The 2011 ATD-B Beer League Draft

[seventieslord]

Waive Tallinder!

 

[Hedberg]

RW Jiri Dudacek

International Legends:

n the early 1980s, Jiri Dudacek was said to be the next great Czech hockey superstar. He was a super talent blessed with skating, shooting and puck skills that many said would have saw him and Dale Hawerchuk face off for the 1st overall draft selection in the 1981 NHL Entry Draft, had Dudacek been readily available.

Dudacek was a rising star in the Czech leagues. At 16 he was already playing for Kladno in the top league. By the time he was drafted by Buffalo, he had already starred in three world championships. He was also the leading scorer for the Czech national team at the 1981 Canada Cup. But he is probably best remembered by North American audiences for his dominating performances at both the 1980 and 1981 world junior championships.

rst the Czech authorities made sure Dudacek had no idea he was actually drafted by the NHL. Though he had heard rumors, it took Dudacek over a year to find out the news first hand.

Secondly, to ensure he never had a chance to defect, they removed him from tournaments in western Europe or North America.

According to December 18th, 2007 issue of The Hockey News, defection was never considered by either the Sabres or Dudacek. The Sabres had tried all diplomatic channels necessary, but to no avail. And Dudacek, whose father was a lieutenant colonel at the Department of Home Affairs and brother was a policeman, says he never would have defected.

Regardless, the Czech government could not take that chance. And by taking arguably their top talent off the national team, the Czech hockey team inexplicably struggled in the 1980s.

Dudacek was part of the Czech national team that came to Canada for the 1984 Canada Cup, but unlike in the 1981 tournament he was a non factor, scoring no points.

Injuries would then take their toll on Dudacek, costing him to miss much time and to erode his abilities. He was cut from the 1988 Olympic team, a shadow of the player he was once expected to be.

D Yvon Labre

- Number retired by the Capitals

Yvon Labre, Heart of the Capitals:

Perhaps you’ve stared at the “Labre 7†banner hanging from the Verizon Center rafters and wondered, “Who’s that?â€

Even those who know he was an Original Capital may wonder, “Why is he up there?â€

Bill Simmons of espn.com noted (obnoxiously) that the retired numbers in Capitals history included "Some guy named Yvon Labre, who was apparently the team chef back in 1978.â€

Eh, no. As you’ll discover, Labre richly deserves his recognition, although achieved in a most unorthodox fashion.

99 percent of athletes have their numbers retired for superior achievement or tragic circumstances. Yvon himself would tell you he didn’t fit into either category, despite 7 seasons of reliable defense in D.C. “Thank God there are guys who don’t use their abilities,†he once observed, “so guys who don’t have much – guys like me – can stay in this great game.â€

So, what elevated Yvon Labre to the rafters?

“Labre wouldn’t quit. There may be those with more talent, but few with as big a heart.â€
(Russ White, Washington Star)

“He threw every ounce of his heart into clearing creases and engaging in fights.â€
(legendsofhockey.net)

“The guts of a burglar, the heart of an elephant.â€
(Robert Fachet, Washington Post)

The heart Labre exhibited wasn’t just admirable; on the 1970’s Caps, it was
super-human. Wrote Fachet, “In sports history, few franchises match the Capitals for ineptitude. With very few exceptions – Labre is an obvious one – the Capitals were saddled with malcontents and fringe players. While teammates often went through the motions, Labre skated at full speed on every shift. Patrons at Capital Centre were guaranteed of one thing – a 100 percent effort from the man with the No. 7 and the “C†on his chest.â€

Yvon first demonstated that toughness early in life. After his father died in a mining accident, he supported three brothers as an electrician, at the same time playing junior hockey. While injuries finally forced him to retire in 1981, Labre worked in the Capitals front office through the rest of the 20th century.

 

[Hedberg]

Coach James Link

Wikipedia:

James Arthur Link (February 27, 1874-March 21, 1964) was the coach and athletic trainer of the Kenora Thistles during the team's three Stanley Cup challenges in 1903, 1905, and 1907. He was born in Rat Portage, Ontario, Canada.

 

[seventieslord]

Labre was the 2nd last two-season captain to be mentioned in the 2010 series of drafting. the last one won't be picked. Anyone care to guess who it is?

 

[Hedberg]

Labre was the 2nd last two-season captain to be mentioned in the 2010 series of drafting. the last one won't be picked. Anyone care to guess who it is?

T.T.?

 

[seventieslord]

he sorta counts... but it wasn't two FULL seasons.

this is a guy I really liked and thought would blossom into the next Jason Smith, but turned out to be a little more common than that.

 

[EagleBelfour]

When will I be able to drop a few names into this thread?

 

[Hedberg]

he sorta counts... but it wasn't two FULL seasons.

T.S.?

 

[seventieslord]

T.S.?

Bingo!

 

[seventieslord]

When will I be able to drop a few names into this thread?

There are still about a dozen picks to make up. After that I don't see a problem with some namedropping... no one's the "boss" here.

I have a whole team ready to draft, really. I made the decision before that I was going to stop profiling players and clearly that didn't work out, but I really hope to stop this time! Even though there are a few guys that I simply can't believe weren't taken. I'd love to see your list of guys (with some reasoning, of course) but that will ultimately lead to comparisons with my leftovers!

Which reminds me, hedberg - the highest-scoring player of all-time left over is not JT - it's CG!

 

[BillyShoe1721]

Waive Tallinder!

TDMM would not be a fan of that pick.

 

[VanIslander]

stop dropping names of unselected guys!

and a moderator should delete those posts

**** don't let things go to **** pot

(i'm moving into a new place this week in addition to work commitments and another thing so i'll catch up for sure with everything this weekend.)

 

[seventieslord]

stop dropping names of unselected guys!

and a moderator should delete those posts

**** don't let things go to **** pot

(i'm moving into a new place this week in addition to work commitments and another thing so i'll catch up for sure with everything this weekend.)

no problem, take your time. Posts edited.

 

[EagleBelfour]

There are still about a dozen picks to make up. After that I don't see a problem with some namedropping... no one's the "boss" here.

I have a whole team ready to draft, really. I made the decision before that I was going to stop profiling players and clearly that didn't work out, but I really hope to stop this time! Even though there are a few guys that I simply can't believe weren't taken. I'd love to see your list of guys (with some reasoning, of course) but that will ultimately lead to comparisons with my leftovers!

Which reminds me, hedberg - the highest-scoring player of all-time left over is not JT - it's CG!

John Tavares?

It's the beer league for sake! Is that a big deal if some undrafted names are mention? Who the hell is CG??

----

Actually, my list is far less compelling than what you have done guys. Some great players were left undrafted; that I wouldn't of thought about in a million year. My list will look quite appalling in comparison, but I still think I've got a few that deserve mention IMO (Not to say some were drafted before I could name them)

 

[Hedberg]

When the draft is complete, I'm going to post two lists, one of players who were (briefly) captains of their team and the other of the unselected players who played in all-star games.

 

[seventieslord]

Speaking of clearing off lists, are all postseason wha allstars mentioned? Actually I guess it's not a big deal if not, since not all nhl all-stars are even taken.

CG = philly's big group II acquisition many moons ago.

 

[seventieslord]

Oh, and the JT I was referring to that I thought was the highest scorer left? He's not related to Darcy.

 

[VanIslander]

When the draft is complete, I'm going to post two lists, one of players who were (briefly) captains of their team and the other of the unselected players who played in all-star games.

after everyone makes their picks, sure, since it's the last draft

give me until monday morning please before doing so

 

[TheDevilMadeMe]

D Henrik Tallinder

6'4" 210
TOI finishes: 1, 2, 2, 2, 3, 4, 5, 5
116 points in 517 career games
2010 Swedish Olympian



http://www.legendsofhockey.net/LegendsOfHockey/jsp/SearchPlayer.jsp?player=14896

soft piece of crap

(obviously his legacy isn't to be judged just based on his latest season).

 

[seventieslord]

Stewart and Laidlaw bios are updated. There is some good stuff in there - I should have taken these guys a long time ago - so should some of you I think!

 

[VanIslander]

after everyone makes their picks, sure, since it's the last draft

give me until monday morning please before doing so

I am having trouble finding a worthy center. Tomorrow I shall tackle that for a couple of hours and make that pick along with the right winger I am sure I want.

I could have drafted eight left wingers and ten defensemen. Center has been the hardest position for me to fill. This is unusual.

 

[VanIslander]

Chris Gratton

* 6'4, 230 lbs.
* 1092 NHL games played, 568 NHL points
* led Sabres in goals (6), 2nd in points (10) in 2001 playoffs despite 18th in ice time (12:33 av.)

ASSETS: Has a great combination of size and two-way savvy. Displays decent hands and a mean streak. Is solid on face-offs and sound defensively.

FLAWS: Has questionable hockey sense, which limits him in the scoring department. Isn't as complete a player as his package suggests.

 

[VanIslander]

David Backes

* 6'3 225 lbs
* 193 points over 331 NHL games
* 3 points in 2010 Olympics, Silver medal
* 72 PIM and 9 points over three World Championships

ASSETS: Has size, hockey sense, a nose for the net and plenty of grit and determination. Is a tremendous body checker. Can play both center and wing.

FLAWS: Sometimes, he is too aggressive and gets caught out of position or takes bad penalties. His scoring lacks consistency.

 

[VanIslander]

I enjoyed this as usual.

Quebec Bulldogs

Coach: Orval Tessier

Valeri Bure - Paul Stastny - Jonathan Cheechoo
Mariusz Czerkawski - Viktor Kozlov - Martin Erat
Brent Gilchrist - Tomas Plekanec - Mikael Samuelsson
Shjon Podein - Chris Gratton - David Backes
Donald Brashear - Todd Elik

Brooks Orpik - John-Michael Liles
Rob Scuderi - Frantisek Kaberle
Murray Baron - Fedor Tyutin
Paul Baxter

Bill Beveridge
Jorma Valtonen​

I think my best picks were: Stastny, Gilchrist, Samuelsson, Orpik, Liles, Kaberle, Baxter, Valtonen, Tessier. I guess Cheechoo and Beveridge were B draft good, but they wouldn't have made my A or AA teams. Erat and Tyutin I think so underrated. Backes has had a short career but has been a key impact player for the Blues since day one, not always shown on the stat sheet.

 

[seventieslord]

ZM - don`t forget Podein. He was a great pick.