its outcome. He hated losing and could stand for pessimism, no matter who the opponent was. To him, losing was a disgrace. Even during training, when there was nothing at stake, he would often say or do whatever it took to win."

 

[chaosrevolver]

D: Jyrki Lumme
D: Reg Hamilton

 

[chaosrevolver]

- Good pick on Gingras. He was definitely on my radar for a bottom-6 role.

Curious where you see him fitting in a bottom-6 role? There isn't a ton on him but he seems offensive more than defensive. So just curious if you've read different.

 

[chaosrevolver]

D - Jyrki Lumme

Babe Pratt Trophy (Canucks' best defenceman) - 1992, 1994, 1996, 1997
Vancouver Canucks' franchise assists leader (defenceman) - 238
Vancouver Canucks' franchise points leader (defenceman) - 321​

He scored 285 points in 7 great Canuck years (averaged over 40 points) and over his 14-year NHL career tallied 468 points in 985 NHL games. He notched 44 NHL playoff points in 105 NHL postseason contests, including 13 points in the Canucks 1994 Stanley Cup run.

Though Lumme's smooth skating and deadly-accurate wrist shot made him best known as an offensive defenceman, during the peak of his career he was reliable in his own end too, with an effective backhand that allowed him to clear the zone with ease. Playing on the west coast, many analysts felt that Lumme never received the kind of acclaim he might have in an NHL market with more media exposure. In this vein, Canuck broadcaster Tom Larscheid once called him "the best kept secret outside of British Columbia."

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jyrki_Lumme

 

[chaosrevolver]

D - Reg Hamilton

An NHL rearguard who played 424 NHL games and registered 412 PIM from 1936-1946, recording a decent 108 points given his stay at home style, leading Toronto in blueline scoring twice, including the season he won the Stanley Cup as a Maple Leaf.

... a tough defenseman who always finished his checks.
Many considered the Hamilton elbows the most lethal in the league until a young man named Gordon Howe came along.

http://www.legendsofhockey.net:8080/...p?player=12833​

 

[VanIslander]

Halifax selects defenseman Bob Murdoch, who began his 12-year NHL career with a deep Habs team, playing only 2 games in the 1971 Stanley Cup winning playoffs as a rookie but winning a starting job in 1972-73 with the Canadiens and scoring 24 points in 69 games and playing 13 postseason games on route to the Stanley Cup that year. Because of the depth of the Montreal blueline, he was traded to Los Angeles where he represented the Kings in the 1975 all-star game and became their leading all-time blueline point getter despite playing a conservative defense-first style. His good career plus-minus of +157 is impressive given his years on an expansion club. He went straight into a successful coaching career in 1982 after 278 points and 764 PIM in 757 games.

He was a defensive defenseman. His job, when done properly, was not to stand out. If he was noticed then it was for a mistake rather than for a spectacular offensive play. The key to playing the position, just as it is now, was a thorough knowledge of the game and how to put that to good use.

http://www.legendsofhockey.net/LegendsOfHockey/jsp/SearchPlayer.jsp?player=13802