All-Time Team

[seventieslord]

I'll have Charlie Conacher over Bill Cook, Conacher gave everything Cook did, except more.

that is just not true. Cook was better for longer, was a better leader, more physical, better defensively, and a better playmaker.

 

[seventieslord]

My official team, built like a cup contender.

Line 1
Kharlamov/Hull - Gretzky - Howe
Hull and Kharlamov are interchangeable, though I tend to think Kharlamov would work better with Gretzky.
Gretzky and Howe speak for themselves.

Line 2
Hull/Kharlamov - Lemieux - Richard
Again with Kharlamov/Hull.
Can't find anybody besides Lemieux and Richard so..

Line 3
Lindsay - Gainey - Carbonneau
Kinda small, but I'll sacrifice size for these guys..Carbonneau always hovered around 20 goals, Lindsay had even more, Gainey even had 20 a few times.
All grit, two Selke winners and Lindsay.

Line 4
Probert - Clarke - Nels Stewart
Probert with the fight..
Clarke with the O.
See reference for Stewart.

D1
Orr - Bourque
Bourque paired with Orr because Bourque offered virtually no defense..
D2
Shore - Harvey
Shore and Harvey would do very well together.
D3
Lidstrom - Potvin

Goal
Starter - Roy
Backup - Brodeur
3rd - Tretiak

Gainey is not a center and Nels Stewart would make a terrible 4th liner. And Bourque provided Plenty of defense.

Also, if we're going to be nitpicky, Shore and Harvey would not do very well together. Both controlled the game by controlling the puck. What would Shore do while Harvey controlled the puck? And vice versa? What a waste that would be. Easy solution: put one of them on the 3rd pairing and bring Lidstrom up.

 

[Reverend Mayhem]

I like my hockey teams to be a dynamic, brind you out of your seat that being said:

Kharlamov-Lemieux-Bure
Robitaille-Gretzky-Richard(C)
Shanahan-Fedorov-Howe(A)
Bo. Hull-Clarke(A)-Gainey

Orr-Bourque
Fetisov-Harvey
Coffey-Shore

1a Sawchuk
1b Tretiak
1c Roy

Coach- Scotty Bowman
Asst- Pat Quinn
Asst- Toe Blake

GM- Ken Holland
Asst- Sam Pollock
Scout- Jim Devellano
Scout- Mike Penny

 

[seventieslord]

I like my hockey teams to be a dynamic, brind you out of your seat that being said:

Kharlamov-Lemieux-Bure
Robitaille-Gretzky-Richard(C)
Shanahan-Fedorov-Howe(A)
Bo. Hull-Clarke(A)-Gainey

Orr-Bourque
Fetisov-Harvey
Coffey-Shore

1a Sawchuk
1b Tretiak
1c Roy

Coach- Scotty Bowman
Asst- Pat Quinn
Asst- Toe Blake

GM- Ken Holland
Asst- Sam Pollock
Scout- Jim Devellano
Scout- Mike Penny

Robitaille? Bure? Shanahan? Hull only on the 4th line? Howe only on the 3rd?

I think I'm going to be sick.

 

[overpass]

Bobby Hull-Wayne Gretzky-Gordie Howe
Valeri Kharlamov-Mario Lemieux-Maurice Richard
Ted Lindsay-Stan Mikita-Bill Cook
Frank Nighbor-Bobby Clarke-Jari Kurri

Booby Hull-Wayne Gretzky-Gordie Howe
Ted Lindsay-Mario Lemieux-Maurice Richard
Frank Nighbor-Bobby Clarke-Jari Kurri
Dickie Moore-Stan Mikita-Bill Cook

Is it just me, or are Nighbor and Kurri completely wrong for Clarke as linemates?

I can see why you would want Clarke on an all-time team, as the ultimate shutdown centre who can score. But you need goal-scorers who can crash the net and convert Clarke's passes out of the corner, and that's not Nighbor. He, like Clarke, is a playmaking centre who is strong defensively. And you also want guys who can take care of themselves when Clarke stirs things up, and that's not really Nighbor or Kurri.

How would you see these lines working?

 

[hockeymaneeak*]

Gainey is not a center and Nels Stewart would make a terrible 4th liner. And Bourque provided Plenty of defense.

Also, if we're going to be nitpicky, Shore and Harvey would not do very well together. Both controlled the game by controlling the puck. What would Shore do while Harvey controlled the puck? And vice versa? What a waste that would be. Easy solution: put one of them on the 3rd pairing and bring Lidstrom up.

It was not uncommon for Stewart to put up 100 PIMS, even in those short seasons. Stewart played on some very good Montréal teams, and he had considerable size for that time.

 

[seventieslord]

It was not uncommon for Stewart to put up 100 PIMS, even in those short seasons. Stewart played on some very good Montréal teams, and he had considerable size for that time.

He had size, but zero speed and he was lazy. And often his PIMs were not from being "tough", they were from being a bully with a lack of discipline. That's not a 4th-liner.

 

[seventieslord]

Is it just me, or are Nighbor and Kurri completely wrong for Clarke as linemates?

I can see why you would want Clarke on an all-time team, as the ultimate shutdown centre who can score. But you need goal-scorers who can crash the net and convert Clarke's passes out of the corner, and that's not Nighbor. He, like Clarke, is a playmaking centre who is strong defensively. And you also want guys who can take care of themselves when Clarke stirs things up, and that's not really Nighbor or Kurri.

How would you see these lines working?

I can see it working. Not every line has to have a super tough guy. You can do worse than having clarke as the toughest guy on your line.

Clarke is a pure playmaker and Kurri a pure goalscorer, so I like that chemistry immediately. But Nighbor is also a very good offensive player, a better goalscorer than Clarke and a better playmaker than Kurri. Clarke can be the dirty work guy for the line, and when he comes out of the corners with the puck he has the playmaking skill to find one of the others.

Also, it doesn't hurt that out of forwards good enough for the HOH top-100, these are the three best defensively.

 

[HOCKEYTOWN1990]

steve yzerman?

 

[seventieslord]

steve yzerman?

Kinda hard to fit him on when there is only room for four centers. Lemieux and Gretzky are a given, then for the bottom six you want two-way guys like Yzerman, but Mikita, Morenz, Lalonde, Taylor, Clarke, and Beliveau would all be better choices.

 

[Boxscore]

Gretzky, Lemieux, Messier, Clarke are the PERFECT quartet of centermen.