Strongest allstar squads ever

[arrbez]

What do you think were the strongest First and Second allstar teams ever? This can be answered two ways:

Which set of ASTs had the best collection of dominant performances?

or

Which set of ASTs has the best collection of legendary names?


The 1980's obviously has a lot of potential, but the goaltending always ends up killing it. I've yet to settle on one yet, I'll have to look around.

Click to read more...

 

[McGuillicuddy]

Just looking at the first team, it's gotta be this one:

1969-70:

Bobby Hull • Phil Esposito • Gordie Howe
Bobby Orr • Brad Park
Tony Esposito

 

[greatgazoo]

I'll throw this one out there:

68-69 1st team:
Hull - Esposito - Howe
Horton - Orr
Hall

Espo, Hull and Howe finished 1,2,3 in scoring.

Orr was 1st in plus/minus

Hall led the league in shutouts (8) playing for an expansion team!

 

[Hawkey Town 18]

1956-57

Ted Lindsay - Jean Beliveau - Gordie Howe
Doug Harvey - Red Kelly
Glen Hall

No one outside the HOH Top 30 out of this group, and only 2 outside the Top 16

 

[VanIslander]

1996-97

First All-Star Team
Paul Kariya • Mario Lemieux • Teemu Selanne
Brian Leetch • Sandis Ozolinsh
Dominik Hasek

Second All-Star Team
John LeClair • Wayne Gretzky • Jaromir Jagr
Chris Chelios • Scott Stevens
Martin Brodeur

 

[Loto68]

1996-97

First All-Star Team
Paul Kariya • Mario Lemieux • Teemu Selanne
Brian Leetch • Sandis Ozolinsh
Dominik Hasek

Second All-Star Team
John LeClair • Wayne Gretzky • Jaromir Jagr
Chris Chelios • Scott Stevens
Martin Brodeur

Whats insane, is that based on career numbers, if the two were flipped, no one would really bat an eyelash.

 

[mco543]

Anyone else think the 96-97 2nd team would beat the 1st team? That would probably be a fun thread itself, look at every years 1st and 2nd all star teams and debate if the 2nd team could beat the 1st.

 

[Loto68]

Anyone else think the 96-97 2nd team would beat the 1st team? That would probably be a fun thread itself, look at every years 1st and 2nd all star teams and debate if the 2nd team could beat the 1st.

I don't know which team would win, but I do believe that the 2nd team could kick the crap out of the 1st team physically.

 

[arrbez]

1956-57

Ted Lindsay - Jean Beliveau - Gordie Howe
Doug Harvey - Red Kelly
Glen Hall

No one outside the HOH Top 30 out of this group, and only 2 outside the Top 16

Plante, Gadsby, and M. Richard are very impressive on the 2nd team as well. Flaman and Litzenberger were also very good players. And then there's one-year-wonder Rene Chevrefils (who?) ruining everything at LW.

 

[VanIslander]

Whats insane, is that based on career numbers, if the two were flipped, no one would really bat an eyelash.

Absolutely! Based on career numbers (though I think Brodeur not close to Hasek in all-time worth, I grant his career stats suggest otherwise).

 

[MXD]

The very first AST, that would be the best AST for AT LEAST 20 years.

Joliat - Morenz - Bill Cook
Shore - Clancy
Gardiner (say whatever you want about this guy, but the only thing that made him a fringe top-100 on the list is his death)

59-60

Bobby Hull • Jean Beliveau • Gordie Howe
Doug Harvey • Marcel Pronovost
Glenn Hall

That 4 Top-10 players right there. Pronovost is an obivous weak link.

 

[vadim sharifijanov]

Anyone else think the 96-97 2nd team would beat the 1st team? That would probably be a fun thread itself, look at every years 1st and 2nd all star teams and debate if the 2nd team could beat the 1st.

last year's first and second teams are ridiculously well-matched. they even split between them a set of identical twins.

 

[Leafs Forever]

1956-57

Ted Lindsay - Jean Beliveau - Gordie Howe
Doug Harvey - Red Kelly
Glen Hall

No one outside the HOH Top 30 out of this group, and only 2 outside the Top 16

I think this one is probably the best of those listed thus far. No weak links.

59-60

Bobby Hull • Jean Beliveau • Gordie Howe
Doug Harvey • Marcel Pronovost
Glenn Hall

That 4 Top-10 players right there. Pronovost is an obivous weak link.

And this one, the particularly comparable one, is a bit behind. The gap between Hull and Lindsay is less than Kelly and Pronovost. Plus Lindsay has a chemistry bonus with Howe

 

[MXD]

I think this one is probably the best of those listed thus far. No weak links.



And this one, the particularly comparable one, is a bit behind. The gap between Hull and Lindsay is less than Kelly and Pronovost. Plus Lindsay has a chemistry bonus with Howe

I know.
But at this point, this is an All-Star Team that had 4 out of the 5 best players at this position at this point in history (Hull, Béliveau, Howe, Harvey), and Hall was IMO at this point the 2nd best goalie ever (if we take their whole resume -- I have Hall ahead of Sawchuck...)

 

[Leafs Forever]

I know.
But at this point, this is an All-Star Team that had 4 out of the 5 best players at this position at this point in history (Hull, Béliveau, Howe, Harvey), and Hall was IMO at this point the 2nd best goalie ever (if we take their whole resume -- I have Hall ahead of Sawchuck...)

That is probably true and a fair point.

 

[MXD]

That is probably true and a fair point.

That is also a bit why the 29-30 is so impressive.

Joliat was the best LW until Lindsay
Morenz was the best C until Beliveau
Cook was the best RW until Richard (and later, Howe)
Shore was the D until Harvey
Clancy was the 2nd best D until Harvey (or Red Kelly...)
Gardiner is ranked after Benedict, and I don't think he has a claim over him. Still, another 5 years from Gardiner (or, a normal career) and he might be ahead of the Durnan/Broda/Brimsek/Bower/Benedict bunch, which would make him the best until Terry Sawchuck (and then others). And Gardiner actually died, as opposed to "retire".

Okay, it was 29-30, so having the best ever was more likely to happen back then because organized hockey was still very young.

 

[buffalowing88]

1996-97

First All-Star Team
Paul Kariya • Mario Lemieux • Teemu Selanne
Brian Leetch • Sandis Ozolinsh
Dominik Hasek

Second All-Star Team
John LeClair • Wayne Gretzky • Jaromir Jagr
Chris Chelios • Scott Stevens
Martin Brodeur

Well...in 96-97 I would take the first all star team quite clearly over the second. Hasek was better than Brodeur that year, Lemieux was much better than Gretzky by this point, Kariya was ahead of Leclair in my mind but an argument can be made, and Leetch was more effective than Chelios this year. Chelios was taking numerous unwanted penalties by this point and couldn't produce offensively like Leetch. So the only advantage for the 2nd team would be Jagr and Stevens. I still take the 1st team.