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Mabuhay Red Wings

All-Time Olympic Teams?

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With this thread, I'm hoping to take advantage of the fact that LGW has a lot of fans from all over the world.

If you could put together a national team per country but had the freedom to use any player from any time in history as they are in their prime, what would those teams look like and who would get gold, silver and bronze?

-Would Lidstrom and Salming make a good defensive combination?

-Would Fedorov or Larionov (or someone else) be Russia's #1 center?

-Would Crosby make Team Canada's top six?

-Which Koivu brother, if any, would fit best with Selanne and Tikkanen as wingers?

-Which wingers would flank LaFontaine?

-Who goes where on Team Slovakia/Team Czech Republic if you went beyond the 94 Olympics?

-Etc.

Let's have some fun with this one. :)

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Lemieux - Gretzky - Howe

Hull - Esposito - Richard

Messier - Yzerman - Morenz

Sakic - Trottier - Lafleur

Orr - Harvey

Bourque - Robinson

Potvin - Shore

Roy

Sawchuk

Of course Crosby won't make this team. Hasn't played long enough. I also notice that all these rosters will have too few wingers as compared to centers.

Edited by GMRwings1983

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Kharlamov - Fedorov - Mikhailov

Ovechkin - Datsyuk - Bure

Larionov - Bobrov - Makarov

Kovalchuk - Maltsev - Firsov

Fetisov - Zubov

Kasatanov - Ragulin

Vasiliev - Konstantinov

Tretiak

Khabibulin

Thanks for keeping this thread going, GMR! :thumbup:

I don't know about Datsyuk as the 2nd line center though. And Larionov on the wing? I'd like to know the reasoning behind that one.

And no Krutov? I thought the KLM line would be a lock for sure in people's minds but I don't really know.

Lemieux - Gretzky - Howe

Hull - Esposito - Richard

Messier - Yzerman - Morenz

Sakic - Trottier - Lafleur

Orr - Harvey

Bourque - Robinson

Potvin - Shore

Roy

Sawchuk

Of course Crosby won't make this team. Hasn't played long enough. I also notice that all these rosters will have too few wingers as compared to centers.

Yeah Crosby hasn't played long enough. He's still an extremely rare insane talent though.

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Thanks for keeping this thread going, GMR! :thumbup:

I don't know about Datsyuk as the 2nd line center though. And Larionov on the wing? I'd like to know the reasoning behind that one.

And no Krutov? I thought the KLM line would be a lock for sure in people's minds but I don't really know.

I wasn't really thinking of line combos as much as I was what players to include. No way do I think Datsyuk is the 2nd best Russian center ever. I'm not even sure Fedorov would be the best. Like I said, there's too many centers and not enough wingers.

Krutov was good, but the best player from the old Soviet teams I left off the list was Petrov. Actually, I'm dead set on every forward I chose, except for Kovalchuk. I was thinking of possibly putting Mogilny on that list, but changed my mind at the last minute for Kovalchuk.

I'm hoping some of the Swedish posters will give us their Swedish rosters, and the same with the Finns. That's a little out of my league.

Edited by GMRwings1983

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I wasn't really thinking of line combos as much as I was what players to include. No way do I think Datsyuk is the 2nd best Russian center ever. I'm not even sure Fedorov would be the best. Like I said, there's too many centers and not enough wingers.

Krutov was good, but the best player from the old Soviet teams I left off the list was Petrov. Actually, I'm dead set on every forward I chose, except for Kovalchuk. I was thinking of possibly putting Mogilny on that list, but changed my mind at the last minute for Kovalchuk.

I'm hoping some of the Swedish posters will give us their Swedish rosters, and the same with the Finns. That's a little out of my league.

Ah okay. Fair enough.

And yeah I can't wait for the Swedish and Finnish posters to make a reply. I know one of them will come up with at least something. I had a strange feeling the other day that the all time Swedish team would look strangely similar to the 2006 Gold medal winning team except it would include Borje Salming or something like that.

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I'm assuming they'd have to be on an Olympic roster to qualify...

Parise-Modano(A)-Hull

Amonte-Roenick-Kane

Tkachuk-Weight-Guerin

Eruzione©-LaFontaine-Backes

Chelios(A)-Rafalski

Hatcher-Leetch

Schneider-G. Suter

Miller

Craig :cool:

Stastney

J. Johnson

Brooks

Flame away! This is the result of a bottle of Absolut, so I feel no shame.

Edit- I'll include LaFontaine because, well, I have to. But really, I can't knock down Modano, the all-time US scorer or Roenick, and I love Tkachuk-Weight paired together... Guerin or Drury? I'll take Guerin, I suppose. Yeah, LaFontaine was really really good but... I dunno. I'm not getting that vibe.

Edited by InKennyWeTrust

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O. Jokinen-S. Koivu-T. Selänne

T. Ruutu-M. Koivu-J. Kurri

N. Hagman-N. Kapanen-J. Lehtinen

V. Peltonen-R. Helminen-S. Kapanen

+ E. Keskinen, J. Ojanen

J. Lumme-T. Numminen

P. Nummelin-R. Ruotsalainen

K. Timonen-J. Laukkanen

+ T. Jutila

A. Niittymäki

J. Myllys

+ M. Kiprusoff

Great offensive talent, but also good two-way players. Great offensive defenseman and fantastic goaltender in Niittymäki (MVP in 2006).

The lines are more about "chemistry", so Hagman isn't necessary better than Peltonen for example.

Edited by Finnish Wing

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As far as notable pre-Lillehammer players for Czechoslovakia break down, here's a few.

Stastny brothers >>> Slovakia.

Vladimir Ruzicka, Jan Suchy, Vaclav Nedomansky, Jiri Hrdina, Ivan Hlinka, Vladimir Martinec, Frantisek Kaberle, Sr. >>> Czech Republic.

Thanks for that!

I'm assuming they'd have to be on an Olympic roster to qualify...

Parise-Modano(A)-Hull

Amonte-Roenick-Kane

Tkachuk-Weight-Guerin

Eruzione©-LaFontaine-Backes

Chelios(A)-Rafalski

Hatcher-Leetch

Schneider-G. Suter

Miller

Craig :cool:

Stastney

J. Johnson

Brooks

Flame away! This is the result of a bottle of Absolut, so I feel no shame.

Edit- I'll include LaFontaine because, well, I have to. But really, I can't knock down Modano, the all-time US scorer or Roenick, and I love Tkachuk-Weight paired together... Guerin or Drury? I'll take Guerin, I suppose. Yeah, LaFontaine was really really good but... I dunno. I'm not getting that vibe.

That must have been one really damn good bottle of Absolut because I don't see how Lafontaine is not in the top six.

O. Jokinen-S. Koivu-T. Selänne

T. Ruutu-M. Koivu-J. Kurri

N. Hagman-N. Kapanen-J. Lehtinen

V. Peltonen-R. Helminen-S. Kapanen

+ E. Keskinen, J. Ojanen

J. Lumme-T. Numminen

P. Nummelin-R. Ruotsalainen

K. Timonen-J. Laukkanen

+ T. Jutila

A. Niittymäki

J. Myllys

+ M. Kiprusoff

Great offensive talent, but also good two-way players. Great offensive defenseman and fantastic goaltender in Niittymäki (MVP in 2006).

The lines are more about "chemistry", so Hagman isn't necessary better than Peltonen for example.

Thanks! Any other Finnish fans on here agree/disagree? I'd comment myself but I don't know enough.

Why no Tikkanen?

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Why no Tikkanen?

Well, although he was on the bronze medal winning team in Nagano that was his only Olympic appearance and he played only 6 Olympic games total finishing with 2 points. I know he did far more than just score points, but still.

Now that I look at it, I don't think Kurri should be there either. I just kinda assumed he was an obvious choice, but there could be better choices - guys who never played in the NHL for example.

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Well, although he was on the bronze medal winning team in Nagano that was his only Olympic appearance and he played only 6 Olympic games total finishing with 2 points. I know he did far more than just score points, but still.

Now that I look at it, I don't think Kurri should be there either. I just kinda assumed he was an obvious choice, but there could be better choices - guys who never played in the NHL for example.

What about Aki Berg and Sami Helenius? They should be on the list.

Also, I always thought Kurri is the best Finnish born player ever. Selanne is the only other player that comes to mind for that title. Are there guys in Finland considered better than him all time?

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I'm assuming they'd have to be on an Olympic roster to qualify...

Parise-Modano(A)-Hull

Amonte-Roenick-Kane

Tkachuk-Weight-Guerin

Eruzione©-LaFontaine-Backes

Chelios(A)-Rafalski

Hatcher-Leetch

Schneider-G. Suter

Miller

Craig :cool:

Stastney

J. Johnson

Brooks

Flame away! This is the result of a bottle of Absolut, so I feel no shame.

Edit- I'll include LaFontaine because, well, I have to. But really, I can't knock down Modano, the all-time US scorer or Roenick, and I love Tkachuk-Weight paired together... Guerin or Drury? I'll take Guerin, I suppose. Yeah, LaFontaine was really really good but... I dunno. I'm not getting that vibe.

Not bad if you were drunk off Vodka, but I'm pretty sure Backes shouldn't be there. Joe Mullen should be on the team for sure. He was the highest scoring US player for a long time. Eruzione also is a stretch to say the least, but I guess you were just joking there. :hehe:

Oh and Jim Craig was not a better goalie than Mike Richter, John Vanbiesbrouck and Tom Barrasso.

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What about Aki Berg and Sami Helenius? They should be on the list.

Also, I always thought Kurri is the best Finnish born player ever. Selanne is the only other player that comes to mind for that title. Are there guys in Finland considered better than him all time?

There is already one overweight player in Jutila so Berg would be too much. Also, no enforcers in the international games my friend - so no Helenius either. :D

I've always seen Kurri as the best all time, but Selanne's performances are giving me a hard time to decide. But it's definitely between them two. Here's a little comparison.

Kurri:

+ more Stanley Cups

+ better stats overall

+ better two-way player

Selanne:

+ considering what the game was like when Kurri played and what it is now, I value Selanne's stats more

+ has been able to stay good late in his career as well, while Kurri had most of his success at a younger age

+ although Selanne had Kariya + some other good guys, Kurri still had WAY better players around him - one who need not to be even mentioned

+ MUCH better player in international games; always great in Olympics

I have to say I almost think Selanne is better. Obviously those Stanley Cups weight a lot in Kurri's cup - he even won one without Gretzky while Gretzky never won without him. But it's just so different nowadays. It's much harder to win one Cup - not to even mention about building a dynasty. Kurri had the "luxury" of being part of a dynasty, although he was big part of it himself. Selanne really hasn't had that.

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Not bad if you were drunk off Vodka, but I'm pretty sure Backes shouldn't be there. Joe Mullen should be on the team for sure. He was the highest scoring US player for a long time. Eruzione also is a stretch to say the least, but I guess you were just joking there. :hehe:

Oh and Jim Craig was not a better goalie than Mike Richter, John Vanbiesbrouck and Tom Barrasso.

Yeah, Backes was a mistake. Eruzione and Craig were purely sentimental calls- I'm split on whether to do best US players or best US Olympians. No way anyone takes Eurizione sober over even Drury. I'da definitely taken Barrasso sober... but then again, it's Wednesday, so I'm back with Craigy again.

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Obviously those Stanley Cups weight a lot in Kurri's cup - he even won one without Gretzky while Gretzky never won without him.

Gretzky also never won without Messier, or Coffey. Yet they both won two Cups without Gretzky.

Gretzky must have been holding back those Edmonton teams all those years.

Joe Mullen won one with Joe Nieuwendyk, but never without. Nieuwendyk won without Mullen. Clearly we've got a passenger here.

And Yzerman? He won three Cups as a player, none without Kris Draper. But Draper won a Cup without Yzerman. I guess we know who the real key player is, right?

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But it's just so different nowadays. It's much harder to win one Cup

I'm not trying to jump on you, but I really wonder if that's the case. Someone like Rick Nash who, while undeniably very talented and very big may never leave Columbus could be denied a cup while someone like Conklin, who has jumped around the league like a bad flea, has been a part of 3 outdoor games. While that's no Stanley Cup, will Columbus ever play an outdoor game?

I would argue that it is harder for greedy good players to win a cup under the salary cap, but role players are more or less interchangeable. Any player making under $2M is expected to do very little and there are less surprises as GM's spend more and more money on players with only potential (Zherdev is a prime example.)

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Gretzky also never won without Messier, or Coffey. Yet they both won two Cups without Gretzky.

Gretzky must have been holding back those Edmonton teams all those years.

Joe Mullen won one with Joe Nieuwendyk, but never without. Nieuwendyk won without Mullen. Clearly we've got a passenger here.

And Yzerman? He won three Cups as a player, none without Kris Draper. But Draper won a Cup without Yzerman. I guess we know who the real key player is, right?

That was nothing but a fun detail. No need to take it so seriously. I don't think Kurri has much on Gretzky in terms of greatness.

I'm not trying to jump on you, but I really wonder if that's the case. Someone like Rick Nash who, while undeniably very talented and very big may never leave Columbus could be denied a cup while someone like Conklin, who has jumped around the league like a bad flea, has been a part of 3 outdoor games. While that's no Stanley Cup, will Columbus ever play an outdoor game?

I would argue that it is harder for greedy good players to win a cup under the salary cap, but role players are more or less interchangeable. Any player making under $2M is expected to do very little and there are less surprises as GM's spend more and more money on players with only potential (Zherdev is a prime example.)

Like I said, I think it's much harder to build a franchise nowadays - therefore winning Cups is also harder. There's the little thing called salary cap. You can't just take all the best players and win five consecutive Cups.

Actually the last team who've even win two consecutive Cups are us and that was - like you all know - over ten years ago. There was no cap back then. The Oilers won four cups in five years. To me that's impossible in today's NHL.

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Well, although he was on the bronze medal winning team in Nagano that was his only Olympic appearance and he played only 6 Olympic games total finishing with 2 points. I know he did far more than just score points, but still.

Now that I look at it, I don't think Kurri should be there either. I just kinda assumed he was an obvious choice, but there could be better choices - guys who never played in the NHL for example.

Given the number of Finns to pick from I am knowledgable about, I would put both on there without a second thought. Kurri did play with Gretzky, but he was WILDLY skilled on his own.

A first line of Kurri and Selanne flanking Olli Jokinen is what I would use; his size provides a dimension the Koivus don't have. I would also dispute the inclusion of both Ruutu and Kapanen. They're not bottom six players, even in international hockey. We've already added Tikkanen, so let's put in Jussi Jokinen, who is much better defensively than either Ruutu or Sami Kapanen. Move Hagman to the fourth line in Sami's place, with Tikkanen joining the third line and vastly improving it. Finally, the second line would be J. Jokinen/Koivu/Koivu. Pick your own Koivu to center the line; but it would probably be Saku.

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Given the number of Finns to pick from I am knowledgable about, I would put both on there without a second thought. Kurri did play with Gretzky, but he was WILDLY skilled on his own.

A first line of Kurri and Selanne flanking Olli Jokinen is what I would use; his size provides a dimension the Koivus don't have. I would also dispute the inclusion of both Ruutu and Kapanen. They're not bottom six players, even in international hockey. We've already added Tikkanen, so let's put in Jussi Jokinen, who is much better defensively than either Ruutu or Sami Kapanen. Move Hagman to the fourth line in Sami's place, with Tikkanen joining the third line and vastly improving it. Finally, the second line would be J. Jokinen/Koivu/Koivu. Pick your own Koivu to center the line; but it would probably be Saku.

Yeah, well I based that team on Olympic performances (because it's an Olympic team, obviously). Now that I re-read the original post I realized it was more about creating the ultimate team, not necessary the best team out of players based on what they've done in the Olympics.

That's why Kapanen is there as well, instead of Jokinen. I also think Kapanen was a good two-way player, used to play defenseman every now and then, had amazing speed.

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Yeah, well I based that team on Olympic performances (because it's an Olympic team, obviously). Now that I re-read the original post I realized it was more about creating the ultimate team, not necessary the best team out of players based on what they've done in the Olympics.

That's why Kapanen is there as well, instead of Jokinen. I also think Kapanen was a good two-way player, used to play defenseman every now and then, had amazing speed.

Not disputing his speed, just his defensive awareness. He always seemed kind of lost in his own zone. Jussi's not quite as fast, but a much better overall player.

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Tough to add players from older days, but here goes for Sweden (feels like I've made some glaring omissions but there you are):

sundin - forsberg - näslund

sedin - sedin - håkan loob

sven tumba johansson - zetterberg - kent nilsson

franzen - bäckström - alfredsson

lidström - salming

kronwall - kenny jönsson

öhlund - norström

Pelle Lindbergh

Henrik Lundqvist

Pekka Lindmark

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Tough to add players from older days, but here goes for Sweden (feels like I've made some glaring omissions but there you are):

sundin - forsberg - näslund

sedin - sedin - håkan loob

sven tumba johansson - zetterberg - kent nilsson

franzen - bäckström - alfredsson

lidström - salming

kronwall - kenny jönsson

öhlund - norström

Pelle Lindbergh

Henrik Lundqvist

Pekka Lindmark

I am a little surprised Franzen made your list. Not because I can think of somebody better but only because I just don't imagine him in the all-time lineup.

Your proposal confirms that I suspected the all-time lineup would look somewhat like the '06 gold medal team.

Thanks for replying!

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