Player Discussion Vancouver Canucks All-Time Team

[ChilliBilly]

Getting more and more confused on these alltime teams - Boeser on the team, let alone over someone like Burrows?

Fair enough, but I could easily sub either of Boeser and Schmautz for Burrows and/or kesler and also Gradin and Sundstrom for Hlinka and/or Larionov. And boeser has a chance to be the highest paid player in Canucks history very shortly.

 

[MS]

One 60-point season from Pettersson does not get him on the All-Time team, or anywhere close.

For the record, based on the Hockey News rankings from a year or two ago, the all-time team would be :

Sedin-Sedin-Bure
Naslund-Linden-Smyl
Boudrias-Kesler-Bertuzzi
Lever-Gradin-Tanti

Ohlund-Snepsts
Lumme-Lidster
Edler-Jovanovski

Luongo
McLean

... which I'd think is pretty close. Would replace Tanti with Burrows and possibly Lidster or Jovanovski with Hamhuis.

 

[WestCoast CyberG]

One 60-point season from Pettersson does not get him on the All-Time team, or anywhere close.

For the record, based on the Hockey News rankings from a year or two ago, the all-time team would be :

Sedin-Sedin-Bure
Naslund-Linden-Smyl
Boudrias-Kesler-Bertuzzi
Lever-Gradin-Tanti

Ohlund-Snepsts
Lumme-Lidster
Edler-Jovanovski

Luongo
McLean

... which I'd think is pretty close. Would replace Tanti with Burrows and possibly Lidster or Jovanovski with Hamhuis.

The list is less about stats and more about a dream team scenario...given that criteria we can overlook the 66 point season and drool over him playing with Bure instead.

 

[vadim sharifijanov]

on each guy’s best possible day in a canucks uniform,

sedin - sedin - 94 playoffs linden or young neely
bure - larionov - mogilny
naslund - pettersson - bertuzzi
burrows - young selanne-killing peca (or manny with two eyes) - kesler

hamhuis - pre-eye injury ohlund
mitchell - jovo
reinhart - ehrhoff

luongo
mclean


more realistically, it should be

sedin - sedin - linden
bure - sundstrom keeping pettersson’s spot warm - mogilny
naslund - gradin - bertuzzi
burrows - kesler - smyl

ohlund - snepsts
lumme - jovo
hamhuis - diduck

captain
captain

 

[sandwichbird2023]

For me, the all-time team should be the best all around team assembled, not the most talented players playing out of positions (ie: Bure on LW, Ohlund on RD, etc). My team would be:
Daniel-Henrik-Burrows (dominated on both end of the ice and possession, unlike the WCE)
Adams-Petterson/Larionov-Bure (best goal scorer in our history, playing with one of the best offensive center (EP). Adams provide some grit and clutch goals. Plug in Larionov for now if you think EP is too unproven. I think EP will show that he belongs, its just a matter of time)
Naslund-Kesler-Bertuzzi (WCE with a better center)
Gelinas-Peca/Malhotra-Linden (top shut down line with some offense. If you think Peca's prime was outside Vancouver, put in Manny).
Extra: Almo (hard to leave him off but can't really put his one great season over Bure or Bert, he might work with the Sedins but Burrows bring grit and a good defensive game to that line, not sure Almo won't hurt the 2-way dominance), Courtnell, Hansen (strictly for the 4th line role).

Ohlund-Salo (very solid on both side of the ice, Salo is very underrated due to injuries)
Edler-Erhroff (excellent offensive duo, reasonably good defensively)
Jovo-Tanev (I think Jovo's offense and physicality combined with Tanev's defense and outlet passes compliment each other well.)
Extra: Hamhuis, Bieksa, Mitchell

Luongo
Schneider
Extra: Mclean

Note: I started following hockey during the 94 run, so I have not included any player before that team, as I didn't watch them play. I'm sure lots of deserving players are left off the team for this reason.

 

[PuckMunchkin]

One 60-point season from Pettersson does not get him on the All-Time team, or anywhere close.

For the record, based on the Hockey News rankings from a year or two ago, the all-time team would be :

Sedin-Sedin-Bure
Naslund-Linden-Smyl
Boudrias-Kesler-Bertuzzi
Lever-Gradin-Tanti

Ohlund-Snepsts
Lumme-Lidster
Edler-Jovanovski

Luongo
McLean

... which I'd think is pretty close. Would replace Tanti with Burrows and possibly Lidster or Jovanovski with Hamhuis.

I like this.

Except for the players I dont know.

 

[krutovsdonut]

seems like everyone forgot greg adams but i love that someone remembered diduck.

players who left early like peca or neely, and players who made their marks or played better elsewhere like mogilny should not be on the list imo.

sedin, sedin, linden, bure, smyl, naslund, burrows, ronning, kesler, adams, gradin, bertuzzi

ohlund, lumme, jovo, edler, salo, lidster

maclean, luongo

 

[David Bruce Banner]

seems like everyone forgot greg adams but i love that someone remembered diduck.

players who left early like peca or neely, and players who made their marks or played better elsewhere like mogilny should not be on the list imo.

sedin, sedin, linden, bure, smyl, naslund, burrows, ronning, kesler, adams, gradin, bertuzzi

ohlund, lumme, jovo, edler, salo, lidster

maclean, luongo

Adams was good, but he was always either injured or getting back up to speed after an injury. Kind of like a forward version of Tanev. There are better options.

Diduck was one of my favourite Canucks... a better Bieksa, if you will. Which still puts him just outside our, admittedly thin, all-time best defensemen.

At least hardly anyone is mentioning Kearns, who sucked... no matter what his number appear to indicate.

 

[MS]

Adams was good, but he was always either injured or getting back up to speed after an injury. Kind of like a forward version of Tanev. There are better options.

Diduck was one of my favourite Canucks... a better Bieksa, if you will. Which still puts him just outside our, admittedly thin, all-time best defensemen.

At least hardly anyone is mentioning Kearns, who sucked... no matter what his number appear to indicate.

Yeah, I loved Greg Adams but he underachieved here to some extent and was injury prone. Only 1 season over 30 goals or 60 points, and that was in his first season with the team.

Harold Snepsts is a guy who gets really underrated historically. Like, I remember a bit of him as a kid as a kinda crappy old depth defender with a silly moustache and bald head ... but going back and watching games from 1982 the guy was a force and probably an Adam Foote-level player. Stands out as obviously the best defender on the team and probably the best player in old games I've been able to find.

 

[Javaman]

I was at the game where Adams scored the goal that sent the Canucks into the '94 finals.

Loved the moment, but still can't put him on the all time team.

 

[vadim sharifijanov]

seems like everyone forgot greg adams but i love that someone remembered diduck.

players who left early like peca or neely, and players who made their marks or played better elsewhere like mogilny should not be on the list imo.

sedin, sedin, linden, bure, smyl, naslund, burrows, ronning, kesler, adams, gradin, bertuzzi

ohlund, lumme, jovo, edler, salo, lidster

maclean, luongo

i loved gus but if i had to add one winger to the all-time team who was not elite and not a captain (and not burrows, who imo was absolutely an elite defensive winger), it would be courtnall not adams. adams had the back to back OT goals but courtnall was still the clutchest canuck ever, by far.

Diduck was one of my favourite Canucks... a better Bieksa, if you will. Which still puts him just outside our, admittedly thin, all-time best defensemen.

diduck was what don cherry and others pretend bieksa was, a tough dependable brain-having rock on the back end. what he really was, and i enjoyed bieksa tremendously though i also yelled at him through the tv a million times. was a high event B+ offence guy who had very limited on-ice awareness, with fists of steel and a smart mouth.

diduck/babych is still my fav shutdown pair ever, followed by mitchell/salo’s brief tantalizing run.

 

[MS]

i loved gus but if i had to add one winger to the all-time team who was not elite and not a captain (and not burrows, who imo was absolutely an elite defensive winger), it would be courtnall not adams. adams had the back to back OT goals but courtnall was still the clutchest canuck ever, by far.



diduck was what don cherry and others pretend bieksa was, a tough dependable brain-having rock on the back end. what he really was, and i enjoyed bieksa tremendously though i also yelled at him through the tv a million times. was a high event B+ offence guy who had very limited on-ice awareness, with fists of steel and a smart mouth.

diduck/babych is still my fav shutdown pair ever, followed by mitchell/salo’s brief tantalizing run.

Bieksa is one of the weirdest players ever.

In terms of actual play when the clock was ticking, the closest Canuck comparable is probably Jyrki Lumme - a swashbuckling, risk-taking offensive defender who was erratic defensively (not necessarily poor - some very good stretches and some awful stretches) and not very physical. Then after the whistle he was nasty as hell in scrums and pound-for-pound one of the best fighters in NHL history.

But that fighting ability got him billed as a 'physical defensive beast' by most of the media which he simply wasn't at all.