GMRwings1983

I forgot to mention, I still think the Flyers will take us in 5.

Finally, we're starting to look like a Cup contender on defense. We had one bad turnover by Rafalski, but other than that, I thought they team looked good again. The offense will be there as long as we're healthy. Things are shaping up well.

At the same time, against Nashville that team need a game 5 OT goal and a game 6 goal from center ice to dispatch the Predators. That's what makes the playoffs so tough. Part of being dominant is putting teams away when you should. The Wings aren't as good at that as we used to be. Just look how many home games we've blown the last few years, where we had a chance to finish someone off. That hardly ever happened when Yzerman was here with the previous squads. These last few seasons, I don't see the killer instinct as often from the Wings.

Very well written. Good to see someone on LGW has some actual talents. Can you please write one about the Penguins too?

I agree. Our run in 2002 was no more dominant than the other years. In fact, I think we had two sweeps in 1997 and were never pushed beyond 6 games. As you said, 2002 had some really close calls in the playoffs. Going into Colorado down 3-2 was no fun. I agree on the Montreal team. I believe that was before they even had overtimes in regular seasons, let alone shootouts. Imagine how many games that team could have won with these rules.

I've never heard anyone in hockey mention him as one of the best leaders ever. He's always had a reputation as a big whiner, which is contrary to what one expects from a great leader. He didn't have the greatest work ethic either. Guy was great because he was so physically gifted.

Not a chance. On paper, 2008 doesn't compare with either team in any area of the game. Either offense, defense, goaltending or coaching. I mean that team had freaking Samuelsson on the powerplay.

French Canadian coach. I wouldn't have a problem with it. There are plenty of good French Canadian coaches, contrary to what the OP thinks. Just look at Guy Boucher in Tampa right now.

It'd be awesome if he takes off his suit in the press box, revealing a Wings jersey underneath.

I should mention that I agree with the article on the 77 Canadiens being the best team ever. I also agree with their rankings of the 56 Canadiens, 84 Oilers and 82 Islanders in order. Can't remember the last time I read a rankings article on any topic where I agreed this much.

Bogosian for Hudler and a pick. We can only dream.

I also think the 94 thing is overrated. Messier was great in those playoffs, but not as great as Leetch and Richter were for them. Also, as egroen mentioned, half their roster comprised of former Oiler players. They didn't have to rebuild from scratch at any point. Finally, don't forget that Messier wasn't even the captain for his first 9 or so years in Edmonton. Gretzky was the captain, and Messier basically inherited a very talented team to lead. He never had to lead a team from the dumps into the promise land. Good leader and a top 5 captain, but not the best captain ever. As for Vancouver, I know that didn't turn out well, but that team was never a Cup contender. They could never challenge Detroit, Dallas, Colorado, Philly or New Jersey. No one should have expected otherwise.

I'll try to be analytical about this by comparing players. Defense 1997 had a top 4 of Murphy, Lidstrom, Fetisov and Konstantinov. 2002 had Lidstrom, Olausson, Chelios and Fischer. The bottom pairing in 97 was Rouse and Ward, while in 2002 it was Dandenault and Duchesne. I don't think anyone will argue 97 was stronger in the defensive part of the ice, as well as more physical. We're talking three Hall of Famers and one in Vladdy that was one of the best in the league. Goaltending Hasek is better than Vernon. You can say Osgood was a better backup than Legace, but technically it shouldn't matter since Hasek won all 16 games. In terms of starting goalies, 2002 wins easily. Offense This is where things get interesting. Fedorov, Yzerman, Shanahan and Larionov were all better players in 97 than in 2002. The Grind Line is pretty much a wash, although I could argue they were more physical in 97, hence more effective. At the same time, I think Draper and Maltby were both better defensively by 2002. Also, I think Kozlov was a better player offensively in 97 than Robitaille was by 2002, as Luc was past his prime. That leaves Kocur, Brown, Lapointe and Sandstrom for 97, and leaves Datsyuk, Deveraux, Hull, and Holmstrom for 2002. Obviously, 2002 would have more skill there, while 97 would have more grit. At the end of the day, I think the offensive advantage goes to 2002, because there was a little more firepower, and even though the top 4 forwards were better players in 97, they were good enough in 2002 to still dominate in the playoffs, which they did. Verdict I'll have to go against my fellow grit loving posters, and actually say that 2002 would probably win a best of 7 series. Too much firepower and a better goalie that could steal a playoff series. Also, I'd be amiss to mention that they had a much better regular season, meaning they had a better overall season from beginning to end. I don't think the 97 team even won the division if I'm not mistaken.

Bourque was a great captain. Reason he wasn't mentioned is because the list narrowed it down to 5 players only. At least that's why I didn't mention him. He'd probably be a candidate for top 10 captains if I had to put that together.

It is an overpayment, but in comparison, he's no more overpaid than some of the other players in the league. Guys like Brian Campbell or Jeff Finger are just some that come to mind.

I hate Clarke more than anyone here, but I won't discredit his reputation as a leader for that franchise. He was the heart and soul of those Flyers teams, and not just their best player.

I believe he was a 96 overall in my NHL 2000 game. Meaning at one time, he was certainly one of the top 10 players in hockey. His career has fizzled out with age, like it has and should for most 40 year olds, regardless of injuries. Very few exceptions to this.

Scott Stevens should have been there. So should Bobby Clarke. I'd take Gretzky out and probably Sakic. Can't argue with Yzerman, Beliveau and Messier. They should be on anyone's top 5.

Then this great leader should have joined the team in the offseason with the intention of playing a full year. We saw this same crap with Selanne a few years ago, granted he was a member of the Ducks the previous year. The NHL should find a way to crackdown on players joining teams like this mid season, instead of trying to crack down on brawls.

Younger players who have to fight for roster spots. It's not fair for a guy to just join a team mid season without even working for it. I know he was good for them 10 years ago, but that shouldn't concern this current team and give him privileges to act like he's above other players. Did he even inform them before the season that he may consider coming back? It's just unprofessional from all parties. He should have made his intentions earlier or tried to join the team in training camp.

Their primes were 2007 until now. Technically, I think Hank was better a few years ago. Pavel has never played better than now. However, in five years, Datsyuk will be 37 and Zetterberg will be 35. That's being past your prime in sports terminology. Doesn't mean they won't still be important contributors, but certainly not in their prime. Not to mention Zetterberg always seems to be playing through injuries of some kind. Will his body get much better at healing when he's 35? Doubt it. That's why if we win more Cups, it'll have to happen now. We're already the oldest team in the league pretty much every year. The window of opportunity is now. Anything beyond that is uncertain.

We'd have to replace Lidstrom first. He won't be around for another 3 Cups. Also, it's tougher to be a dynasty with a salary cap. We've done pretty well since the cap (better than anyone), but you can't just buy Cups anymore. Too much parity and hot goalies. Hence, we've seen some early exits the last 10 years. Zetterberg and Datsyuk won't be around in 10 years. Hell, in 5 years, they'll both be well past their prime. Now we can assume Holland (if he's still here) will try to bring in new stars like he did this past generation, but it's very unlikely we can continue to dominate. Every dynasty must end sometime. Will Ilitch even be alive in 10 years? Bottom line is that these 3 or more Cups would have to happen in the next few seasons. To say it will happen in 8 or 9 years is stretching it.

This Flyers team is a lot more rounded than the one in 97. Deeper offensively and defensively. Maybe, but it would have to be some really hot goalie. Miller or Price. Even then I don't see it happening.

Right now they are the favorites to win the Stanley Cup. Goaltending is still a question, but last year they almost won the Cup with numerous goalies being rotated out of the lineup. This will be a hungrier and better team than last year. If we make the Finals, I hope they're not the team we face in the East. And we don't have the same team we had in 97, in case anyone wants to make that stupid point.

I think the Divealanche organization is also to blame for this. What the f*** were they thinking? They know this guy is fragile physically and would be a distraction to a team he never joined in training camp. There are harder working players in the minors who try to make it to the big leagues, while this drama queen gets a free pass mid season whenever he wants. What in his recent history made them think this would work? Now they've got a pathetic joke on their hands and an explanation they owe to their fans.