Better All-Time Roster: Montreal Canadiens Or Pittsburgh Penguins

[DitchMarner]

In these polls, I'm including only players who spent at least two seasons with a franchise on their all-time rosters.

For relocated franchises, I am including worthy players who played for the franchises prior to relocation(s).

Consider how good a player was when he played for the franchise whose roster he's included on. For example: If Fedorov is part of Team Columbus, don't think of him as the 1994 version of the player.


Montreal Canadiens defeated Detroit Red Wings 51 votes to 31 (62.2%) in round one: Better All-Time Roster: Detroit Red Wings Or Montreal Canadiens? | HFBoards - NHL Message Board and Forum for National Hockey League (mandatory.com) and defeated Boston Bruins 67 votes to 5 (93.1%) in round two: Better All-Time Roster: Boston Bruins Or Montreal Canadiens

Pittsburgh Penguins defeated Edmonton Oilers 48 votes to 39 (55.2%) in round one: Better All-Time Roster: Edmonton Oilers Or Pittsburgh Penguins | HFBoards - NHL Message Board and Forum for National Hockey League (mandatory.com) and defeated Colorado Avalanche 90 votes to 41 (68.7%) in round two: Better All-Time Roster: Colorado Avalanche Or Pittsburgh Penguins

Montreal Canadiens:

Toe Blake - Jean Beliveau - Maurice Richard
Dickie Moore - Howie Morenz - Guy Lafleur
Jacques Lemaire - Henri Richard - Bernie Geoffrion
Elmer Lach - Newsy Lalonde - Yvon Cournoyer

Larry Robinson - Guy Lapointe
Doug Harvey -Serge Savard
Sprague Cleghorn - Chris Chelios

Patrick Roy
Jacques Plante


Pittsburgh Penguins:

Kevin Stevens - Mario Lemieux - Jaromir Jagr
Evgeni Malkin - Sidney Crosby - Alex Kovalev
James Neal - Ron Francis - Rick Tocchet
Syl Apps Jr. - Petr Nedved - Mark Recchi

Paul Coffey - Larry Murphy
Randy Carlyle - Kris Letang
Sergei Gonchar - Ron Stackhouse

Tom Barrasso
Marc-Andre Fleury​

Click to read more...

 

[Just Linda]

I feel Montreal has the depth and D advantage but I went Penguins because Mario, Jagr, and Crosby

 

[amnesiac]

Habs quite easily

Mario, Crosby, Jagr, Malkin vs Beliveau, Richard, Morenz, Lafleur is somewhat close

Habs forward depth >> Pens forward depth

Habs D >> Pens D

Roy and Plante >>> FLeury, Barrasso

 

[JackSlater]

Montreal's all time roster is comfortable better than any other team's all time roster.

 

[Ezpz]

How do you compete against a guy whose name is Sprague Cleghorn and whose wikipedia photo is a painting?

 

[bobholly39]

If this was starting top 5 lineup it would be close. Full roster - no contention it's Montreal

 

[Nathaniel Skywalker]

Habs have the better depth and D and goalie. But I can't say no to lemieux and crosby

 

[mr figgles]

I’ll take the lineup that doesn’t have James Neal and Petr Nedved.

 

[Nathaniel Skywalker]

Habs have the better depth and D and goalie. But lemieux and Crosby makes it close can't decide

 

[Ezpz]

woops

 

[Regal]

Pittsburgh could try playing Lemieux, Jagr, Crosby and Malkin huge minutes to try to keep a small forward advantage in the majority of the game despite worse depth, but Montreal would still have a much bigger gap on defense and in net. They’re just too good and too deep.

 

[banks]

Montreal.

This is one of the few times that you can make a case against them. But it's still Montreal.

 

[Hunter368]

Not sure how you compare all time roster’s between two teams when one team has a significantly longer history & thus a much bigger pool of players to choose from. Seems very flawed IMO

 

[Bouboumaster]

Habs easely

Lemieux, Crosby and maybe Jagr > any habs but it doesn't matter

 

[notDatsyuk]

I think the only reason it's at all close is because of recency bias. A lot of voters are too young to have seen many of the Habs in action, let alone at their peak, while the Pens are all fresh.

Not sure, beyond recency, why the second best defenceman of all time is on their second pairing, but it's still easily Montreal.

 

[mr figgles]

I don’t think it’s really possible to top the habs. Their depth is just absolutely stupid at every position.

 

[Plural]

Not sure how you compare all time roster’s between two teams when one team has a significantly longer history & thus a much bigger pool of players to choose from. Seems very flawed IMO

Pens fan?

 

[authentic]

I think the only reason it's at all close is because of recency bias. A lot of voters are too young to have seen many of the Habs in action, let alone at their peak, while the Pens are all fresh.

Not sure, beyond recency, why the second best defenceman of all time is on their second pairing, but it's still easily Montreal.

If our great great grandfathers were still alive this poll would be locked up already.

 

[The Tourist]

Pens have the three best players but Habs depth and goaltending is too much.

 

[Hunter368]

Pens fan?

Nope, not even a little check my post history. Simply when one team has been around much longer they have a much bigger pool of players to choose from & so that’s a big advantage.

Truer test would be to limit the Habs selection since the Pens been around.

 

[notDatsyuk]

If our great great grandfathers were still alive this poll would be locked up already.

You must be awfully young. My great great grandfathers had all died before ice was invented.