Your Countries ALL-TIME Olympic Team...1980 and above

[AmericanDream]

For the sake of keeping things somewhat recent and modern, if you make a team consisting of your all-time greatest players (obviously can include current players), you cannot include any player who played prior to 1979 in the NHL and Europe...I will allow any player who started off in the WHA....wink wink Gretzky..

So basically if they played professional hockey NHL/European pro league prior to the 1979-1980 season please do not use them no matter how great they were..I want to keep this pretty much from 1980 to current as most members can comment from that timeline.

I will put together an all-time 1980 and beyond USA Olympic hockey team!

23 man rosters total!!

Click to read more...

 

[Zine]

So if a player was a rookie in 78-79 and played the rest of his career post-1980, he should be omitted? Yikes!

 

[AmericanDream]

So if a player was a rookie in 78-79 and played the rest of his career post-1980, he should be omitted? Yikes!

correct.

 

[Brewster]

Off the top of my head:

Team Canada >1980

Shanahan Gretzky Francis
Yzerman Lemieux Lindros
Crosby Messier Gilmour
Hawerchuk Sakic Brind'Amour
Fleury

Niedermayer Bourque
Coffey Pronger
MacInnis Stevens
Blake

Roy
Brodeur
Fuhr

Probably made some glaring omissions.

I tried to balance the lines a bit by throwing a physical player on each forward trio, hence Shanahan above Yzerman on the first line.

 

[Ogelthorpe]

Off the top of my head:

Team Canada >1980

Shanahan Lemieux Francis
Yzerman Crosby Lindros
Robitaille Sakic Gilmour
Recchi Hawerchuk Brind'Amour
Fleury

Niedermayer Pronger
Coffey Stevens
MacInnis Blake
Weber

Roy
Brodeur
Fuhr

Probably made some glaring omissions.

I tried to balance the lines a bit by throwing a physical player on each forward trio, hence Shanahan above Yzerman on the first line.

That lineup is just sick!

 

[TonsofPuppies*]

What about Messier? His first NHL season was 79-80.

 

[AmericanDream]

What about Messier? His first NHL season was 79-80.

hahaha I was going to say that...Messier, Bourque and Gretzky all 79-80...and all can be used!

 

[AmericanDream]

Off the top of my head:

Team Canada >1980

Shanahan Lemieux Francis
Yzerman Crosby Lindros
Robitaille Sakic Gilmour
Recchi Hawerchuk Brind'Amour
Fleury

Niedermayer Pronger
Coffey Stevens
MacInnis Blake
Weber

Roy
Brodeur
Fuhr

Probably made some glaring omissions.

I tried to balance the lines a bit by throwing a physical player on each forward trio, hence Shanahan above Yzerman on the first line.

...hey I think you need a few centers on that squad!!! holy crap!

 

[Brewster]

hahaha I was going to say that...Messier, Bourque and Gretzky all 79-80...and all can be used!

EDIT: Nevermind, I just read the part in the OP which said professional league experience and assumed WHA counted.

And yes, I forgot Bourque (fixed).

 

[AmericanDream]

a real quick stab at the US as this needs a lot of thought!!!


Tkachuk - Modano - Kessel
Amonte - Roenick -Kane
Parise - Lafontaine - Hull
J. Mullen - Weight - Leclair
Guerin


I want Kevin Stevens on this team, just dont know where to put him!!

just missing - Kesler, Drury, Janney, Young, Smolinski, Cole, Gomez, Granato, Olczyk, Carpenter, Gionta, Ryan, Callahan, Brown, Otto, Broten, Mark Johnson, Dave Christian, etc..too many

Chelios - Leetch
G. Suter - R. Suter
K. Hatcher - D. Hatcher
Rafalski - Housley

just missing : Schnieder, Iafrate, Ramsey, Orpik, J. Johnson, Berard, Ludwig, etc

Richter
Miller
Quick

....man I know I forgot a ton of guys, but it is tough as soo many players I wanted to put...especially at goalie with Beezer, Dipietro, Thomas and Barasso...

I have to put more thought in on that defense as well...I know I am leaving off a few guys

 

[AmericanDream]

Messier can't be used because he played in the WHA in 1978-1979.

And yes, I forgot Bourque (fixed).

I said I would allow those young players that played WHA in 78-79, but either way Canada is just ridiculously stacked.

 

[FiLe]

Team Finland would look something like this:

Jere Lehtinen - Saku Koivu - Teemu Selänne
Esa Tikkanen - Raimo Helminen - Jari Kurri
Ville Peltonen - Olli Jokinen - Sami Kapanen
Ville Nieminen - Mikko Koivu - Jarkko Ruutu
Tuomo Ruutu

Kimmo Timonen - Sami Salo
Jyrki Lumme - Reijo Ruotsalainen
Teppo Numminen - Timo Jutila
Petteri Nummelin

Miikka Kiprusoff
Antero Niittymäki
Ari Sulander

 

[TonsofPuppies*]

hahaha I was going to say that...Messier, Bourque and Gretzky all 79-80...and all can be used!

M. Messier - W. Gretzky - M. Lemieux
L. Robitaille - J. Sakic - S. Yzerman
B. Shanahan - E. Lindros - D. Hawerchuk
D. Savard - R. Francis - M. Recchi

A. MacInnis - P. Coffey
R. Blake - R. Bourque
S. Stevens - S. Neidermayer

R. Roy
M. Brodeur
C. Joseph

 

[theicebox]

just missing - Gomez

Um... I believe the prompt called for the terms 'all-time' and 'great'.

 

[TonsofPuppies*]

a real quick stab at the US as this needs a lot of thought!!!


Tkachuk - Modano - Kessel
Amonte - Roenick -Kane
Parise - Weight - Hull
J. Mullen - Kesler - Leclair
Guerin


I want Kevin Stevens on this team, just dont know where to put him!!

just missing - Janney, Young, Smolinski, Gomez, Gionta, Ryan, Callahan, Brown, Otto, Broten, Mark Johnson, Dave Christian, etc..too many

Chelios - Leetch
G. Suter - R. Suter
K. Hatcher - D. Hatcher
Rafalski

Richter
Miller
Quick

....man I know I forgot a ton of guys, but it is tough as soo many players I wanted to put...especially at goalie with Beezer, Thomas and Barasso...

I have to put more thought in on that defense as well...I know I am leaving off a few guys

Phil Housley comes to mind.

 

[Bgav]

a real quick stab at the US as this needs a lot of thought!!!


Tkachuk - Modano - Kessel
Amonte - Roenick -Kane
Parise - Weight - Hull
J. Mullen - Kesler - Leclair
Guerin


I want Kevin Stevens on this team, just dont know where to put him!!

just missing - Janney, Young, Smolinski, Gomez, Gionta, Ryan, Callahan, Brown, Otto, Broten, Mark Johnson, Dave Christian, etc..too many

Chelios - Leetch
G. Suter - R. Suter
K. Hatcher - D. Hatcher
Rafalski

Richter
Miller
Quick

....man I know I forgot a ton of guys, but it is tough as soo many players I wanted to put...especially at goalie with Beezer, Thomas and Barasso...



I have to put more thought in on that defense as well...I know I am leaving off a few guys

Pat lafontaine?

 

[RandV]

Just doing the forward lineup, I made each line out of a player from the 80's, 90's, and 2000's:

Sakic-Gretzky-Stamkos
Crosby-Lemieux-Hawerchuk
Messier-Lindros-Iginla
Shanahan-Yzerman-Tavares

 

[Joe Zanussi]

I love this game....will think about it for a few days.

I'm only half-way kidding when I say, "because he's Chris Drury".

American Hero.

 

[weklof]

For Sweden:

Henrik Lundqvist
Tommy Salo

Nicklas Lidström - Kenny Jönsson
Erik Karlsson - Calle Johansson
Ulf Samuelsson - Mattias Öhlund
Tommy Albelin

Markus Näslund - Peter Forsberg - Daniel Alfredsson
Henrik Zetterberg - Mats Sundin - Mikael Renberg
Daniel Sedin - Henrik Sedin - Tomas Sandström
Fredrik Modin - Nicklas Bäckström - Loui Eriksson
Michael Nylander

 

[Hennessy]

For Sweden:

Henrik Lundqvist
Tommy Salo

Nicklas Lidström - Kenny Jönsson
Erik Karlsson - Calle Johansson
Ulf Samuelsson - Mattias Öhlund
Tommy Albelin

Markus Näslund - Peter Forsberg - Daniel Alfredsson
Henrik Zetterberg - Mats Sundin - Mikael Renberg
Daniel Sedin - Henrik Sedin - Tomas Sandström
Fredrik Modin - Nicklas Bäckström - Loui Eriksson
Michael Nylander

Mats Naslund.

For that matter, HÃ¥kan Loob, Kent Nilsson and Tomas Jonsson.

 

[RedLeader]

For Sweden:

Henrik Lundqvist
Tommy Salo

Nicklas Lidström - Kenny Jönsson
Erik Karlsson - Calle Johansson
Ulf Samuelsson - Mattias Öhlund
Kronwall

Markus Näslund - Peter Forsberg - Daniel Alfredsson
Henrik Zetterberg - Mats Sundin - Loob
Daniel Sedin - Henrik Sedin - Renberg
Franzen - Nicklas Bäckström - Loui Eriksson
Michael Nylander

My alterations.

 

[RedLeader]

Mats Naslund.

For that matter, HÃ¥kan Loob, Kent Nilsson and Tomas Jonsson.

Bolded played professional hockey before 79-80.

 

[Hennessy]

Bolded played professional hockey before 79-80.

Nilsson was in the WHA, Jonsson didn't start with the Islanders until '81.

Edit: Just read the OP again, and see that it penalizes Europe but not the WHA. That's absurd.

 

[AmericanDream]

Pat lafontaine?

hahaha again I did it on the fly!!! I certainly missed Housley and Lafontaine, especially Patty who is my favorite all-time player!!!

 

[AmericanDream]

Um... I believe the prompt called for the terms 'all-time' and 'great'.

Gomez gets made fun of a lot nowadays, but he was one of the best centers in the game for a good 5-6 year stretch...he is in the honorable mention group and belongs there.