Hittin Da Lynx: The State of the League Address

By Spezzal Teams Playa


My fellow Canadians North Americans, the state of the Sports Talk Pool is good.

Never before in our nation's history have we seen so much activity, from so many sources. All 20 of us are routinely active in a league which requires finesse and attention to detail, if not everyday, then at least every Monday and every Thursday. Our sister league, the STP Baseball Dynasty, enjoys almost complete participation as well, with at least 19 teams playing daily.

But it is here, on this blog, where the fruits of that participation are felt most. Before the month is out, we are expected to pass the 100-story threshold, which is amazing when you consider that this season began with only 50 stories in the archives after the first eleven months of publishing. In fact, I felt that because so many articles have been published here lately, that I should put up a post that detailed those articles, in order to make them easier to locate. The sheer volume of material may have buried some of the features before they could be read by all, so think of this as one of those baseball cards called the Checklist. Got it? Got it. Need it, got it, got it ....

• First off, where would this blog be without the more than a dozen Carnac the Guru installments over the past two weeks. The most amazing edition has to be the one when Boston was leading their series, three games to one. <Carnac Predicts the Impossible>
  
  
• On top of those daily features, our friend the Hockey Guru has also provided daily updates to our playoff hockey pool, despite his own obvious lack of a hope in Hell. <Playoff Hockey Pool: May Madness>
  
  
• Will-He-M continued where he left off last season, when he started publishing a 30-part series that documented the histories of each MLB teams' top players. To those of you reading this while at work, no need to worry about nudity and swearing. And chances are your boss would engage in the discussion, even if he did catch you fornicating the dog. <All Time Well Wasted>
  
  
• Minnesota Chris (aka Hell Lions) would more accurately be described as the person to have picked up where Will-He-M left off, as Will had actually been publishing regular Top Ten Lists last season. If you're not a fan of Drew Barrymore, you can probably still find something interesting here, but for the rest of us, er, normal people, er, 90% of males, 10% of females, and roughly four-fifths of the gay & lesbian populations, grab some popcorn and prepare to get your Barrymore on. <The Top Ten Links to Click On>
  
  
• Some of you know him as Fowl Play, but I re-christened him Dive'r Down Dave when he agreed to periodically provide us with his recurring almanac feature. For those of you who fell asleep in history class, you'll enjoy the bullets as much as Eva Braun. <Where Were You, On This Day?>
  
  
• I've received a few trade offers lately that were, shall we say, not very flattering towards my intelligence. To those of you who have received a tersely worded rejection from me in the past week or so, allow me to say it more diplomatically. I loves ya but I ain't gonna be no fool. <YouTubey Goodness>
  
  
  
  
• If you want to call this here post an "article", then maybe I can get away with saying that I contributed multiple stories to the blog the past few weeks. If, on the other hand, you want to be honest, then call a spade a spade and chastise the author for producing only one solitary feature this month, and then whining for days about how hard he worked on it. <Lazy, Whining Pussy>
  
  
• Before ever donning the giant turban, and back in the days when the Muff Divers team thought they had a shot at winning the hockey pool, the Hockey Guru used his uncanny abilities to debunk myths, disspell notions and generally do his best to preserve the Queen's English. Despite its earlier vintage, I decided to place it here, in the Andy Rooney segment of this list. You know what I hate? When people don't click on these links. <This Is, The Guru Report>
  
  
• And finally, we leave you with something to ponder, whether you're a Bruins fan, or whether you had wanted to see the Bruins get eliminated by the Habs for the 100th time. <More YouTubitude>

---

---

The All-Time Teams: Yooooour Boston Red Sox

By Will-He-M


LINEUP

C- Carlton Fisk- 1078 GP, 3860 AB, 627 R, 1097 H, 207 D, 33 T, 162 HR, 568 RBI, 61 SB, .284/.356/.481/.837

1B- Mo Vaughn- 1046 GP, 3828 AB, 628 R, 1165 H, 199 D, 10 T, 230 HR, 752 RBI, 28 SB, .304/.394/.542/.936

2B- Bobby Doerr- 1865 GP, 7093 AB, 1094 R, 2042 H, 381 D, 89 T, 223 HR, 1247 RBI, 54 SB, .288/.357/.461/.818

3B- Wade Boggs- 1625 GP, 6213 AB, 1067 R, 2098 H, 422 D, 47 T, 85 HR, 687 RBI, 16 SB, .338/.428/.462/.890

SS- Joe Cronin- 1134 GP, 3892 AB, 645 R, 1168 H, 270 D, 44 T, 119 HR, 737 RBI, 31 SB, .300/.386/.484/.870

LF- Carl Yastrzemski- 3308 GP, 11988 AB, 1816 R, 3419 H, 646 D, 59 T, 452 HR, 1844 RBI, 168 SB, .285/.379/.462/.841

CF- Tris Speaker- 1065 GP, 3935 AB, 704 R, 1327 H, 241 D, 106 T, 39 HR, 542 RBI, 267 SB, .337/.405/.482/.887

RF- Dwight Evans- 2505 GP, 8726 AB, 1435 R, 2373 H, 474 D, 72 T, 379 HR, 1346 RBI, 76 SB, .272/.369/.473/.842

DH- Ted Williams- 2292 GP, 7706 AB, 1798 R, 2654 H, 525 D, 71 T, 521 HR, 1839 RBI, 24 SB, .344/.482/.634/1.116


BENCH

C Jason Varitek
2B/SS/3B Billy Goodman
LF/RF Jim Rice
CF Dom DiMaggio


ROTATION

1. Roger Clemens- 382 GS, 192-111, 3.06 ERA, 100 CG, 38 SHO, 2776.0 IP, 856 BB, 2590 K
2. Pedro Martinez- 201 GS, 117-37, 2.52 ERA, 22 CG, 8 SHO, 1383.2 IP, 309 BB, 1683 K

3. Cy Young- 297 GS, 192-112, 2.00 ERA, 275 CG, 38 SHO, 2728.1 IP, 299 BB, 1341 K

4. Smokey Joe Wood- 157 GS, 117-56, 1.99 ERA, 121 CG, 28 SHO, 1416.0 IP, 412 BB, 986 K
5. Luis Tiant- 238 GS, 122-81, 3.36 ERA, 113 CG, 26 SHO, 1774.2 IP, 501 BB, 1075 K


BULLPEN

CL- Jonathan Papelbon- 270 GP, 14-12, 1.89 ERA, 152 SVS, 300.1 IP, 79 BB, 347 K

SU- Dick Radatz- 286 GP, 49-34, 2.65 ERA, 104 SVS, 557.1 IP, 213 BB, 627 K
SU- Bob Stanley- 637 GP, 115-97, 3.64 ERA, 132 SVS, 1707.0 IP, 471 BB, 693 K

MR- Sparky Lyle- 260 GP, 22-17, 2.85 ERA, 69 SVS, 331.1 IP, 133 BB, 275 K
MR- Derek Lowe- 384 GP, 70-55, 3.72 ERA, 85 SVS, 1037.0 IP, 312 BB, 673 K

LR- Mike Timlin- 394 GP, 30-22, 3.76 ERA, 27 SVS, 409.0 IP, 98 BB, 273 K
LR- Ellis Kinder- 365 GP, 86-52, 3.28 ERA, 91 SVS, 1142.1 IP, 403 BB, 557 K

---

---

The All-Time Teams: Yooooour Baltimore Orioles

By Will-He-M



LINEUP

C- Chris Hoiles- 894 GP, 2820 AB, 415 R, 739 H, 122 D, 2 T, 151 HR, 449 RBI, 5 SB, .262/.366/.467/.833

1B- George Sisler- 1647 GP, 6667 AB, 1091 R, 2295 H, 343 D, 145 T, 93 HR, 959 RBI, 351 SB, .344/.374/.481/.855

2B- Brian Roberts- 1134 GP, 4490 AB, 729 R, 1274 H, 318 D, 33 T, 77 HR, 443 RBI, 256 SB, .284/.356/.421/.777

3B- Brooks Robinson- 2896 GP, 10654 AB, 1232 R, 2848 H, 482 D, 58 T, 268 HR, 1357 RBI, 28 SB, .267/.322/.401/.723

SS- Cal Ripken Jr.- 3001 GP, 11551 AB, 1647 R, 3184 H, 603 D, 44 T, 431 HR, 1695 RBI, 36 SB, .276/.340/.447/.787

LF- Ken Williams- 1109 GP, 4015 AB, 757 R, 1308 H, 236 D, 70 T, 185 HR, 808 RBI, 144 SB, .326/.392/.558/.950

CF- Brady Anderson- 1759 GP, 6271 AB, 1044 R, 1614 H, 329 D, 64 T, 209 HR, 744 RBI, 307 SB, .257/.364/.430/.794

RF- Ken Singleton- 1446 GP, 5115 AB, 684 R, 1455 H, 235 D, 19 T, 182 HR, 766 RBI, 8 SB, .284/.388/.445/.833

DH- 1B Eddie Murray- 1884 GP, 7075 AB, 1084 R, 2080 H, 363 D, 25 T, 343 HR, 1224 RBI, 62 SB, .294/.370/.498/.868


BENCH

C Hank Severeid
2B Ski Melillo
1B Boog Powell
RF Jack Tobin


ROTATION

1. Jim Palmer- 521 GS, 268-152, 2.86 ERA, 211 CG, 53 SHO, 3948.0 IP, 1311 BB, 2212 K
2. Mike Mussina- 288 GS, 147-81, 3.53 ERA, 45 CG, 15 SHO, 2009.2 IP, 467 BB, 1535 K
3. Dave McNally- 384 GS, 181-113, 3.18 ERA, 120 CG, 33 SHO, 2652.2 IP, 790 BB, 1476 K
4. Mike Cuellar- 283 GS, 143-88, 3.18 ERA, 133 CG, 30 SHO, 2028.1 IP, 601 BB, 1011 K
5. Mike Flanagan- 328 GS, 141-116, 3.89 ERA, 98 CG, 17 SHO, 2317.2 IP, 740 BB, 1297 K


BULLPEN

CL- Gregg Olson- 320 GP, 17-21, 2.26 ERA, 160 SVS, 350.1 IP, 158 BB, 347 K

SU- Stu Miller- 297 GP, 38-36, 2.37 ERA, 100 SVS, 502.0 IP, 177 BB, 432 K
SU- B.J. Ryan- 404 GP, 16-19, 3.54 ERA, 42 SVS, 379.1 IP, 194 BB, 464 K

MR- Randy Myers- 123 GP, 6-7, 2.51 ERA, 76 SVS, 118.1 IP, 51 BB, 130 K
MR- Tippy Martinez- 499 GP, 52-40, 3.46 ERA, 106 SVS, 752.1 IP, 366 BB, 585 K

LR- Dick Hall- 342 GP, 65-40, 2.89 ERA, 58 SVS, 770.0 IP, 126 BB, 499 K
LR- Eddie Watt- 363 GP, 37-34, 2.74 ERA, 74 SVS, 615.1 IP, 220 BB, 433 K

---

---

The All-Time Teams: Yooooour Atlanta Braves

By Will-He-M



LINEUP

C Javy Lopez- 1156 GP, 4003 AB, 508 R, 1148 H, 190 D, 14 T, 214 HR, 694 RBI, 8 SB, .287/.337/.502/.839

1B Joe Adcock- 1207 GP, 4232 AB, 564 R, 1206 H, 197 D, 22 T, 239 HR, 760 RBI, 11 SB, .285/.342/.511/.853

2B Bobby Lowe- 1410 GP, 5618 AB, 999 R, 1606 H, 186 D, 71 T, 70 HR, 872 RBI, 260 SB, .286/.343/.382/.725

3B Chipper Jones- 2166 GP, 7825 AB, 1358 R, 2406 H, 472 D, 37 T, 426 HR, 1445 RBI, 142 SB, .307.406/.541/..947

SS Herman Long- 1646 GP, 6776 AB, 1292 R, 1901 H, 295 D, 91 T, 88 HR, 964 RBI, 433 SB, .281/.336/.390/.726

LF Hank Aaron- 3076 GP, 11628 AB, 2107 R, 3600 H, 600 D, 90 T, 733 HR, 2202 RBI, 240 SB, .310/.377/.567/.944

CF Andruw Jones- 1761 GP, 6408 AB, 1045 R, 1683 H, 330 D, 34 T, 368 HR, 1117 RBI, 138 SB, .263/.342/.497/.839

RF Hugh Duffy- 1152 GP, 4656 AB, 996 R, 1544 H, 220 D, 73 T, 69 HR, 927 RBI, 331 SB, .332/.392/.455/.847


BENCH

Del Crandall- C
Fred Tenney- 1B
Eddie Matthews- 3B
Jeff Blauser- 2B/3B/SS
Dale Murphy- CF/RF


ROTATION

1. Warren Spahn- 635 GS, 356-229, 3.05 ERA, 374 CG, 63 SHO, 5046.0 IP, 1378 BB, 2493 K
2. Kid Nichols- 501 GS, 329-183, 3.00 ERA, 475 CG, 44 SHO, 4538.0 IP, 1159 BB, 1672 K
3. Tom Glavine- 518 GS, 244-147, 3.41 ERA, 52 CG, 22 SHO, 3408.0 IP, 1177 BB, 2091 K
4. Phil Niekro- 595 GS, 268-230, 3.20 ERA, 226 CG, 43 SHO, 4622.2 IP, 1458 BB, 2912 K
5. Greg Maddux- 363 GS, 194-88, 2.63 ERA, 61 CG, 21 SHO, 2526.2 IP, 383 BB, 1828 K


BULLPEN

CL- John Smoltz- 708 GP, 210-147, 3.26 ERA, 154 SVS, 3395.0 IP, 992 BB, 3011 K

SU- Gene Garber- 557 GP, 53-73, 3.34 ERA, 141 SVS, 856.0 IP, 233 BB, 540 K
SU- Mike Remlinger- 328 GP, 27-14, 2.74 ERA, 16 SVS, 321.2 IP, 132 BB, 334 K

MR- Mark Wohlers- 388 GP, 31-22, 3.73 ERA, 112 SVS, 386.1 IP, 204 BB, 437 K
MR- John Rocker- 210 GP, 8-12, 2.63 ERA, 83 SVS, 195.1 IP, 123 BB, 259 K

LR- Rick Camp- 414 GP, 56-49, 3.37 ERA, 57 SVS, 942.1 IP, 336 BB, 407 K
LR- Steve Bedrosian- 350 GP, 40-45, 3.26 ERA, 41 SVS, 696.0 IP, 311 BB, 559 K

The All-Time Teams: Yooooour Arizona Diamondbacks

By Will-He-M



LINE UP

2B Tony Womack- 629 GP, 2521 AB, 392 R, 677 H, 98 D, 37 T, 21 HR, 200 RBI, 182 SB, .269/.314/.362/.678
CF Steve Finley- 849 GP, 3049 AB, 491 R, 847 H, 150 D, 34 T, 153 HR, 479 RBI, 70 SB, .278/.351/.500/.851
LF Luis Gonzalez- 1194 GP, 4488 AB, 780 R, 1337 H, 310 D, 27 T, 224 HR, 774 RBI, 32 SB, .297/.391/.529/.920
3B Matt Williams- 595 GP, 2265 AB, 317 R, 629 H, 127 D, 7 T, 99 HR, 381 RBI, 12 SB, .279/.327/.471/.798
SS Jay Bell- 616 GP, 2180 AB, 360 R, 573 H, 116 D, 18 T, 91 HR, 304 RBI, 17 SB, .263/.355/.458/.813
RF Danny Bautista- 456 GP, 1461 AB, 186 R, 432 H, 75 D, 15 T, 33 HR, 197 RBI, 21 SB, .296/.344/.435/.779
1B Conor Jackson- 484 GP, 1624 AB, 234 R, 456 H, 93 D, 8 T, 45 HR, 236 RBI, 18 SB, .281/.361/.431/.792
C Damian Miller- 467 GP, 1465 AB, 180 R, 394 H, 98 D, 2 T, 48 HR, 194 RBI, 3 SB, .269/.336/.437/.773


BENCH

Chris Snyder- C
Chad Tracy- 1B/3B
Craig Counsell- UTIL
Eric Byrnes- OF
Chris Young- OF


ROTATION

1. Randy Johnson- 232 GS, 118-62, 2.83 ERA, 38 CG, 14 SHO, 1630.1 IP, 416 BB, 2077 K
2. Brandon Webb- 198 GS, 87-62, 3.27 ERA, 15 CG, 8 SHO, 1319.2 IP, 435 BB, 1065 K
3. Curt Schilling- 107 GS, 58-28, 3.14 ERA, 18 CG, 5 SHO, 781.2 IP, 117 BB, 875 K
4. Miguel Batista- 109 GS, 40-34, 3.99 ERA, 6 CG, 2 SHO, 723.2 IP, 274 BB, 454 K
5. Brian Anderson- 129 GS, 41-42, 4.52 ERA, 7 CG, 2 SHO, 840.2 IP, 153 BB, 410 K


BULLPEN

CL- Jose Valverde- 253 GP, 9-14, 3.29 ERA, 98 SVS, 260.0 IP, 111 BB, 331 K

SU- Byung-Hyun Kim- 245 GP, 21-23, 3.43 ERA, 70 SVS, 325.2 IP, 153 BB, 383 K
SU- Matt Mantei- 178 GP, 8-11, 4.04 ERA, 74 SVS, 173.2 IP, 94 BB, 221 K

MR- Chad Qualls- 128 GP, 6-10, 3.15 ERA, 33 SVS, 125.2 IP, 25 BB, 116 K
MR- Greg Swindell- 225 GP, 8-14, 3.76 ERA, 4 SVS, 227.1 IP, 54 BB, 180 K

LR- Gregg Olson- 125 GP, 12-9, 3.34 ERA, 44 SVS, 129.1 IP, 50 BB, 100 K
LR- Mike Koplove- 217 GP, 15-7, 3.76 ERA, 2 SVS, 248.2 IP, 101 BB, 171 K

The All-Time Teams: We're Puttin' on the Foil !

By The Ol' Heave-Whore

Here's my view of the all-time toughest, meanest, and best team to play against. An all-star team might beat them, if they managed to last until the end of the game.


RW1 - Gordie Howe
C1 - Mark Messier
LW1 - Ted Lindsey

RW1 - Rocket Richard
C2 - Bobby Clarke
LW2 - Dave Schultz

RW3 - Cam Neely
C3 - Dale Hunter
LW3 - John Ferguson

RW4 - Rick Tocchet
C4 - Ken Linseman
LW4 - Tiger Williams

D1 - Eddy Shore
D1 - Bobby Orr

D2 - Zdeno Chara
D2 - Chris Pronger

D3 - Chris Chelios
D3 - Scott Stevens

G1 - Billy Smith
G2 - Ron Hextall

---

---

The All-Time Teams: The Olympics' Team Russia

By Will-He-M

Despite the minor blip that Russians think of when they remember the Miracle On Ice, the Soviets enjoyed a decades-long run as the top team at the Olympics. They may not have won anything recently, but for all of time, I have to give the Russians the Gold Medal.



Line 1

LW- Valery Kharlamov
C- Sergei Fedorov
RW- Pavel Bure


Line 2

LW- Alexander Ovechkin
C- Vladimir Petrov
RW- Alexander Mogilny


Line 3

LW- Vladimir Krutov
C- Igor Larionov
RW- Sergei Makarov


Line 4

LW- Anatoli Firsov
C- Vyacheslav Bykov
RW- Boris Mikhailov


Def. Pair 1

RD- Vyacheslav Fetisov
LD- Valeri Vasiliev


Def. Pair 2

RD- Sergei Zubov
LD- Nikolai Sologubov


Def. Pair 3

RD- Vladimir Konstantinov
LD- Viktor Tikhonov


Goalies

1- Vladislav Tretiak
2- Viktor Konovalenko
3- Evgeni Nabokov


Taxi Squad

1- Alexander Maltsev- RW
2- Alexei Yashin- C
3- Evgeni Malkin- C/LW
4- Sergei Gonchar- D
5- Alexander Ragulin- D

The All-Time Teams: The Olympics' Team Canada

By Will-He-M

It's not that I don't think Team Canada is better now, but I had to hand them the Silver Medal, given the Soviet Union's historical dominance. Man, but you gotta get a load of this kick-ass Silver Medal squad:



General Manager- Sam Pollock
Head Coach- Scotty Bowman
Forwards Coach- Toe Blake
Defence Coach- Scott Stevens
Goalie Coach- Francois Allaire


1st Line

LW- Wayne Gretzky
C- Mario Lemieux
RW- Maurice Richard


2nd Line

LW- Joe Sakic
C- Steve Yzerman
RW- Gordie Howe


3rd Line

LW- Guy LaFleur
C- Gilbert Perreault
RW- Mike Bossy


4th Line

LW- Ron Francis
C- Bob Gainey
RW- Marcel Dionne


Def. Pair 1

RD- Bobby Orr
LD- Doug Harvey


Def. Pair 2

RD- Larry Robinson
LD- Ray Bourque


Def. Pair 3

RD- Paul Coffey
LD- Denis Potvin


Goalies

1- Patrick Roy
2- Terry Sawchuk
3- Martin Brodeur


Taxi Squad

1- Bobby Hull
2- Stan Mikita
3- Brad Park
4- Howie Morenz
5- Red Kelly



Line 1

The greatest playmaker, the greatest two-way centre and the original power forward. Gretzky and Lemieux with Richard would be an amazing sight to see. I really don't think theirs a defensive strategy in the history of hockey that could stop that line.


Line 2

I wanted this line to be a bit more defensively responsible, which is why I chose Mr. Hockey to be the RW over Mike Bossy.


Line 3

Not your typical 3rd line checking line but they'd be the best 3rd line in the history of hockey.


Line 4

You know you're deep on offense when Marcel Dionne is a 4th line checker.


Def. Pair 1

The 2 greatest defencemen in NHL history as you're top pairing would be like waking up in heaven with 40 virgins waiting for you. Harvey's defensive mind set would allow Orr to pretty much become the 4th forward on the ice.


Def. Pair 2

2 more of the greatest defencemen in history as a pairing. This would be my personal shutdown tandem.


Def. Pair 3

Coffey wasn't my first choice but I felt compelled to ave him because of his offensive game. I kind of wanted Park here but decided to give it to Coffey for Power Play purposes only.


Goalies

This proved tougher then expected. I really couldn't decide if I wanted Roy or Sawchuk as my starter. Ultimately, it came down to Roy's clutch OT play in the Playoffs. In hindsight, Brodeur may be the better option simply because of the 3, he'd be the one who's used to facing a low number of shots but I'm sticking to Roy.


Taxi Squad

I know this may come as a surprise since I don't have Mark Messier anywhere on this team. Truth is, I couldn't find room for him. Theirs plenty of leadership and offense among the forwards that Messier becomes expendable. I could of had him as a reserve but I wanted 2 extra forwards and 2 extra defencemen along with the most versatile player in NHL history, Red Kelly., who can play both forward and defence.

---

---

The All-Time Teams: The Olympics' Team U.S.A.

By Will-He-M

It may be a little generous of me to give the Americans the All-Time Olympic Bronze, but those two Miracles On Ice do leave a lasting impression, especially when portrayed by Kurt Russell.



Coach- Herb Brooks
GM- Brian Burke


Line 1

LW- Joe Mullen
C- Mike Modano
RW- Pat LaFontaine


Line 2

LW- John LeClair
C- Doug Weight
RW- Brett Hull


Line 3

LW- Keith Tkachuk
C- Jeremy Roenick
RW- Tony Amonte


Line 4

LW- Dave Christian
C- Neal Broten
RW- Bill Guerin


Def. Pair 1

RD- Rod Langway
LD- Brian Leetch


Def. Pair 2

RD- Mark Howe
LD- Phil Housley


Def. Pair 3

RD- Chris Chelios
LD- Gary Suter


Goalies

1- Frank Brimsek
2- Tom Barrasso
3- John Vanbiesbrouck


Taxi Squad

1- Ken Morrow- D
2- Mathieu Schneider- D
3- Patrick Kane- RW
4- Mike Ramsey- D
5- Zach Parise- LW



Line 1

This line would be scary quick. All 3 players have the unique ability to pass, shoot and dangle and are just as good at those abilitie as an Canadian.


Line 2

This line is nearly perfect but unfortunately, the USA has yet to deliver an elite playmaker ala Gretzky or Lemieux. Still though, near perfection is still going to give team's nightmares. I originally had JR on here but figured Weight's passing ability would take advantage of the 2 best US snipers ever.


Line 3

A fairly gritty line, no star defensive player but all 3 have the ability to play in their own end and cause trouble for opposition forwards.


Line 4
Again, no star defensive forward but still 3 guys who are well above average defensively.


Def. Pair 1

The perfect combination of offense and defence, Langway's sound defensive game would perfectly compliment Leetch's offensive game


Def. Pair 2

I'd like to officially change my pairings, here I would have Housley with CRAIG LUDWIG, same reasoning as above.


Def. Pair 3

And I'd move Mark Howe here with Chris Chelios. This would be the Top Pair on most countries teams but this shows the depth Team USA has on defence.


Goalies

Anyone nicknamed "Mr. Zero" has to be a starter. Barrasso would be the perfect back up with Beezer being one of the better 3rd stringers ever.


Taxi Squad

The only problem with Team USA is their lack of depth up front, forcing me to choose 2 relatively unproven players in Kane and Parise. Don't get me wrong, when all is said and done, Kane and Parise could very well be Top 5 best US forwards ever.

---

---

The All-Time Teams: 30 Cities and 30 City-States

By Spezzal Teams Playa

For the next month or so, until New Year's Eve, I'll be listing the All-Decade Teams for each of the 30 NHL franchises. Alongside that study, I'll take a look at what the league might look like if franchises were awarded based upon territorial rights.

Now I'm not suggesting at all that teams should move from Philadelphia to Barrie, Ontario. I just thought it would be fun to see where the players come from and to group them regionally with others from their neck of the woods.