Teams who would have done better if all Players were in their prime

[Seanconn*]

Not answering the thread question but, while speaking about Soviet, CSKA Moscow 88/89 had an interesting roster.
http://hockeydb.com/ihdb/stats/leagues/seasons/teams/0017871989.html

that would be pretty epic. This is the type of stuff they should have as unlockabe content in NHL games.

 

[Regal]

I was thinking about this the other day. What's funny is that if you look at a lot of the teams today, I'm not sure that many of them become exponentially better. Again, the only one today that came to mind is Detroit, who would get prime Modano and Bertuzzi, a younger Lidstrom and Rafalski, Selke winning Draper and last year's Jimmy Howard and a better Osgood in goal.

Zetterberg - Datsyuk - Holmstrom
Franzen - Modano - Bertuzzi
Hudler - Filppula - Cleary
Helm - Draper - Eaves

Lidstrom - Rafalski
Kronwall - Stuart
Salei - Ericsson

Howard
Osgood

Pretty great team, but I'm not sure it even matches some of the actual Red Wings teams from the late 90's to early 2000's

 

[Regal]

They were already a great team, but the 88-89 Flames would be even better if Fleury and Roberts had reached their primes, Lanny McDonald was back in his, and Gilmour was playing like he did for the Leafs.

 

[DATS-O-MATIC]

Not answering the thread question but, while speaking about Soviet, CSKA Moscow 88/89 had an interesting roster.
http://hockeydb.com/ihdb/stats/leagues/seasons/teams/0017871989.html

Wow, great find.


Krutov-Larionov-Makarov (world famous KLM line, centered by Russian Wayne Gretzky-The Professor)
Mogilny-Fedorov-Bure (Almo, Feds Express, Russian Rocket)-speed to burn
Kamensky-Bykov-Khomutov
Zelepukin-Chibirev-Kovalenko
Vasilyev

Fetisov-Kasatonov
Zubov-Konstantinov
Malakhov-Mironov
Gusarov-Kravchuk

Goalie-who cares, an 80 yr. old Homer Simpson could play and still post a win with that team.

 

[VMBM]

Not answering the thread question but, while speaking about Soviet, CSKA Moscow 88/89 had an interesting roster.
http://hockeydb.com/ihdb/stats/leagues/seasons/teams/0017871989.html

Heh, that is the one time (late '80s) when you could definitely say that CSKA and the Soviet national team "were basically the same team". Tikhonov got his candy, all of it.

Wow, great find.


Krutov-Larionov-Makarov (world famous KLM line, centered by Russian Wayne Gretzky-The Professor)

Settle down! Larionov was the 3rd best player on his line (in the Eighties ).

 

[vadim sharifijanov]

They were already a great team, but the 88-89 Flames would be even better if Fleury and Roberts had reached their primes, Lanny McDonald was back in his, and Gilmour was playing like he did for the Leafs.

check out the '86-'87 flames. same as the '89 team, except you have hull instead of fleury, reinhart instead of ramage, and lemelin instead of wamsley. all significant improvements. no gilmour or mccrimmon, but you do get tonelli and bullard, both 100 point scorers in their peak years, plus engblom, who had been a second team all-star, and bradley, who was excellent for a couple of years in tampa bay.

loob (50g, 100p, 1AS) nieuwendyk (50g, CS) hull (86g, hart)
roberts (50g) bullard (50g, 100p) mullen (50g, 100p, 1AS)
tonelli (100p, 2AS) bradley (ASG) mcdonald (65g)
peplinski otto patterson (now that is a checking line)
fotiu risebrough hunter (after the other guys beat you on the scoreboard, these guys beat you in the alley)

macinnis (100p, norris, CS) reinhart (ASG)
suter (2AS) engblom (2AS)
macoun baxter (decent point producer, big hitter, tough as nails)

vernon (2AS, CS)
lemelin (ASG)

CS=conn smythe
ASG=all-star game
2AS=second team all-star
1AS=first team all-star

 

[vadim sharifijanov]

Wow, great find.


Krutov-Larionov-Makarov (world famous KLM line, centered by Russian Wayne Gretzky-The Professor)
Mogilny-Fedorov-Bure (Almo, Feds Express, Russian Rocket)-speed to burn
Kamensky-Bykov-Khomutov
Zelepukin-Chibirev-Kovalenko
Vasilyev

Fetisov-Kasatonov
Zubov-Konstantinov
Malakhov-Mironov
Gusarov-Kravchuk

Goalie-who cares, an 80 yr. old Homer Simpson could play and still post a win with that team.

i'd put prime kravchuk ahead of prime mironov, but yeah that's a spectacular team, goaltending excepted.

 

[KarlssonsGroin]

2006 Canada mens olympic team

 

[Hardyvan123]

Yeah, that team had 8 guys who had scored over 110 points in season at one point in their careers.

Mario Lemieux - 199
Jaromir Jagr - 149
Paul Coffey - 138
Bryan Trottier - 134
Kevin Stevens - 123
Mark Recchi - 123
Ron Francis - 119
Joe Mullen - 110

They had Larry Murphy too.

That roster had a combined THIRTY-FIVE 100 point seasons.

The key to this team would be their strength down the middle with Lemieux, Trottier and Francis. not so sure how their D or team would hold up to some of those Red Wings teams though

 

[Blizzard]

The key to this team would be their strength down the middle with Lemieux, Trottier and Francis. not so sure how their D or team would hold up to some of those Red Wings teams though

You mean guys like Paul Stanton, Jim Paek, Gordie Roberts, Grant Jennings, Jeff Chycrun, Kjell Samuelsson, and Peter Taglianetti wouldn't strike fear into that Wings roster? haha

 

[Hardyvan123]

You mean guys like Paul Stanton, Jim Paek, Gordie Roberts, Grant Jennings, Jeff Chycrun, Kjell Samuelsson, and Peter Taglianetti wouldn't strike fear into that Wings roster? haha

Well the 92 Pens did have Paul Coffey and Larry Murphy.
Ulf was probably in his prime but Gordie Roberts was 34 in his prime he is serviceable.

They also end up the season with Rick Tochett (instead of Rechii) which probably helps this team more.

 

[Hardyvan123]

97 Red Wings

http://www.hockey-reference.com/teams/DET/1997.html

All of these guys in their prime would make for a great mix and chemistry for a hockey team IMO.

They might not have the star impact of some of the other teams listed but might have the best blend of skill, grit and defensive depth and team chemistry.

Not to mention Scotty Bowman as their coach.

 

[Bravid Nonahan]

Was scouting really that bad back then that Bure lasted to the 6th round? Any kid who scored 17 goals in 32 games in the KHL nowadays as a 17 year old would be touted as the second coming.

 

[garnetpalmetto]

2005-2006 Pittsburgh Penguins (22-46-14, 5th in Atlantic Division)

Roster included:

Crosby
Fleury
LeClair
Lemieux
Malone
Orpik
Palffy
Recchi
Scuderi

 

[jkrx]

Was scouting really that bad back then that Bure lasted to the 6th round? Any kid who scored 17 goals in 32 games in the KHL nowadays as a 17 year old would be touted as the second coming.

Have you ever heard of the iron curtain, the cold war, communism, capitalism, tikhonov etc etc etc.

and most teams didn't know he was eligble.

 

[selkie]

Was scouting really that bad back then that Bure lasted to the 6th round? Any kid who scored 17 goals in 32 games in the KHL nowadays as a 17 year old would be touted as the second coming.

Most of the teams assumed he wasn't draft-eligible that year, and only Vancouver had like the correct information that Bure had played enough games at the correct level to be drafted. (or Vancouver possibly payed some people to forge paperwork, lots of clubs did very shady things to get prospects over when the Iron Curtain was falling) IIRC, Detroit, one of the other experts of the shady Iron Curtain deal, had planned on taking him in the following round if the Canucks hadn't.

 

[Passchendaele]

Fetisov-Kasatonov
Zubov-Konstantinov
Malakhov-Mironov
Gusarov-Kravchuk

Kravchuk must feel lonely there.

 

[Googa]

1968-69 Montreal Canadiens

G Gump Worsley
G Tony Esposito
G Rogatien Vachon

 

[TANK200]

Every team.

/thread

 

[CHGoalie27]

(Besides the 1994 Rangers)
1996-1997 New York Rangers

Gretzky
Messier
Leetch
Richter
Robitaille
Kovalev
Tikkanen
Graves
Beukeboom
Driver
Samuelsson
Cairns
Momesso
Churla
does it matter who else they have?

 

[steve141]

1968-69 Montreal Canadiens

G Gump Worsley
G Tony Esposito
G Rogatien Vachon

I think I can beat that. St Louis that same year would have benefited from a prime first pairing of

Doug Harvey - Jean-Guy Talbot

and a goalie tandem of

Glenn Hall - Jacques Plante

 

[IggyFan12]

The 99/00 Flames:

Iggy, Savard, St.Louis, Val Bure, Housley, Regehr, Derek Morris, Cory Stillman, Steve Smith and a tandem of Grant Fuhr and J.S Gigure in net.

 

[TheGoldenJet]

97 Red Wings

http://www.hockey-reference.com/teams/DET/1997.html

All of these guys in their prime would make for a great mix and chemistry for a hockey team IMO.

They might not have the star impact of some of the other teams listed but might have the best blend of skill, grit and defensive depth and team chemistry.

Not to mention Scotty Bowman as their coach.

The thing with this Red Wings team was that all of their key superstars WERE in their prime. That's why this is the team of the decade IMO.

Fedorov (20 points in 16 playoff games as a forward, lead Team Russia in scoring at the World Cup)
Yzerman (85 points in 80 GP, not prime but still very close to it)
Shannahan (top 10 in points and top 5 in goals)
Konstantinov (great physical shut down D man)
Lidstrom (1st year where Lids came into his own)

And Mike Vernon played like he was in his prime when it matttered most, in the playoffs.

I guess you could strengthen it further by making Larionov, Larry Murphy, holmstrom and Sandstrom in their primes. Also Kozlov, though never elite, was a little better several years later, as he was still rather green in 96/97.