SHUFFLING THE DECK

Can Anyone Challenge Canadiens in Hockey HOF Remix?

 

By Glenn Guzzo

 

            The brains behind Strat-O-Matic’s breakthrough Hockey Hall of Fame ratings worked overtime to divide the 230 players in 12 relatively equal teams. You’ll find them divided that way in the computer game, bearing the name of a dozen famous captains.

 

            But Strat-O-Matic has always attracted “What-If” gamers and a set without stock teams invites all sorts of tinkering. Among the likeliest efforts is forming all-time franchise teams, at least for the Original Six NHL teams who have been placing alumni into the Hall of Fame for generations.

 

            Discarding the dozens of carded HOFers who didn’t actually play in the NHL, and doing slight tinkering to fill the Chicago and Detroit rosters with players who played some of those teams but more for another, it’s possible to put together a nice eight-team league.

 

Montreal, winner of 23 Stanley Cups – more than Boston, Chicago, Detroit and New York combined – can fill two lustrous teams, one consisting of pre-World War II Canadiens, the other of post-War Habs.     

 

            The eighth team is a spectacular unit of expansion-franchise alumni. Although none of those franchises has been around long enough to place nearly enough players in the Hall to complete a roster, combining the greatest players from Edmonton, the New York Islanders, the Philadelphia Flyers and others makes a formidable unit.

 

            It is perhaps the only other squad that could challenge the post-War Canadiens for supremacy over the long haul. That’s even after losing the great Marcel Dionne to the Red Wings.

 

Here’s how the card set could be divided into these eight teams, starting with the favorites. Where feasible, players who actually were on lines together are listed that way here, as are defensive pairings. The expansion-era stars are teamed by franchise where feasible. (Lines are shown as center-left wing-right wing):

 

Post-War Montreal

(a franchise so great that three lines were all actual lines during various mini-dynasties)

 

Goal: Ken Dryden, Bill Durnan, Jacques Plante

 

Defense: Guy Lapointe and Larry Robinson; Serge Savard and Jacques Laperriere; Doug Harvey and Tom Johnson; Butch Bouchard and Ken Reardon

 

1^st Line: Jacques Lemaire-Steve Shutt-Guy Lafleur

2^nd Line: Elmer Lach-Toe Blake-Maurice Richard

3^rd Line: Jean Beliveau-Dickie Moore-Bernard Geoffrion

4^th Line: Henri Richard-Bert Olmstead-Yvan Cournoyer

extra left wing: Bob Gainey

 

Expansion All-Stars

 

Goal: Grant Fuhr, Bernie Parent, Patrick Roy, Billy Smith

Defense: Scott Stevens and Denis Potvin; Rod Langway and Larry Murphy; Paul Coffey

1^st Line: Wayne Gretzky-Mark Messier-Jari Kurri (all Edmonton)

2^nd Line: Bryan Trottier-Clark Gillies-Mike Bossy (all Islanders)

3^rd Line: Mario Lemieux-Michel Goulet-Joe Mullen

4^th Line: Bobby Clarke-Bill Barber-Mike Gartner

extra centers: Bernie Federko, Dale Hawerchuk, Pat Lafontaine, Gil Perreault, Peter Stastny

 

Toronto

 

Goal: Johnny Bower, Turk Broda

Defense: Allan Stanley and Tim Horton; Borje Salming and King Clancy; Hap Day and Red Horner

1^st Line: Dave Keon-Frank Mahovlich-George Armstrong

2^nd Line: Darryl Sittler-Bob Pulford-Lanny McDonald

3^rd Line: Ted Kennedy-Harry Watson-Ace Bailey

4^th Line: Joe Primeau-Busher Jackson-Charlie Conacher

5^th Line: Syl Apps-Sweeney Schriner-Gordie Drillon

 

 

Detroit

 

Goal: Terry Sawchuk, Harry Lumley

Defense: Viacheslav Fetisov and Red Kelly; Marcel Pronovost and Bill Quackenbush; Jack Stewart and Ebbie Goodfellow

1^st Line: Sid Abel-Ted Lindsay-Gordie Howe

2^nd Line: Norm Ullman-Syd Howe-Marcel Dionne

3^rd Line: Alex Delvecchio-Herbie Lewis-Steve Yzerman

 

 

Boston

 

Goal: Frank Brimsek, Gerry Cheever, Tiny Thompson

Defense: Ray Bourque and Bobby Orr; Leo Boivin and Eddie Shore; Fern Flaman

1^st Line: Phil Esposito-Johnny Bucyk-Dit Clapper

2^nd Line: Milt Schmidt-Woody Dumart-Bobby Bauer

3^rd Line: Bill Cowley-Marty Barry-Harry Oliver

extra center: Conney Weiland

 

 

Pre-War Montreal

(from several Montreal and Quebec teams)

 

Goal: George Hainsworth, Georges Vezina

Defense: Jack Laviolette and Art Ross; Sprague Cleghorn and Herb Gardiner; Lionel Conacher and Sylvio Mantha; Joe Hall

1^st Line: Howie Morenz-Joe Malone-Aurel Joliat

2^nd Line: Buddy O’Connor-Newsy Lalonde-Didier Pitre

3^rd Line: Nels Stewart-Tommy Smith-Hooley Smith

 

 

New York Rangers

 

Goal: Eddie Giacomin, Chuck Rayner, Gump Worsley

Defense: Ching Johnson and Brad Park; Babe Pratt and Harry Howell; Neil Colville and Art Coulter; Lester Patrick

1^st Line: Jean Ratelle-Andy Bathgate-Rod Gilbert

2^nd Line: Frank Boucher-Bun Cook-Bill Cook

3^rd Line: Edgard LaPrade-Lynn Patrick-Bryan Hextall

 

 

Chicago

 

Goal: Tony Esposito, Chuck Gardiner, Glenn Hall, Hugh Lehman

Defense: Bill Gadsby and Pierre Pilote, Earl Seibert and Cyclone Taylor

1^st Line: Stan Mikita-Bobby Hull-Barney Stanley

2^nd Line: Max Bentley-Doug Bentley-Bill Mosienko

3^rd Line: Denis Savard–Roy Conacher-Duke Keats

4^th Line: Dick Irvin-Clint Smith-Mickey MacKay